Not to be nit picky but the plugin you picked is modeled on a completely different compressor internally, the plugin is based on a all Class A, gold wired unit with a different punchier VCA and a different faster release knee that only had a limited run of 50 units. So the plugin will sound way cleaner than the hardware, the OG original Brainworx Shadow Hills would be a better comparison since it is modeled on the hardware unit you have in the studio. Good comparison anyway and it shows how good algorithms have become at mimicking various types of compression. It a great time to be making music.

I thought it was interesting! and man those Shadowhill hardwares are a sight of beauty

Love your videos. Such a fun watch/listen. Really feel like I’m being let into that room, getting to watch everything you’re doing! Camera and production work is great.

Thanks for doing this and yes unfortunately, this is the era we now live in where everyone is so sensitive to every little thing that is said without looking at the bigger picture. Wonderful studio and mix and video btw.

Just wish you could’ve done this demonstration with a song with a kick and snare

don't stop what you're doing.Super fan

Glad to see youbcontent all the time bro i really appreciate it

Love the videos, and thanks for making them while being genuine.👍🏾👍🏾 In the video, you said you got a few comments about people saying don’t adjust to the numbers on the hardware. I say start off with adjusting it to the numbers on the hardware (which is interesting.) and then adjust to what your ear tell you (which is also interesting), this is what a person would do in real life if we didn’t have the hardware unit. That would be a nice added touch to these types of videos because from our point of view, it’s like “Oh well they don’t sound the same, thanks for watching goodbye”, instead of let’s see what we can do to get them to sound closer. Think about it, even two hardware unit wouldn’t sound the same. The point is to get a good sound not “Oh well they don’t sound the same, now I guess I got to quit music because I can’t go out and buy the $10,000 unit”…“You know what I mean“?

Man… by far the best place (to me) in order to have a good reference for me to choose the right plugins… THANK YOU!!

Excellent job sir :)

Very well made comparison. Don't let the haters get to you. Looking forward to more stuff like this. I use the plugin all the time and I love it. Cheers man!

Nice comparison!!!🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤

wow I immediately felt the difference between the 2 but I really heard it with your explanation. You are a great tutor keep going you will succeed on the youtube game too.

Great vid man

The difference is so small, that it's not a deal breaker with me. However, I have the older plugin which might be more in line with the hardware unit in your studio. I think the Class A ShadowHills Compressor is a bit different, and that is clear according to this video, however it still sounds really good, and good enough for me to not spend thousands of dollars for a 5% improvement if that. You are right the nickel sounds good on the plugin, so much that I think it sounds better than the hardware when in nickel mode, but the hardware sounds best in iron mode for sure, even against the plugin in its best state.

Thank you for this video. Wonderful! What is often not noticed is that our subconscious actually perceives the quantized sampling rate, but our mind does not! The mind is comparatively very slow. Because "digital" is only a quantized approximation. And can never lead to the natural full-fat level of whole milk. In addition, with digital there are delays in milliseconds, which the subconscious also perceives. The subconscious perceives delays of 1 millisecond! No problem at all with analogue! In our souls we perceive music processed in analogue with an indescribable feeling of well-being. It is worth working analogue as far as possible. Thank you very much!

Love that stuff you are doing man. keep it flowing. Btw you should try the opto compressor part of the Shadow Hills on piano and let us know what you think....

As you are well aware each hardware unit is different and may have a slightly different sound. I was on a beta testing team for a compressor and the company insisted on making sure that the people with the actual hardware units be able to null the plugin with their units. I also recall calibrations had to be done. Each unit was different, but the company wanted the plugin to null the hardware and only after months of testing was the company comfortable releasing the plugin. your hardware unit is not the actual one that they modeled so you will always have to set your settings based on your ear and not what your settings are on the hardware... But I do prefer the analog! Yes you would have to add another plugin to get the sound

LOVE this - keep em coming! Thanks so much for your time. the level of copium in the comments is funny...dont mind them. One person even suggested that you should have used the UAD version because of course it sounds warmer..even though its the same code lol. Thanks again!

Cool video. Thanks for the shoot out. Yes, the analog is worth the extra $10k IMO.

I’ve got the plugin for some time, at first I didn’t use it so much but used it more and more. Now a days I like it a lot specially on my drumbus. For mastering I use the free D16 Frontier which is awesome for my taste. Great video again, I saw the unit in your rack in an other video and hoped you’d do a comparison with them, my wish has been answered thanks 😊👌🏼👍🏼

this song is great

To be really fair, you should use oversampling on the plugin, i.e., at least 4x or 8x. I saw the same type of comparison with SPL's IRON and the plugin was close but not exact. However, when you oversample it, the low end tightens and there's more clarity and detail. I know this plugin doesn't have built in OS so you'd have to use Reaper's OS, or Patchwork or Superplugin. One more thing. When you change between the plugin and hardware, don't stop and say you're changing it - just change it in real time so we can hear the differences immediately.

