My short ProChannel modules review

I own them all and with the exception of the PC-2A and a couple from the Softube bundle none are standouts for me. Convenient yes, but not stand outs. I'm really looking forward to being able to make PC modules out of my favorite 3rd party plugs. After that I couldn't really care less if Cakewalk releases any more. Unless they bring some game changers. 

Andrew Rossa [Cakewalk
]

panup


My short ProChannel modules review:

PC76: Not the best 1176 I've got but I use it all the time. Easy & predictable & likable. My hardware 1176 sounds more authentic (surprise) but it has much higher noise floor and it's not as easy to clone as PC76.

Expander/Gate: Sonitus:Gate is still my favorite because it has more control. Maybe this is a good plugin but I just don't happen to need it.

PC-2A: This is one of my all time favorite Cakewalk plugins. It works great for vocals. :-)
My GUI: http://sonarmods.com/sonarmods/public/forum2012/mod_la2a-first.PNG

SSL style track compressor: sounds OK but I don't like GUI, especially rough metering. I don't use this anymore.

Saturation Knob: I don't use anymore because there is no input & output volume control. Dry/Wet would increase usability, too.

QuadEQ: bread and butter to HPF and LPF unwanted frequencies. Small numbers were hard to read against gray background but little customization made huge difference.
http://sonarmods.com/sonarmods/public/forum2012/QuadEQ%20-%20Black%20Label2.png

SSL style bus compressor: not in use because I have too many good alternatives, including SSL hardware compressors. Somehow this plugin sounds boring - not necessarily bad but it does not inspire me.

Tube Saturation: sounds digital and harsh, not like a good 12AX7. Useful only if I need to destroy natural sound of the source.

Your results may vary...

What about ProChannel Concrete Limiter? :)

I'm not the Great Panu lol but for what it's worth Andrew, I think it's a great limiter. I'm not crazy about the bass boost switch (I wish there was a control for it that allowed subtle/medium and what it gives us now as "extreme". Or just a simple control somewhere to control how much low end is allowed to pass through.) It adds too much low end to my projects so I've not found a use for it at all. I do really like that limiter though and for the money, every one should have it. It gets a little dirty after you hit the -6.2 range on the threshold, but other than that, it's a nice alternative to the more pricey limiters out there. And, no offense, but it obliterates Boost 11 in my opinion. :) Definitely a "must have" as far as limters go.
 
-Danny

I don't have the limiter either, but have Voxengo's elephant, so I don't really need it, and usually only need a limiter for mastering.

And I agree w/ Pan the PC-2A is great.


The EQ is very good. You can boost some as well as big cuts. Maybe not as dramatic as analog, but very workman like.

The SatKnob is good for adding a little distinction for sounds - but I don't use much of it.  I prefer to get more of my saturation before the sound hits the box.  But sometimes you need it mixing.

I have some external comps but don't do summing here at home, so I find the ssl bus comp useful.  It doesn't work all the time on everything, but when it does it sounds good.  I often use it on the Guitar bus, where it lets the lead poke out just like the real thing.

The Gate - I don't use many here at home but it works.  a bit fidlely, but that is the nature of the gate beast.

The ssl channel comp is OK.  Does its job tho I still use 1176 (or the softube FET version) or the PC-2a.

X2 will be interesting to see if the breverb works as well as the Softube reverb.  The Softube is great but a bit of a hit on the CPU.  Replacing (finally) my old 32-bit dual processor, so maybe that won't be as big of a worry once it is up and running.  Still, a cpu-lite and still good sounding reverb is always helpful.

Now, where is that roland chorus echo for PC?

@

I use the Concrete Limiter for almost any and all limiting. I use it mostly on the Master buss. It is easy to use and it sounds great.

Has anyone noticed that mixing has gotten a lot more complicated?

I have no doubt I am in the vast minority, but I have believed and said from the start that " Pro Channel " is not a good direction / path for CW. Not at all because there is anything inherently bad or wrong with P/C ...... not at all ....... but the move to increasing effects " proprietary'ness " combined with all the P/C modules not being stand-alone VST's is very backwards-looking. One of the big things that has massivly hurt Cubase in the last few years is their increasing inwards focus and " proprietization " of software [ and in their case ] hardware too. The all-in-one / self-contained eco-system approach very rarely results in the best quality and best outcomes. I still happily and regulary use X1 for about %50 of my work and S1V2 for the rest. Both *great* programs. S1V2 has nowhere near the features, options and breadth of functions that X1 has ..... on the other hand ...... S1V2's ability to simply be un-crashalbe and un-glicthable whilst still running a gap-free audio engine borders on the freaky. Imagine if all the time and effort put towards P/C had been put toward the core audio engine instead. Anyway ......its all good ..... and great music can be made with either no problems ...... Tim

Concrete Limiter and PC2A are my faves. They get used all the time, often in preference to pricier stuff from other companies.

I like how the EQ is malleable in terms of response characteristics. It's the EQ I use unless there's some special characteristic of some other plug-in I need (but agree those numbers are too small!).

The Gate/Expander doesn't do it for me. Still using the Sonitus gate, and still waiting for Cakewalk to come up with a REAL expander.

I prefer the Cakewalk Tube Saturation over the Softube knob. I actually use Tube all the time with bass and drum sounds. The synth bass in my latest music video uses the Dim Pro "ballad bass," but being slammed by Tube. I also use Tube on some of the drums. I think it's really underrated because it's easy to get it to sound bad; but with a little work, you can make it sound wonderful, especially in conjunction with the right EQ.

The S-Type Channel Compressor is an odd one. It can give absolutely fabulous results as a levelling amp with guitar, but I haven't found that many other uses for it.

The integration is a HUGE plus for me. Having the FX built-in to the project and not having a zillion little windows open up all over the place really helps my workflow.