Heat benefits over plugins

Elektron Gear Analog Heat
#1

Hi all!

Sorry if my post sounds stupid but I’d like have better understanding for Heat and its use.

I am interested in new Heat+FX but what’s the actual benefit of it compared to plugins (which you can as many as you like on individual tracks)?

In live use: Suppose you have two or more Elektron instruments. With Heat you can heat all at once (audio chained) is or just one of them, right? So in live use this is kind of a master track effect?

Am I missing something relevant here? Is Heat relevant mostly in computerless setups?

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#2

The benefits vs. plugins would be:

  • Analog saturation/drive and ‘warmth’ vs digital plugins (the actual benefit/value of this depends on the user).
  • Having hands-on controls.

If you’re running everything through a DAW, plug-ins seem a lot easier, cost-effective, and more flexible - though there are potentially latency concerns, compared to hardware.
I’d say it’s mostly for a DAW-less setup, but some people do use it (and other effects pedals) with their DAWs because of the immediacy and hands-on controls, even if it’s more limited.

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#3

If you are looking for hardware FX for multiple instruments, I would look at the Eventide H90 which has two stereo inputs. In most cases, I wouldn’t personally put my drums and synths through one FX chain.

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#4

For hw setup its a nice device, if you stay im the box, soundtoys distortion can get you qiete similar results. Nearly latency free operation can be a huge plus.

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#5

It sounds VERY good, fun to play as well.

I imagine for many yes, it’s a final FX processor.
It excels at putting the final polish on a mix and glue things together.
The drive circuits combined with the filter boost and carve out a final sweet spot along with the compressor. Enhances frequencies and melds it altogether.

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#6

Thanks everyone for replies! In the end like @bodymechanics said it all comes to sound: if it sounds very good and improves general sound it’s worth concidering. Problem for potential buyer is that sound characteristics are so subtle that it’s very hard to know if sound serves your needs or meets your criteria without testing it with your setup. (Of course it’s possible to order it from somewhere and test and return if not what you expected but personally I don’t like this way of ”testing”)

Are there any other comments on this subject perhaps from other users? Perhaps something negative?

#7

Lol, I read the title as getting “free” heating in the winter using hardware, but then realised my fan is always running hot on my old laptop, and was ready to admit plug-ins use a lot of power also …. :slight_smile:

#8

Dave Mech had a really thorough overview of the Heat Mk.II as a master compressor/saturator in a live setup, with good examples that helped me understand what to listen for with compression, and how it can be used.

So many of the videos I see of the Heat only use it to saturate/drive the hell out of a signal, rather than making subtle use of it.

My understanding is that the Heat side of the Heat+FX is basically unchanged, and it’s just adding a flexible digital effects chain - so everything he says there should still apply to the new one.

It’s a bit of a shame that they didn’t update the Heat side though, as one of the complaints about the previous models is that you cannot compress the signal before applying drive/saturation.

EDIT: It turns out I was completely mistaken here.
The Heat + FX does let you apply compression before sending the signal through the Heat block.

#9

…it’s nothing BUT a stereo summing bus…and u can run single sounds, one machine, or a whole bunch of summed up machines/synth/mixes though it to take ur stereo signal to a next level…

the “old” heats did that in purely analog “only” fashion…
while the new heat adds a bunch of digital fx to that same signal processing…

for me, heat was always a must have and if i did not already use the old ones, i’d defenitly get an actual one…

plugins are plugins…analog hardware is analog hardware…
those digital fx in the new model are pretty fancy and can add lot’s of spice to the analog sircuits…but taken for themselves, sure, nothing much that u could not also achieve with plugins…

#10

The tone/character of Clean Boost reminds me a bit the Cytomic Glue. I use mostly only this “engine” for a very delicate alternative to the Glue and exciter plugins. The compression is very subtle, but present and overall sound quality is much more transparent than after the plugin. So like adding extra touch to the final mix (does not work good if it’s applied to the separate tracks).
Sometimes Ozone’s saturation/exciters are on par, but still not feeling as “real”.

Unfortunately the other engines/colors did not fit any of my tracks (enhancement, saturation).
The distortion modes (starting from the Mid Drive and forth clockwise) are in the range from good to awesome. The High Gain is the betst. Much much better than the plugins (however I haven’t used much praised Decapitator and Thrash 2, I’ve used Komplete and in this department it’s so-so). Digital distortion always sounds “flat” to me. The only complaint - there is certain limit of the gain and overall “evilness” when I try to make it as harsh as possible :slight_smile:

So basically for me there are two totally opposite use-cases: subtle final polishing (especially for the very digital sources) and extreme mayhem.

#11

Not a stupid question at all.

For me, it’s a simple answer - I use it because it sounds good and fits my workflow, and I have yet to find a plugin that works as well for me. Maybe one day I will, who knows :slight_smile:

If you can find a plugin or chain that works for you, that’s awesome! At the end of the day - if it sounds right, it is right.

#12

Another use case for it is simply to function as an audio interface, which of course a plugin can’t do. I use mine as an output for my Ableton signal, whether or not it’s going through the Heat. It makes it so that it’s just one less piece of gear for me to carry to gigs or jamming. Laptop, Heat, one synth and I’m good to go.

#13

Maybe I’m crazy, but is it wierd that I add Echoboy to Diva.

scrolling through the styles of echo, I think tube simulation or transmission styles, and keeping the mix to zero will get nice and warm sound that I think is close to the heat in vst form. Just to color the tone.