Fantastic video!! due to your quality, I was able to discern the specific subtle differences between your studio compressor and the plugin. With that said, I want to tell you something that you can test yourself. I don't know how many units of this model has BH produced but I will bet my last Dollar on that their character, color, depth and general handling will vary from unit to unit. Easy to test if you have 2 or more units to do the test with. The reason for that subtle variation is components are similar, not identical. Take a transformer; the mass of the components in that transformer will not be identical to that other unit and it will ever so slightly differently process the signal. The same goes for other components in a given compressor. Test this out if you ever get that opportunity. The plugin modeled from ONE SPECIFIC UNIT will most likely closely emulate the exact characteristics and sound of the unit it was modeled from. I've tried these tests with Marshall Amps, Mics, Avalon 737s as well as Consoles, it proved the point. This applies as well to that SSL Console in your studio. Run the same track through 2 or 3 different stereo channels and listen. Again, this was a wonderful video!!

I'd be interested in comparing the dry mix, and the version you ran through the hardware as .wav files. Iron, nickel, and steel with a photo of the settings on both units. I would enjoy being able to understand where and how I should compensate when using the plugin. I've done this with other units but I don't have access to that one.

Thaks, I love your videos,... I hope one day you can make a comparison of the Chandlers, they say that the emulations are very good,...

Dude just do any videos with all of the classics, from what I can see that room has literally atleast 2 of every piece of gear ever imaginable. You have a unique opportunity to showcase a lot of that stuff. Awesome vids! Ps don’t sell out to plug-in companies paying for secret reviews because then I won’t want to watch anymore lmao 🙏🏼

Studio tour ❤❤❤

I’ll pop that on my lottery list! ❤️

Can you please make more tutorial videos on how to balance a mix. Thanks

For me its close.... but not close. Sure the characteristics are pretty similar, but you are right about the low end, its just not there in the plugin. Also, I find the analog unit so much smoother and handles the transients better. Thanks for the video, I really do enjoy hearing what we are missing in the digital-only world by watching videos such as this. Now to drool over the shadow hills hardware unit. lol

Cool comparison! The plug-in definitely doesn’t give off the same low end lift that the analog gave 👏🏽

Josh, I have been enjoying your videos. Could you tell me if it is worth owning the Shadow Hills 500 series Vandergraph verses other 500 series dual compressors such as the API 529 and the Serpent Audio S4001? I have one other observation. When you are comparing gear I notice you let us listen then you stop then play the comparison gear. Is it possible you can flip between the gear as we are listing to it? I feel I can hear the difference better.

I cant change the knobs on my plugins....

I'd love to see Softube Console 1 SSL 4000e EQ and saturation comparison to the real SSL, UAD 1176 rev A and rev E comparison to the real 1176s and LA-2A comparison (real LA-2A vs UAD Grey vs Waves CLA-2A vs Softube Opto Compressor) and lastly Softube Tube-Tech EQ comparison to the real Tube-Tech EQ. Thanks for your videos! They're very informative

I appreciated this. I find I can’t hear these differences. I think my brain/ears are not attuned yet to the differences. Interestingly though I can hear nice things happening when I turn on the SHMC plugin, in my mixes, and while I can’t say what the difference is, I can consistently blind audition and pick the one that has the SMHC on. Weird? Am I the only one who is almost able to hear what these things do? But not clearly?

As you said, if you know what you are doing you can get all the depth and 3dness in the world in the box. Sometimes gear is like a cheat to get great sound without understanding why. Serban Ghenea is ITB and his bass is soooo thick and his mids are soooo smooth. He uses CLA-76 and a 10 year old channel strip... knowledge and skill gets good results, great gear is fun and can be a shortcut to complex processing without having to know whats going on

I checked your first reaction on the plugin, the missing part is ; there is no foot-tapping or head-bobbing happening. The analog version immediately breathes life into the sound. It sounds radio-ready so to speak. It makes you want to tap your feet.

Any chance we can get stems of the hardware vs plugins?

The analog gear just has a smoothness to the tops and energy in the lows. I just feel digital is too perfect and analog is imperfect in a good way. I desire the imperfections over surgical clarity. Call me old fashioned.

