Besides... Sontec doesn't accept JamPoints™
 
 
;-)

mike_mccue
Besides... Sontec doesn't accept JamPoints™
 
 
;-)

I disagree with you on this one Larry. Perfection in modelling may not have been achieved yet, but it is truly just a matter of time... With audio, you have an input, an process, and an output. That process will one day be nailed, I'm sure of it.

I demoed the IK version & it's excellent but I prefer CDSoundMaster's Songtec.
The vibe, mojo or whatever you want to call that's missing in the IK version is there,
it has the depth the IK lacks. Plus the high end is a bit more pristine to my ears.

Since I only use it for mastering I don't have any cpu issues.
If you don't like or use Nebula get the IK, it still has a nice clean mo.
Being a previous customer it cost about 1/2 than the IK so for me the choice was obvious.

Carl brings up a good alternative for those who are into Nebula, which is a whole other ball game ... many libraries do sound fantastic and better than algorithmic plugs, I think.  The downsides to Nebula are well known to those who have tried it, but when it works, it's unbeatable.  There are improvements to the basic Nebula engine on the horizon, which may push the sound quality even further.  Hopefully there will be compression libraries that act like real compressors -- this has been one of the weak points for Nebula in my experience. 
 
As for modeling hardware with algorithms, it's extremely difficult to get it right, as the devs at UA, IK, and Slate can attest.  It's not just V=IR and other basic math -- measuring and modeling all the nonlinearities is an endeavor yet to be perfected, and will most likely require more computing power than typical systems currently have.  I suspect Nebula will stay a step ahead, at least for the short term. 
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 

I just went to the CDSoundMaster Website, put the MTMC-M2 in my cart
and it's still $99...But this is compressor, I don't see a 432c emulation in the store.

It says that ended back in early 2014...but it's still ringing out at $99

As far as "Software" being able to replicate hardware...it's just not feasible...

They can get an "approximate" duplication, but you simply cannot "model" what happens
inside circuits, because it would require modelling the "Silica Sand" and the "Methodology"
and Production characteristics, and the electrons flowing through the line...and all the 
connections and wiring, etc...not going to happen...I don't care what anybody says...

They'll get close...but they'll never replicate hardware...chaos theory always wins...period.
You can't even get 2 pieces of hardware to be "identical" in characteristics...just reality boys,
doesn't matter what math you do...it will NEVER sound "the same".

You have to understand, if they WERE able to do it...those plugins would cost $10,000...not
$100...just common sense...

 
http://euphonicmasters.com/misc/BURGESS.pdf

Good article Mike!  Thanks!

cclarry
I just went to the CDSoundMaster Website, put the MTMC-M2 in my cart
and it's still $99...But this is compressor, I don't see a 432c emulation in the store.

This is what Carl was talking about:  http://cdsoundmaster.com/site/cds-software-online/SONTEC-Neb.html
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 

The algorithms will get better over time (they'll start modelling heat behavior and things we can't even think of), the computational power will grow - it's all incremental. As a software guy, I'm absolutely certain they'll nail it one day. 
 
Let's hope we're all still around to argue about it!