Waves Software channel strips

For those who don't know, Eddie Kramer has done everything from Kiss to Hendrix and then some. He's a very famous music engineer/producer, and considering that Waves has been doing some engineer collaborations lately, it's no surprise that he got his own plugins. This plugin is basically a delay and reverb plugin all in one with two main settings. There are knobs for delay, delay mix, size, brightness, reverb mix, sensitivity and output. There are also switches to select between the two different main mixes, a switch to change the meter and a few other things. The plugin itself is very simple to use. Simply enable it on whatever buss you want to have a bit of reverb and delay via your DAW. I haven't read the manual, but considering how simple this plugin is, you really don't need to read it. You should be able to easily figure out what to do by just messing with the knobs. I've never experienced any compatibility issues with this plugin, so there are no issues there. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves is one of the best companies when it comes to things like performance and stability. For one, this plugin is a cross platform plugin. That means both Windows and OS X users alike can utilize this plugin without any issues at all. The plugin is also rock solid. I've never experienced a single crash relating to this. Kramer Effects Channel also takes up very little processing power. That's very important as there could be multiple instances of this plugin used at a time. The one problem that it suffers from is that it's a 32 bit plugin. In a 64 bit world, that can be a bit of a problem. In Logic Pro, it starts up a special bridge application to use the 32 bit plugin inside of the 64 bit environment. Personally, I find this a bit annoying, and I'm hoping that they'll go full 64 bit during their next update. I've been using the Mercury bundle for the past six or so months, and I've been loving it. OVERALL OPINION The plugin is pretty bland for a Waves plugin. For one, while the delay and reverb sound good, I have much better options, even inside Waves. Sure, they might take up some more RAM and processing power, but considering the flexibility I'll be gaining, it's worth it. This is probably the weakest plugin inside of the entire Kramer lineup. That said, it's still a decent sounding plugin, and I'm sure some of you out there will enjoy it quite a bit.

Eddie Kramer has done everything from Led Zeppelin to Kiss to Hendrix and beyond. He's extremely famous in the music engineering/production world, and considering that Waves has been doing some engineer collaborations lately, it's really no surprise that he got his own plugins. This plugin takes an all-in-one approach to mixing bass. It basically combines a compressor and EQ to get the perfect bass sound. The plugin has knobs for sensitivity, bass, treble, compress, and output. It also allows you to select between two different bass types. This plugin is very easy to use. All you do is enable it on your bass buss, and you're good to go. It's one of Waves' easier plugins to use. I never read the manual, but it really doesn't need to be read with a plugin as simple as this one. It's fairly straight forward. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves is pretty famous when it comes to both compatibility and stability. For one, these plugins are rock solid. I've never experienced any problems using these. There have never been any freezes, glitches or anything bizarre going on, even with a fairly heavy usage of other VSTs in the DAW. This is also cross platform compatible, so anybody on an Apple or Windows computer can easily use this without any problems. There is one problem, however. In OS X, this plugin is 32 bit only. That means that your DAW needs to enable a special bridge application if you want to use your environment in 64 bit while utilizing these 32 bit plugins. It's does it automatically, but I'd like to see the next revision be a 64 bit plugin if possible. I've been using the Mercury bundle for half a year now, and it's been a wonderful experience. OVERALL OPINION This is a very good solution to mixing bass. I generally find bass guitars to be pretty easy to mix, personally. If it's just one track, I'll add a high pass, low pass and compressor to it. That usually does the job for the most part. If it's two tracks, one will be clean and one will be dirty. I'll then mix then to taste to get a huge sounding mix without overpowering the guitars. This plugin has helped me a few times, but I generally find myself just utilizing my own little method for doing bass guitars.

Jack Joseph Puig is one of the most famous music producers and engineers out there. Considering his popularity, it was only natural for Waves to do a plugin in collaboration with him. The Waves JJP Vocals plugin is a plugin to help mix and master vocals in a very easy "all-in-one" solution. The plugin has knobs for sensitivity, lows, highs, de-esser and comp, toggle switches for male, male 2 and female, and sliders for main, magic, space, attack, presence, master and attitude. The plugin works by combining an EQ, de-esser and compressor all in one with its own little flare and character. To use this, you simply enable it on your vocal buss and go from there. It's super simple to use, and the interface is laid out nicely. I never read the manual, so I can't comment on that. However, you shouldn't have any issues using this if you're a first time user. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves plugins are amazing when it comes to stability and performance. First of all, these plugins are all cross platform compatible. That means that they'll work on both Windows and OS X without any problems whatsoever. They're usually fairly lightweight, and they don't take up too much processing power, nor RAM. There are a few exceptions, but this plugin is fairly lightweight. I do have one problem, however. The plugins are not 64 bit in OS X. To use these in my 64 bit environment, my DAW needs to enable a special bridge application to utilize these. I find it a bit annoying, and I'm hoping that Waves will update this down the road. I've been using the Mercury bundle for about half a year, and it's been amazing so far. OVERALL OPINION Vocals can be real tricky to master, but I like to treat them as lead guitars. I don't like to throw too many effects on them if I can help it, and this plugin is usually a good go-to solution for treating vocals. However, I usually find myself just using my own little concoction of plugins that I've come up with in the years I've been recording. To me, it's just easier that way. Also, I'm usually recording death metal vocals, so I don't get to use this plugin as often as I probably should.

