Waves Plugins

[Banned]

I was wondering what the home recorders here, or even the guys that work in or run studios think of the Waves Plugins?
List some faves if you use them also.
Thanks!
There needs to be more Recording/Audio Engineering talk here!

[FrigoRecording]

Personally I think most of the waves stuff is overrated. I do think some of it is very nice. The reverb is very nice, but I don't think the EQs and compressors are worth the price. That's the bottom line for me - they are very pricey, but I think you can get as good or better quality for less most times.

The noise removal stuff is nice, too - xclick, xnoise, etc. Not sure if the Izotope RX noise removal tools are cheaper, but I think they are.

That's my opinion, and I know several other engineers who would agree with me, and then again several other engineers who would disagree with me!

[Banned]

Ive heard people say Waves is overrated. I really dig the SSL Channel though!

What Plugins do you find useful?

[faceoffmuzik]

Really nothing you can't do with your included plugins.

I have one of the small bundles, Musicians Bundle 2 i think. Has the RenComp and RenEQ which I like and use..., at less than $200 its a good value for 6 plugins, even though I only use 4 of them.

I demo'd some of their studio classics (ssl etc.) and was left with an overwhelming feeling of "whatever".

I don't like their reverbs.... Just me. Demo them out for yourself.

[Banned]

So what are some plugins other than waves you guys use?

[faceoffmuzik]

For reverb I probably use TLSpace the most, I enjoy convolution reverbs.

Eq I mainly use the Digidesign EQ3. Or the RenEQ.

Dynamics, again either just the 'built-in' digi one or the RenComp. One the 2 Bus I think lately I've been using Digi's Smack LE.

90% of what I use is the 'included' Pro Tools plugins.

What daw are you using? I'm sure there some totally usable plugs included in it.

[Banned]

I was using Cubase, but now im hooked on Sonar 8, as i think it sounds better. The 64bit audio engine is better than Cubase's 32 Bit one obviously.

PT8 kinda interests me though.

[faceoffmuzik]

i dont really get into all that 32 vs 64 vs whatever thing. my best advice would be to just go with whatever one you work best (most efficiently) in and stick with it. It will save you a lot of time and headaches in the long run.

I was just asking because there are so many different formats for plugins, I wouldn't want to tell you to check something out if it wont work in your daw anyway.

[Banned]

Cool. Anything thats strictly RTAS or AU I cant use.

The reason I consider the audio engine bit depth is because its a factor I think when you are going after clean & superior sounding audio. Of course, theres lovers & haters of ever DAW. I 100% agree with sticking with you work best in.

btw- did you upgrade to Pro Tools 8?? If so, what do you think about it.

[faceoffmuzik]

word.

here's a bunch of freeware plugins in all kinds of formats. great place to check stuff out, some of them are limited demos but some are fully functional. its all 100% legit and legal. some of it is crap but there are some gems in there.

the link is here.

[faceoffmuzik]

btw- did you upgrade to Pro Tools 8?? If so, what do you think about it.

Yes. I'm running it on my home system not at the studio yet because I want to make sure everything is working fine before I do that. I made that mistake before.

Its Pro Tools just like 7 was with a couple new features. It gave me a few problems on install. It looks a little different, easier on my eyes. Really they were just playing catchup with a lot of the other manufacture's basic features IMHO.

Haven't really had a chance to mess with it too much yet as I'm finishing up a couple projects.

[BloodyFingers]

I was wondering what the home recorders here, or even the guys that work in or run studios think of the Waves Plugins?
List some faves if you use them also.
Thanks!
There needs to be more Recording/Audio Engineering talk here!

I think there great. I use them all the time. They were $$$$$ But I think I got my money's worth. I feel thier top shelf plugins. I only use them on the tracks. I use others for the over all mix. I'm not a plugin junky but let me say just one thing. "I learned not to go overboard, the less the better it sounds. I feel the hole key to mixing is getting the track recorded top shelf. Do the best you can when recording the tracks. No EQ, run all channels flat. Lets here some feedback on this and see how other Tecks do thier recording and mixing. Cool !!!!!

[FrigoRecording]

I'm a Pro Tools guys - still running PT HD 7.4 on my main system. I also typically use the plug-ins that come bundled with Pro Tools, and a few others.

Compressors = Bomb Factory BF76 and BF3A, and also the Digi Dynamics 3 sometimes. I had been using Smack LE some, but not lately.

EQ = My standard EQ is the Digi EQ III, and I also like the Pultec bundle, and sometimes the Focusrite.

