Waves SSL versus Duende for LE
 

Has anyone used both? Aside from the obvious processor implications, what's the difference if any in sound?

D

Re: Waves SSL versus Duende for LE
 

Both are good but they are different as they should be since they are based on different SSL units.
Biggest thing to consider is the Waves SSL works with LE the Duende may need some help.
People have gotten inconsistent results with FW LE systems and FW drives.
Some HD guys had issues as well.
A couple of people added a dedicated FW bus for the Duende and it helped.
Also the Waves SSL seems to use less CPU than the Gold bundle??
I think it was over at GearSlutz that some comparisons were also done so you might want to search there.
For me I was impressed with the Duende but didn't see it being worth the potential problems so I went with the Waves and that was somewhere round January and I havew been really happy with it.

Re: Waves SSL versus Duende for LE
 

Music to my ears since Waves is half the price;)
Surprised to hear that it hasn't run so smooth on LE because that is not the story I got from the SSL rep...BUT, that's exactly why I posted on here. Get the REAL deal! He was saying that one of the benefits is that because it has it's own engine, it doesn't use your computer's processor. Are the problems just "keeping up" issues? He also said that with Duende, you can choose between SSL G or E.
Thanks so much for replying...really appreciate it.
D

Re: Waves SSL versus Duende for LE
 

The two problematic variables with both the Duende and the Liquid Mix is that they are wrapped and use a lot of FW bandwidth and the 002/003/MBoxPro use a lot of FW bandwidth.
That pretty much means that you need a Mac with a dedicated FW bus for each to get the proper reliabiity.
Then we also have the aspect of FW drives in the equation.
No doubt the Duende takes the load off your system but you still have to deal with the FW.
It's not that you can't get one running it's more wether you want to deal with what it may take to do so.
Almost to the degree that if I would have been dead set on the Duende I would have changed my host application to something more VST friendly and not locked into the hardware like PT LE.
Also remember that the Waves is based on the SSL-4000E and G series while the Duende is ported from the C-200E and G series so even if they were 100% identical to the original they would still sound different.

Re: Waves SSL versus Duende for LE
 

I've been starting every mix lately with either a Waves E-channel or Vintage 4 band eq. across every single track.

This is truly a revolution!

Re: Waves SSL versus Duende for LE
 

In an online shootout of an early rev of the Duende bus compressor I preferred it to the Waves version. However, for the price difference, going Waves and upgrading to a Mac Pro makes a whole lot of sense in the near term. Should LE add Automatic Delay Compensation and the Duende come down under a grand and add a few plugs, the balance would shift toward Duende I think.