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Hatsubai « Great for the master bus »
Published on 06/15/11 at 04:39Waves has released a plugin modeled after the very famous Aphex Aural Exciter. The original hardware device, used throughout the 70s and 80s, was considered to be the pinnacle of technology when it first came out. The plugin itself operates in a complex way of enhancing the vibrancy of whatever bus it's put on, but it's a pretty simple to use plugin. You have a mode selector that selects between Mix 1, Mix 2 and Ax. The Meter is simply a meter to view so you can monitor what's going on with the waveform. The Input controls the input gain, the Ax Mix controls the amount of aural excitement that's being mixed into the original signal, the Output controls the gain, Mains give it a unique analog-esque characteristic that make this act like the original unit and the noise controls the amount of "analog noise" added to the sound.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Waves plugins are pretty well known for being the industry standard plugins out there, and for good reason. First of all, the plugins are cross platform. That means that both PC and Mac guys can use them. Given that I'm a Mac guy, that's a huge plus for me. The plugins themselves are very stable. I've never experienced a crash directly related to inserting a Waves plugin into any audio or MIDI bus in Logic. I've never read the manual, so I can't really comment on that. However, most of these plugins are fairly intuitive when it comes to their usage. While the names may be a touch convoluted if you don't know what they're modeling, you can get a good idea as to what they do if you just mess around. It doesn't take up much memory when in use, even with the 32 bit bridge application in Logic, and I've been using these for quite awhile now.
OVERALL OPINION
I like to use this plugin on the master bus. To me, it's best when used on the overall mix to enhance the complexity of the sound. I don't really use it on guitar tracks alone as I tend to keep those mostly dry with as little effects and EQ as I can get away with. The biggest issue is that this only comes with the Mercury bundle as far as I know. That means that you'll be shelling out a few grand just to get this plugin. If you ever get a chance to find a recording studio with Waves Mercury, give this thing a try.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Waves plugins are pretty well known for being the industry standard plugins out there, and for good reason. First of all, the plugins are cross platform. That means that both PC and Mac guys can use them. Given that I'm a Mac guy, that's a huge plus for me. The plugins themselves are very stable. I've never experienced a crash directly related to inserting a Waves plugin into any audio or MIDI bus in Logic. I've never read the manual, so I can't really comment on that. However, most of these plugins are fairly intuitive when it comes to their usage. While the names may be a touch convoluted if you don't know what they're modeling, you can get a good idea as to what they do if you just mess around. It doesn't take up much memory when in use, even with the 32 bit bridge application in Logic, and I've been using these for quite awhile now.
OVERALL OPINION
I like to use this plugin on the master bus. To me, it's best when used on the overall mix to enhance the complexity of the sound. I don't really use it on guitar tracks alone as I tend to keep those mostly dry with as little effects and EQ as I can get away with. The biggest issue is that this only comes with the Mercury bundle as far as I know. That means that you'll be shelling out a few grand just to get this plugin. If you ever get a chance to find a recording studio with Waves Mercury, give this thing a try.