PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

Yes, I agree - what was a good price back then is deemed expensive these days. I still marvel at the totality of what can be had these days for a fraction of decades ago - so to me its almost 'unbelievable' the functionality we get for price these days.

As for Differential Envelopes - I'm still wondering how that could be different in the digital domain from the analog one. Its just a way of using 1 control where previously you would have had to have balanced 2 or more controls. If I had used a compressor pedal on guitar for sustain purposes and set the ratio high and threshold low, I would then have to adjust make up gain. This thing does it with one knob, whether digital or (I imagine) analog version.

The approximation thing is irrelevant to me, because I've got nothing to compare against since I never owned 95% of the real gear that's being approximated.

the hardware TD is digital.
there's a big difference between what is "in-the-box" and real stuff. you have to spend a lot of money to find out, but basically, fake is never as good as real. that doesn't make software-based solutions useless or stupid in any way.

Of course, but I would think all that’s assumed in most dialog on DAW / DSP type forums. Ie that we’re discussing emulations.

sure. tools are tools, get the best you can and then use them.