Does this analog unit go through some ad/da converters or mic pre/line in? Defo…small differences in that case will be there…I don’t know the signal flow with the daw, console and outboard gear but connecting that compressor to a daw definitely requires some line amp/mic pre…

This is a million dollar studio for sure. I used to mix on that SSL duality but i think your model is the newer version. It's a great sounding board but i found it to be overly complicated. The middle area was a mess to me . I had a real hard time reading the silkscreening. The sound though was brilliant

On the Multivoice Part the difference was so dramatic, almost not believable. Sounded like the deep harmony was 1 dB up in the Mix and there was almost 30% more depth overall. Somehow analog always makes the Mix breathe wider and digital sounds more restricted, thats always what gives it away for me and in my opinion as an audio lover, that exact fact is worth all the money in the world. something sterile becomes organic wich is the reason why i love making and mixing music.

Great review! Can you compare the tube tech cl1b on vocal to the plugin please?

I know there’s a difference, I just want to see how much at this point in average settings

I can't hear 9800$ difference. Maybe it's youtube compression degrading the audio. There's slight difference but surly not that much. You need more low end use equaliser that's their job to fix what's needed. Great work thanks.

id like how in your setup.. you use a 12k mastering compressor... that you set... outside of the Sweet spot.. sitting on thr floor... with one ears...( the right) getting your source signal... to me its a highly insane and very bad work flow. what hapoend when you actually sit back in your swret spot. ??

Hey man, was wondering if by any chance you are still looking for an intern?

Great videos! Thank you for putting these together. Just one thing, could you please not speak when doing comparisons? Could you say what you're gonna do, then have a visual aid on the screen as you switch? Thank you again 🙏

IMHO. Two Things. 1. Worflow 2. Aliasing. The latter constitutes cumulative timbre deletion through enharmonic artifacts that encumber and creep up from the noise floor and lower level signal range. It eats away at ambience, density of and smoothness of midrange, and the tail/decay of notes. Aliasing can be compounded through a signal path from the first plugin, to bussess, auxes and through the last plugin on the mix buss. Imagine a track getting aliasing artifacts 4-8 times. Most compressors have aliasing from the detection algorithm. And practically all saturation plugins do as well. The more you compress and drive saturation the worse it gets. In a nutshell, the more you try to get "analog" mojo with plugins the more energy and harmonic richness is lost. This results in diminishing returns. With analog gear, none of this happens. This is why a large complex mix with plugins finds us fighting to get everything to sit, pulling out our hair and taking much longer than a full analog mix.

The plugin (red) has a very annoying LPF in the optical section. I still don't understand how, to these days, they thought it would be a good thing, especially for mastering...

The plugin market is looking like another fools gold realm in our lives. Ever since i started dabbling in outboard gear ive been kind of blown away how easy it is to hear hardware working and making the music better; plugins are feeling like “meh.”

Very interesting. Even though i am not a fanatic of either side cause i find plugins excel in some things and analog in others, we have arrived at a place where analog or digital will not make or break a record. The way i see it, a good engineer working completely in the box will produce a better result than a „medium" skill engineer with the best analog equipment

Respect from Ukraine! Keep Rocking! 🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾

The hardware almost always wins but it's 10k. Yea the plug is the Class A which sounds different than the standard for sure. The plugin acts odd when I hear the compression for whatever reason. The hardware just doesn't give me that jarring effect on the attack and release. It also just has a prettier more open sound. You can make a record with either, though. I would end up with different settings on each I am sure, in the end. It's different when you are driving each and finding the best settings.

Analog vs Plugin, the reasons you can't dial in exactly the same settings: 1) you don't know which reference level was used when creating a plugin (-6db, -14, -18 or whatever) 2) the analog unit (or the referenced unit) could be different/aged/broken 3) if you dial in the best setting on plugin and then copy them to the digital, the outcome could vary if you'd do the same but vise a versa.

You are using plugin modeled on different model, as Joe commented. This class A version has more aggressive, punchy and transparent sound. Original 2011 Shadow Hills plugin modeled after unit you're using is more rounded and has that rounded sound. As I understood from online comparisons between the two plugin models - in 90% situation this new Class A plugin sounds better. I would try 30ms attack or maybe add a bit of optical compression to the plugin to get the better result. Also, there is sidechain HPF which could help the bass to come through more. I'm quite sure that Softube tape (tape model B setting) with slight hi freq rollof or Waves NLS "Mike" mode after this plugin could make in the box master sound closer to the analog one you have. I'd love to hear that. Cheers!