Reverbs = I was using the TL Space a lot for awhile, although not as much lately for some reason. I still use the Digi D-verb for Non-Lin, Hall, and Plate settings, and sometimes other settings.

I also like to use Izotope Ozone if I'm mastering.

Other FX I like are TL EveryPhase, Izotope Spetrum, Line 6 Amp Farm. I also like to use Digi Lo-Fi on bass guitars to add some "saturation"

[FrigoRecording]

"I learned not to go overboard, the less the better it sounds. I feel the hole key to mixing is getting the track recorded top shelf. Do the best you can when recording the tracks. No EQ, run all channels flat. Lets here some feedback on this and see how other Tecks do thier recording and mixing. Cool !!!!!

I definitely think getting great tracks is really the best way to go to help any mix. Start with good musicians, with good sounding instruments, and run them through a decent mic and pre. I do cut a lot of stuff pretty flat these days, although I typically do some EQ on the drum tracks while tracking to get things a little dialed in. I also usually compress vocals and bass a bit as I'm tracking.

Of course sometimes I end up recording instruments that just don't sound that great to begin with, and then all bets are off! In those cases, I just do whatever it takes to make things sound good!

When I go to mix, I just do whatever it takes to make things sound amazing. Some tracks in any given mix might have 5 different plug-ins across them, and others may not have any. Some tracks may be sent to 3 different reverbs, a delay or two, a chorus, and some other FX, etc, and some may not be sent to any. It all depends on where I want things to sit in the mix, and what I need to do to get them sitting right.

You can get an idea of some of my work from my myspace page - www.FrigoRecording.com will get you there. Of course myspace compresses the stream quite a bit, so they don't sound as good as the actual mp3s I upload, but I do get a lot of compliments on the way my mixes sound on myspace.

[Banned]

Would you recording guys be interested in meeting up at a bar or whatever and talking tech? we could exchange tips & ideas.

[Killjingle]

I liked Cubase LE so I bought Cubase 4. I like the audio engine, and it runs well with my PC. That has a lot to do with sound quality; compatibility between program and hardware. FUPigs uses Sonar and he has a great understanding of it; and it runs flawlessly with his machine.

My PC would probably gag with Pro Tools, so for me Cubase was the way to roll. One think that Cubase doesnt list in their documentation is the fact that the program is really at its best when running in a 32 bit float. Thats what the engineers of the program ultimately want u to run. (I got a really nice video from Steinberg after the debacle I went thru just trying to upgrade taht explains a lot of Steinberg's vision and nuances on this program; but it has to be the most boring video of all time. It was made in german with a monotone english voiceover. I HAD to drink while I watched it just to stay entertained; but I learned a ton from it)


I like some of the included vst plugins with cubase; the naturalverb when tweaked is pretty useful, and the included MBC is a pretty damn cool compressor. I also like to rely on outboard gear.


Waves makes great plugins, but they are like anything else; only when used in moderation. Alot of ppl rave about the SSL. Im a fan of the vox effects. Not so much the standalone reverbs and delays. The pitch shifiting FX sound very un natural. The ultramaximizers are freakin neat when used correctly.




I bought the Anwida 31 BAND EQ plugin and I like it alot. Once again theres always something better, but it fit my budget.

[BloodyFingers]

You can get an idea of some of my work from my myspace page - www.FrigoRecording.com will get you there. Of course myspace compresses the stream quite a bit, so they don't sound as good as the actual mp3s I upload, but I do get a lot of compliments on the way my mixes sound on myspace.

Are you on soundclick.com, if not you should try that one. They good streaming and a ton of features just for us music people.

[BloodyFingers]

I use Sonar 7 and have been using Sonar since 4.0.....I like some of the effects that come with. Sonitus has a few I really like, the compressor, multiband, and the EQ. The delay is pretty good too. The Boost 11 is great for squashing. I like the BBE also for certain apps. My reverb I use Lexicon Patheon. It always seems to do a nice job for me. The VC64 is also a great tool. For the low end kick and bass I like waves Maxbass. If you use it correctly it brings out a good low end sound.

[FrigoRecording]

Are you on soundclick.com, if not you should try that one. They good streaming and a ton of features just for us music people.

No, I haven't tried soundclick yet. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

[FrigoRecording]

Would you recording guys be interested in meeting up at a bar or whatever and talking tech? we could exchange tips & ideas.

I'd be interested in doing that. I may even be willing to have people over to my house/studio to hang sometime and talk tech, if people would possibly be interested in that. Let me know.