Hey all, I just wanted to share a bit about the Nail. First, I've had this thing glued on my mix bus for about 5 years. I think it's just outstanding. To me, the sound is subtle: Ethereal. You can easily get -7dB or more gain reduction peaks on a mix bus and not even "hear" it. If you mix into this as a mix bus comp, and then take the Nail off, the mix just completely falls apart. That's when you realize how good it is. You think transparent compression is "boring?" Try it with any high-end plugin... what you get sounds like a flat hairball, in comparison. I don't know how else to describe it. It's a 3-dimensional sheen that glues your mix together and brings it to life, and brings out the subtle details, without messing up the mix you created.
It's also the only compressor I have that
a) Doesn't totally f up an acoustic guitar. This is the acoustic guitar compressor.
b) Offers full parallel compression options through the mix knobs, which allows deeper compression without artifacts (SOME other comps do this is well)
c) Acts equally well as a blinding-fast limiter that's completely transparent, or an LA-2A style leveler for vocals- totally versatile.
But the real impetus for writing this post is that (after 5 years) I had an AC-blowout on one of the components. I emailed A-Designs, and got an immediate call-back from Peter Montessi himself, in person. He spent time with me on the discussing the unit, answered all my questions, followed up by after the service was completed, talked with me some more, he's just a great guy.
So there you have it.
For full disclosure & frame of reference, here's a list of my other comps.
API (prefer on drum bus)
UAD LA-2A
2 Distressors
UAD
Mohog FET76
a few 160x's modded by Jim Williams
2 Fatsos (one UBK, one Empiral Labs)
UAD plugin package of comp's.
For more information, please visit NAILI.
Last edited by TheBuffaloCave; 29th March at
03:27 PM
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Originally Posted by
It is a comp that is not necessary but nice to have.
On the flip side, my Waves SSL compressor was able to do the same thing as the Nail......just not as good (but still giving me what I was looking for). No they dont' sound the same either, but if your looking to add punch to a mix, the SSL compressor plug in by Waves, SSL or UAD can do it too. Question is, is the 10-13% difference with the Nail worth it? My feeling is if you have a pro studio, the answer is a clear YES! Not only does it add punch but there is some analog "sound" that is gently being added as well. It's not a character piece though like the API comp. The Nail looks great in a rack too. If you have a good home studio and it's more of a hobby, you may want to spend money first on some mic's and pre's. The Waves SSL gives me that punch and attack that some mixes require. Of course if I had extra money I did not know what to do with, I would love to have the Nail as well, but with home projects, wanting money for vacations, etc. I will pass on the Nail...............for now.It is a comp that is not necessary but nice to have.
Regarding your comment about is the outboard worth the price difference of a plugin. Also being a home recordist, I too consistently weight the difference between price vs quality. And i'm the first to say that there are some damn fine plugins out there that continually get better as we go... but having over the past couple of years introduced some outboard gear into my studio, I can say unequivocally (and you would have a hard time pushing me off of this rock,) that plugins just can't do what outboard gear can do. For as good as many plugins are, you just can't beat the warmth and dimension that you can achieve with a signal passing through real transformers, tubes and pushed by real current. AND TRUST ME I've tried to convince myself otherwise! Being on a budget as well, i have to think long and hard about buying something, so when i get something in to try, I definitely run it through the paces with a virual counterpart to make sure its worth the money... SO far id say 8 times out of 10 a definite yes.
PLUS, and i think this is a big thing, theres something about hands-on mixing. Pushing knobs around with a mouse is fine, and sometimes more accurate, but theres something about having hands on dials and switches that just makes the whole process of mixing more engaging and in my mind "musical" (i.e. treating mixing tools like instruments in their own regard) That may sound silly, but its a thing for me.
I do agree that if your going to spend money on a budget, your better off getting your mics and pres sorted out first though. Get that front of the chain worked out first and foremost (assuming room treatment and half way decent monitors are already in house.) Mix buss tools could be considered more of a luxury in pecking order of things, but now that i have some outboard mix buss gear, id be really hard pressed to go back to plugins. FWIW.
Sorry not to go off on a rant there, but having been down the road you mentioned made 2 cents to fly out of my pocket.
I actually just ordered a Nail and should be getting it in on Friday... Ive not worked with one yet, but I've heard enough of what it can do to understand its no joke, plus I love my A Design P1s, so if thats any indication...Regarding your comment about is the outboard worth the price difference of a plugin. Also being a home recordist, I too consistently weight the difference between price vs quality. And i'm the first to say that there are some damn fine plugins out there that continually get better as we go... but having over the past couple of years introduced some outboard gear into my studio, I can say unequivocally (and you would have a hard time pushing me off of this rock,) that plugins just can't do what outboard gear can do. For as good as many plugins are, you just can't beat the warmth and dimension that you can achieve with a signal passing through real transformers, tubes and pushed by real current. AND TRUST ME I've tried to convince myself otherwise! Being on a budget as well, i have to think long and hard about buying something, so when i get something in to try, I definitely run it through the paces with a virual counterpart to make sure its worth the money... SO far id say 8 times out of 10 a definite yes.PLUS, and i think this is a big thing, theres something about hands-on mixing. Pushing knobs around with a mouse is fine, and sometimes more accurate, but theres something about having hands on dials and switches that just makes the whole process of mixing more engaging and in my mind "musical" (i.e. treating mixing tools like instruments in their own regard) That may sound silly, but its a thing for me.I do agree that if your going to spend money on a budget, your better off getting your mics and pres sorted out first though. Get that front of the chain worked out first and foremost (assuming room treatment and half way decent monitors are already in house.) Mix buss tools could be considered more of a luxury in pecking order of things, but now that i have some outboard mix buss gear, id be really hard pressed to go back to plugins. FWIW.Sorry not to go off on a rant there, but having been down the road you mentioned made 2 cents to fly out of my pocket.
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