SSL Duende
Anyone using the above with logic?
MAC Pro 3.0MHZ 10 GIG Ram 2.5TB , MBP 2.33 3gig 160gigHD, Other OS, 1 Apogee Ensemble,AD 16x, Avalon 737VP
I am. Jim isn't though... 😟
7 replies
I am, make sure it has it's own dedicated fire wire bus... by this I mean, go and buy a separate firewire pci card, it hates any other fire wire units on the same bus.
After you do all that, is it really worth it?
Run... run as far away as you can... and keep running...
O.K. in ALL seriousness...
I tried using Duende for 5 months, but in the end, decided it just wasn't worth it. And not because of the sound... the sound is simply amazing. Best software EQ's I've ever heard, hands down.
But, Duende is a firewire device, and it HOGS firewire bandwidth. What ever else is sharing that particular buss, whether it's an audio interface, and external drive, or even with a PCI FW card, it's performance can be jeopardized.
In my case, I already had and used several external FW drives for samples, a FW interface, An AES-16 Digital PCI card and a UAD-1 PCI card. Duende played havoc with EVERYTHING.
When Duende was the only device on my system, it worked great. But after months of trouble shooting, tech support phone calls, emails, etc... I decided I didn't need Duende THAT much. Life in my little DAW world was solid before Duende, and is solid after it as well. But with it, it was a mess.
It was my contention, as well as many others who were having identical problems, that the Duende drivers just weren't written well. Other FW devices like Liquid Mix or Powercore played nice with other devices, why wouldn't Duende? Two updates later, and it never got better.
Now, the thing is, there are some users, with FW peripherals, who are reporting no problems. So I tell folks, sure, go ahead and get it. But make sure you can return it within 15 or 30 days for a FULL refund.
If you have no problems, you will LOVE it. It's an amazing addition to a studio. But if you do have issues, just get out from under it while you can...
O.K. in ALL seriousness...
I tried using Duende for 5 months, but in the end, decided it just wasn't worth it. And not because of the sound... the sound is simply amazing. Best software EQ's I've ever heard, hands down.
But, Duende is a firewire device, and it HOGS firewire bandwidth. What ever else is sharing that particular buss, whether it's an audio interface, and external drive, or even with a PCI FW card, it's performance can be jeopardized.
In my case, I already had and used several external FW drives for samples, a FW interface, An AES-16 Digital PCI card and a UAD-1 PCI card. Duende played havoc with EVERYTHING.
When Duende was the only device on my system, it worked great. But after months of trouble shooting, tech support phone calls, emails, etc... I decided I didn't need Duende THAT much. Life in my little DAW world was solid before Duende, and is solid after it as well. But with it, it was a mess.
It was my contention, as well as many others who were having identical problems, that the Duende drivers just weren't written well. Other FW devices like Liquid Mix or Powercore played nice with other devices, why wouldn't Duende? Two updates later, and it never got better.
Now, the thing is, there are some users, with FW peripherals, who are reporting no problems. So I tell folks, sure, go ahead and get it. But make sure you can return it within 15 or 30 days for a FULL refund.
If you have no problems, you will LOVE it. It's an amazing addition to a studio. But if you do have issues, just get out from under it while you can...
I am using it intensively.
I posted some info here, maybe you might find it usefull:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/138247-uad-1-nevana-ssl-duende.htm l
just scroll down the page, it is the longest post there, I am lazy to even copy and paste it 😉
Message was edited by: Diamond Dog
I posted some info here, maybe you might find it usefull:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/138247-uad-1-nevana-ssl-duende.htm l
just scroll down the page, it is the longest post there, I am lazy to even copy and paste it 😉
Message was edited by: Diamond Dog
Thanks for the info Jim. That is my main concern. I want to upgrade in the dynamics department. After looking at all this UAD, Liquid mix stuff, I think I will go outside the box. I've heard some of them and nothing compares to a real hardware compressor. Only the UAD call my attention because from what I read, see, and hear, they don't jeopardize the performance of your DAW. I am happy with my workflow inside the box, which is virtually crashless, and I don't have the time for technical issues. I am just looking to give my music a rounder, warmer sound, before it gets to the Mastering stage.
+I am just looking to give my music a rounder, warmer sound, before it gets to the Mastering stage+
You might consider something like the Empirical Labs Fatso, or (if you're feeling daring) a Culture Vulture. I almost always run my mixes through the Culture Vulture followed by a nice hardware EQ as the last stage.
After experiencing some dire technical issues of my own recently (not Duende... 10.4.10 actually) I'm very much still attached to my hardware. And you still can't beat the sound (marvellous though the Duende and UAD are).
You might consider something like the Empirical Labs Fatso, or (if you're feeling daring) a Culture Vulture. I almost always run my mixes through the Culture Vulture followed by a nice hardware EQ as the last stage.
After experiencing some dire technical issues of my own recently (not Duende... 10.4.10 actually) I'm very much still attached to my hardware. And you still can't beat the sound (marvellous though the Duende and UAD are).
SSL Duende