Hi Guys...I've been going through my archives...Jimmy Page style and am really please about my progress...I get what everyone has been saying to me over the years...about my mixes ;) Now that I've got a couple more years under my belt, I've taken tracks which in all honestly sounded like crap when I would post them over the years and turned them into...I think great works of art...note the use of the word art...not entertainment...not even music possibly...not in the traditional sense...but hey apparently I'm a fine artist these days...starting my Phd next week...sorry can't help boosting my ego somewhat lol...doesn't mean I know everything...maybe I don't know anything...amazing what ADHD medication and a well rounded education can do for ones self-awareness...maybe even middle age ;)
 
Anyway my point...after a year and a half of screwing around with Sonar's console and tape emulator and Eddie Krammer's Master Tape emulator-which I highly recommend-it's fantastic on the master buss just before the brickwall limiter-I think I've mastered them.  I'm interested if anybody else has cracked the code.
 
For me last night...whilst focusing furiously (ADHD medication) I finally understood what was happening with the console emulator-I had been having some great results whilst still not fully appreciating what was quite going on.  I was trying to tighten a mix last night...the bass which was a bit whooly-was struggling to cut through...I wanted each note to be present.  Whilst I understood that the console emulators could be used as tone control...very subtle, what I realized last night was the console emulator could also be used as a very subtle transient shaper too-this is on top of the obvious use of soft-clip too.  When I realized that I could use the console emulator in this way...I was able to shape the tone of my mix in ways I never thought possible.  Along with the use of the tape emulator as a subtle compressor...I believe my mixes are very warm and fat...here is the result for anyone interested https://soundcloud.com/aaudiomystiks/dont-mean-maybe this track was recorded in 2007 or 8 using a behringer ultra-gain for the vocals and bass...the rest is all virtual instruments.
 
My workflow is console emulator last on the track, with no tape emulator, unless it's very minor compression I'm after.  Whilst on the buss's I use the tape emulator for gain staging, this is fed into the console emulator.  All effects are before both emulators.  Finally it's amazing what changing the pan law does-depending on the sort of tracks you are mixing.
 
Anyway anybody else got any opinions on this topic, please chime in...sorry about the waffling!!   
 
Ben

Not me Ben... I'd go so far to say that I have stopped using them altogether as I just cannot hear the benefit, at least not on my own music...
 
Funny song that... Made me giggle 

synkrotron
Not me Ben... I'd go so far to say that I have stopped using them altogether as I just cannot hear the benefit, at least not on my own music...
 
Funny song that... Made me giggle 

It's subtle Andy...you've got to train your ears...it helps that I have ADHD medication;) yea Don't Mean Maybe is one of my favorite's...it's about unrequited love...she was French oh la la...
 
Ben

For better or worse, I am a product of the digital age. I do try to pay attention to how gear was used back in the day, signal flow, effects chains,  etc...
 
I came across this a couple days ago, I ended up buying the magazine:
http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/how-to-simulate-analogue-recording-and-mixing-chains-in-your-daw-622389
 
It's all in the title and I'm sure it can help give you some insight on how you can emulate that workflow in SONAR.

I can really see where synkrotron is coming from. (after all he loves Tangerine Dream so that says it all for me! )
 
I produce a lot of electronic music too and these things just don't play well in that situation. In fact there are many situations where it does not play well.
 
If it is so subtle that you cannot hear it then you could argue that it may not be necessary.
 
I have got SDRR from Klanghelm and it sounds rather cool. ie console emulation. (hardly use it much though) I have got real tape machines Ben and I don't often transfer stuff to them and back either. I do sometimes put SDRR on a stem though not a whole mix.

Ben, I have been using the CE on every track since Cakewalk introduced the PC Plug.  I use it last in my signal chain on every track and right before Xenon (Limiter) on my Master bus.  I use it sparingly, but as a collective whole, across all of the tracks, I notice the final results in my mix.  I like the effect a lot....have since the first time I used it.  
 
I agree with you that it seems to add a subtle type of compression when used.  The best way for me to describe what it does for my mixes, is that it adds a Glue, to pull all of the tracks together.  I mix into the CE from the beginning.  
 
I used to use the Tone Boosters Tape emulation quite often, but I have gotten away from using it much.
 
If I A/B the mix, and disengage all of the CE's across the board, you notice that its no longer there.  I also collaborate with guys who use Sonar and I suspect that they don't use the CE on tracks like I do.  On the same song, with the same tracks, I can hear a difference between their mixes and my mixes.  Is it better?  It's different....but I like the effect a lot.  It has become a signature for my mixes.....and I feel for the Pro Channel.

Hey michael,
 
How hard do you drive the CE? I remember when I first started using it, I drove the N-Type to max. It colors the sound in a noticeable way. I found that it was harder to deal with the high-mids later on in the mix. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. I find the A-Type to be a nice compromise between coloration and subtlety.

Well, everything is to ear....of course.  
 
However, as a starting point, I typically set the Drive around 2.  I push the the Trim anywhere from Zero to 2, to taste.  This is not set in stone, but a starting point for me.  I use the A-Type Emulator the most.  I use the S-Type for a warmer feel and the N-Type for more "Punch", depending on the type of song I am working with.  
 
Mixing Emulators is something I also do; I don't necessarily stick to one all the way through the song tracks.  If I want the drum tracks to sound warmer, I use the S-Type, for example.  
 
Make sure that your Pro Channel is set to the Post position so that all of the effects are after your recorded track; not Pre.
 
There is no real formula....this is music....so it's all to taste.   

Oh I am painfully aware that there are no formulas, just wanted to get more perspective. I appreciate the reply.

Here's a break down of the different qualities if anyone not seen before.
http://blog.cakewalk.com/..ole-emulation-in-sonar/