Like others have said, you are comparing the Class A version of the plugin to the hardware. You really should be using the regular version with the green LED’s. From what I have seen on KZfaq, most of the pro’s who use the plugin actually prefer the regular one over the Class A version.

Great video - however when you compare sounds and stop the music for 3-4 secs and tell what you are doing makes it really hard for many people to hear the difference. Maybe just say what you are doing and then switch back and forth with the music playing. Especially on KZfaq where sound is already heavily compressed. Thanks!

The Class A plugin has a strange low pass filtering happening so it will sounds very different from your hardware, also these are two different units. No point in this comparison. Like comparing a blackface 1176 and a blue stripe one.

You missed an opportunity to add Acustica Audo Aquamarine to the test. It's better than the PA version, IMHO:)

I mean, i would get one, if I had the money for it.. but if your moving around, plug-in should hold it down

You messed up man. I've used the 'real' tube 1 & have both the plugs. The 'red' class a is a totally different topology & unsurprisingly has a very different sound - not worth the comparison.

Run a stereo out from Pro Tools to a portable speaker/Bluetooth speaker/mobile device and THEN run the test to see what difference it makes.

Do a null test

The hardware sounds effortless. All sources have their own layer. The plug-in isn't bad but misses that transparency, easy going and detail. It's a beautiful compressor but buying a unit like that only makes sense if the whole chain is up to that level.

Dosent translate at all through my phone, laptop, headphones, earbuds, jbl's. It all sounds the same.

it does seem funny tho using crazy expensive intensely designed gear like for super mild music like bluegrass lol

The original track has a "pumpiness" about it and it is more pumpy with the inserts. Not my cup of tea, but, I am, of course, dealing with the YT algorithm.

Man - I've had my mind's eye on the SHMC for over a decade. You're not helping! Nice comparison.

🎩I will give one „Like“ and a very polite thank you to the Mr. who gives me the name of the band that the gentleman plays in his disertation.

Of course there is a difference.

Great video but your comparing the analog to the class A plugin So the Class a will sound different than the analog... However they make the original Shadow hills You may find it more comparable Not an even race truthfully I use the original non class a from Plugin Alliance

The youth will determine what becomes 'the norm'. It's so subjective.

uad version sounds the closest to that hardware ...but the hardware will remain king of the hill

big like from ISRAEL !!

I hear an upper mid range character to the plug in. Of course, a lack of depth as well.

I'll guarantee you that the average, radio head listener will never know, understand or even care about the difference between the two. They wouldn't know or hear the difference if I, the inexperienced done the work, because they just do not care in the least bit.

I mean plugins are good but no plugins have any mojo, he’ll it’s just 1’s & 0’s lol let the haters hate.

1st by the way

... terrible choice of music to showcase anything... the music is quite annoying as much as distracting to get a clear view. Also no kicks, no snare or hi hats or what not that can help discern the works... uff... though couldnt get through the vid without hating it.

Why You don’t use music to demonstrate it? Because Bluegrass is really hart to hear for no gum chewing cowboys from planet USA. Hooooorrible. All that good hardware for that music?? Thats sad.

The conclusion is : Tchad Blake mixes with plugins and his projects sounds better than yours.............and he makes more money at the end of it. Funny isn't it?

Really I think the comparison is rather moot. Simply because. While the, Shadow Pills Mastering Limiter. No doubt, is a fine unit. I had one in my control room for a few weeks. It's a nice limiter for rich guys. It's a status limiter. The reason I believe the comparison is moot. With that, of the, software version. Simply because. This is not a legendary nor well-known, classic, anything. It's a modern day limiter. With a retro,, 1940s lookin', vibe. You are paying more for the look. Then you are for what it does. As it does not have what we would call, a recognizable sound. It definitely is not a Fairchild 660/670 by any stretch of the imagination. It doesn't even use vacuum tubes/valves. In fact it circuitry. Isn't much different. From that of API Audio Products. It's based on a similar circuit design. After having it for a couple of weeks in my control room. I was largely underwhelmed. So I gave it back. I like the sound of other well-known classic limiters better. They may not be better limiters. But they have a recognizable classic sound everyone knows. And are drawn to. Without knowing why. Based on Familiarity of Sound. Not based on someone's, subjective perception of better sound. That hasn't had the experience with the other manufacturers, similar units. And so if you want this pretty piece in your control room. To put across your, stereo mixes. Which is what it's designed to do. Then? No problem for the $10,000 price tag. Right? Personally I would rather purchase a used Harley-Davidson. They don't make limiters. RemyRAD

thats the 9800 dollar difference a 98 cent pissy chip verses transformers your shit only sounds as good as your output