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Published on 12/11/12 at 08:43The Waves Maserati Signature Series is a suite of effects processing plug-ins to be used in a DAW. Installation is done by downloading the software from the Waves website. Authorization can be done for v9 plug-ins using a USB stick as a dongle, or over the internet using the Waves authorization manager application if your computer is online.
The Signature Series plug-ins are all really easy to get started with, and were specifically designed to make a difference on your tracks just by inserting the plug-in. There are separate plug-ins for different instruments - drums, guitars, bass, etc. After opening the plug-in, there are only a few knobs to tweak to change your sound. The advanced processing takes place behind the scenes of the plug-in.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Comparing the Maserati plug-ins to the other signature series options (Kramer, CLA, JJP), there are some significant differences. Tony Maserati is known for his mixing of music in styles ranging from hip-hop/rap to pop. The Maserati Series is your best option if you are considering any of the signature series suites and you mix this kind of music. The CLA plug-ins are great from modern rock with over-the-top processing, the Kramer suite is great for vintage sounds (tape echo, old-school compression/eq), and JJP is great for music styles that go from pop to rock. One thing that I actually like about the Maserati series is that it doesn't count on the super-heavy compression and extreme eq curves (that the other packages use) to get a good sound. The effects are more subtle, but very musical nonetheless. In practice, I also find the Maserati plug-ins to be the least CPU intensive of all the other signature series plug-ins. This makes it easier to call up more and more of these plug-ins across all my tracks.
OVERALL OPINION
The Maserati Signature Series Bundle includes some unique processors that aren't available in the other packages (Kramer, CLA, JJP). The Acoustic Guitar processor is probably my favorite in the entire bundle. I have always had a problem with an acoustic guitar getting buried in a mix after I add a few more instruments. With this plug-in I can get an acoustic guitar to sit perfectly in a mix with almost no work. It seems magical. I also really like the 'Mix Bus' plug-in which offers processing for a Drum Bus, Guitar Bus, Vocal Bus, etc. In each case, the processing really helps the mix to gel together by adding some compression and reverb. To me, these two plug-ins are the best part about the Maserati series.
The Signature Series plug-ins are all really easy to get started with, and were specifically designed to make a difference on your tracks just by inserting the plug-in. There are separate plug-ins for different instruments - drums, guitars, bass, etc. After opening the plug-in, there are only a few knobs to tweak to change your sound. The advanced processing takes place behind the scenes of the plug-in.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Comparing the Maserati plug-ins to the other signature series options (Kramer, CLA, JJP), there are some significant differences. Tony Maserati is known for his mixing of music in styles ranging from hip-hop/rap to pop. The Maserati Series is your best option if you are considering any of the signature series suites and you mix this kind of music. The CLA plug-ins are great from modern rock with over-the-top processing, the Kramer suite is great for vintage sounds (tape echo, old-school compression/eq), and JJP is great for music styles that go from pop to rock. One thing that I actually like about the Maserati series is that it doesn't count on the super-heavy compression and extreme eq curves (that the other packages use) to get a good sound. The effects are more subtle, but very musical nonetheless. In practice, I also find the Maserati plug-ins to be the least CPU intensive of all the other signature series plug-ins. This makes it easier to call up more and more of these plug-ins across all my tracks.
OVERALL OPINION
The Maserati Signature Series Bundle includes some unique processors that aren't available in the other packages (Kramer, CLA, JJP). The Acoustic Guitar processor is probably my favorite in the entire bundle. I have always had a problem with an acoustic guitar getting buried in a mix after I add a few more instruments. With this plug-in I can get an acoustic guitar to sit perfectly in a mix with almost no work. It seems magical. I also really like the 'Mix Bus' plug-in which offers processing for a Drum Bus, Guitar Bus, Vocal Bus, etc. In each case, the processing really helps the mix to gel together by adding some compression and reverb. To me, these two plug-ins are the best part about the Maserati series.