I think it kinda sounds like tape when you drive the Compounder hot.
one thing i really miss is a dry/wet knob.
True. Iāve seen them go for under $200. Thatās nuts.
Really? Thatās in the plugin league. Donāt understand that at all.
People are just unaware.
The compounder has a bad reputation on some reviews/forums. I donāt know why.
People are crazy. It has a totally unique design with that inductor bass enhancement feature; itās almost like having an EQ from a Neve console built in. The VCAs were also specially designed for the unit to distort even harmonics in a musical manner.
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Focusrite has never upset me so far.
Dudeā¦ Plugins. No one besides people on gear forums can hear the difference. Most can be demoād for free. All are multiple instance and convenient. I spent last week comparing my hardware to software and listening to a bunch of my favourite albums. Came to conclusion plugins are now legit. And Pretty sure most of my favourite lofi stuff was recorded with zero gear/experience. The whole gear thing is a bubble/trap. Stuff that enhances workflow if worthwhile, the rest is a luxury. A good song is a good song. Iām selling a bunch of stuff and trying to throw my brain back to those first stepsā¦
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Plugins work. Like I said, Iāve been using the digital algorithm on my SP-404, and have been pleased. I love analog compressors though because they do something a little extra when you push them that plugins arenāt quite capable of reproducing yet imo. For transparent-type stuff, I totally agree.
I agree that hardware does have something thatās hard to totally nail. But if I asked my girlfriend to choose between hardware comp and stuff like klanghelm Mjuc comp that I grabbed last week I doubt sheād even be able to pick the same file consistently let alone chose a favourite. If I had a million bucks Iād carry on as I was but I donāt so Iām ducking out of the hardware game for a while and just working on writing with what I have. Hardware sounds enough like plugins to do the job. Modular is a road toward fun nights/generic āthat sounds great, nextā¦ā . The best stuff is always gonna be worth grabbing - oberheim, chandler etc. But no way I can afford that at the moment. And obsessing over the rest has just become a distraction that has almost zero audible benefit on the finished product. Not dissing hardware overall, Iām glad for what I have, i just woke up and thought that most of us on these forums have plenty already and plugins are fine for the rest. Just how Iām feeling at the moment, not trying to throw that on other people or say Iām right. Just kind of hit me like a train over past couple of days. Hard to continually read people getting so hyped over something that sounds a little more like a 303 than than the last thing that sounded totally like a 303 etc. Feels like weāre all a little crazy and I get the feeling I had much more in common with my favourite artists/records etc before I was dissecting this stuff so hardā¦
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I see what youāre saying. I donāt make any money from my music, so I canāt justify anything as an investment. Itās all for my own entertainment mostly. Iām not into video games or making model airplanes, so the money I spend on this stuff feels like tending to a hobby. I love synths/gear enough for them to take up all my spending $ instead of going on vacations and stuff.
Take a vacation mate. So many amazing places to see out there.
Best money I ever spend
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Thatās totally cool. If moneyās no object then fair enough. Iām always gonna be envious of great gear. Its way more enjoyable to fuck around with etc. Just hitting a spot where I feel like Iāve spent a year or 2 telling myself I āneededā it, when in reality I just should have been spending a lot more time working on the actual music. Everyoneās in a different situation, just feels like for me stepping back hard from GAS is kind of a breath of fresh air atm, ironically it feels almost comparable to buying some super high end new gear 
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When i started with electronic music i was naive regarding sound quality but more creative than nowadays. Over the years i really got spoiled. If i donāt get a satisfying sound i will drop the track. So many unfinished tracks are on my hard drive and often enough this depresses me. I would like to be naive again!
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When I buy gear, itās not the musician/artist in me behind the wheel; itās just my OCD.
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Well music as a therapy will not work out then.
Naw, I have a master plan. Iām so busy with school, Iām just making sure I have everything I need for when I get a little break to make music. That time is invaluable so my tools need to be awesome. Sometimes, it feels like Iām setting up a bunch of dominoes.
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I preordered mine just right now. Even with a 90 dollar shipping fee this beats the SSL 4K price tag I found on sweetwater. I have an Xdesk which covers the AWS console sound now I can use this on the master bus and go back into my DAW. Iām excited.
Prints you need to outdo me in the gear purchases. Just kidding.
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Youāre buying all the right stuff, thatās for sure!
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