Jack Joseph Puig is one of the more famous music engineers/producers out there. Just like all his other plugins, this plugin is designed around how he mixes different instruments. JJP Keys and Strings takes a unique EQ/compression approach to mastering different parts. It's basically an all-in-one little utility to help make the parts stand out a bit more. The plugin features knobs for highs, lows, comp, and sensitivity, four different toggle buttons to select between synth, high strings, low strings and piano, sliders that adjust main, space, doubler, presence, girth and master. The plugin itself is pretty different in that it combines these various little EQs and compressors into one plugin that you move independently depending on what you want increased or decreased. I never read the manual, so I can't comment on that aspect. However, the plugin is very simple to use, and I don't see anybody really needing one with something like this. Simply tweak the sliders until you get the sound you're looking for. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves is the master when it comes to things like compatibility and stability. First of all, this plugin is rock solid. I've never experienced any slow downs, crashes or instability when using this plugin inside of Logic Pro. It never takes up too much processing power, and that's a good thing considering that there could be multiple instances of this plugin being used on different busses. The one problem I do have, however, is that this plugin is a 32 bit plugin. While I understand it's a touch old, I'd like to see this rewritten in 64 bit. With 32 bit plugins, you usually have to run some sort of bridge/wrapper application to allow you to use them in a 64 bit environment. I find that it's a bit of a pain dealing with that, and I'm hoping they'll update it later on. I've been using the Mercury bundle for about half a year or so, and it's been awesome so far. OVERALL OPINION This plugin has helped me out a few times when I was mixing different string and orchestra parts inside a mix before. It's a fun plugin to use to get a good sound without much effort. That said, I sometimes question these plugins as they lack the versatility that a bunch of other plugins stacked on top of each other have. I like them for getting a good mix without a lot of work, but I always find that if I use a few plugins and take the time to adjust them properly, I can get a better mix. It all depends on how you want to approach it, I guess.

Probably one of the most famous engineers out there is Jack Joseph Puig. He's done everything from 311 to U2 and beyond. Considering his popularity, it was only natural that he would get some famous mixing/mastering plugins, and Waves stepped up to build and offer them to the public. This plugin features toggles to select between clean, rock, R&B/Amp and chub, a sentsitivity, lows, highs, comp, and master knob, a meter switch to select between output modes, mains control and faders that adjust edge, warm, sustain, doubler, verb, attack and presence. This plugin is a plugin for those who are looking for an all-in-one solution to his or her guitar mixing. It has its own built-in EQ, compressor, reverb and more. I never experienced any compatibility issues with this plugin, so no problems there. I can't say anything regarding the manual as I never read it, but the plugin is fairly simple to use. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves is king when it comes to things like stability and performance. JJP Guitars is nice and solid, and I've yet to experienced a single crash when using it in my main DAW -- Logic Pro. The plugin itself is also cross platform compatible, so there shouldn't be any problems running this on both Windows and OS X. I do have a fairly minor issue, however. All of these plugins are 32 bit plugins, but my DAW is a 64 bit DAW. Because of that, there needs to be some sort of bridge program to utilize these. In an ideal world, these plugins would be 64 bit so I wouldn't have to run a separate application to use these. That said, the plugins don't take up much RAM, and that's a good thing as you'll probably have multiple instances of these things. OVERALL OPINION I don't really use this plugin that much. I like to do things differently when mixing guitars. The first thing I always do is add a high pass and low pass filter. That'll give the guitar some room in the mix to stand out and filter out the useless frequencies that may muddy up the mix. Next, I'll add a multiband compressor to help even out those boomy palm mutes. The final thing would be adding maybe a touch of compression or reverb, but it depends on the overall mix that I'm doing. In essence, I don't mess with the guitar tone that much. Because of that, i never found a ton of usage for this plugin, but it's not a terribly bad plugin.

In the world of music engineering, Jack Joseph Puig is one of the greats. He's done everything from U2 to 311 to No Doubt and beyond. Considering his popularity, it was only natural that he would get some famous mixing/mastering plugins, and Waves stepped up to build and offer them to the public. The Waves JJP Cymbals and Percussion plugin is a plugin meant for those who are needing some all-in-one device to deal with cymbals in his or her mix. The plugin contains different modes for hi-hats, overheads, room, tambourines, shaker and claves, sensitivity, lows, highs, comp, pan, master and main knobs, a switch to select between different meter modes, and center faders for ambience, attitude, punch and tone. As you can see, the plugin has all kinds of things going on with it. I never experienced any compatibility issues when using it, so no issues there. I can't comment on the manual portion as I never read it, but the plugin itself isn't too hard to use. The good news is that it's crazy easy to setup and run. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves is one of the best companies out there when it comes to things like overall stability and performance. The plugin is rock solid, and I've never experienced a single crash when using it in my DAW of choice (Logic Pro). The plugin is also cross platform compatible, so there won't be any issues running this on both OS X and Windows. I do have one issue, however. These plugins are 32 bit plugins, but my DAW is a 64 bit DAW. Because of that, my DAW has to run a special bridge plugin to fully utilize these. I'd much rather have to not use that bridge if I don't have to, but it's a fairly minor complaint as they still work fine. I've been using the Mercury bundle for about half a year now, so I've had some decent experience with these plugins. OVERALL OPINION Cymbals can be a real pain to get correct because they can sound super harsh if you're not careful. This plugin is a nice, all-in-one solution that can really help fix a lot of issues that might occur with cymbals. To be honest, I try to spend as little time on cymbals as possible and just utilize some slight EQ and/or compression. I focus more on the drums themselves than the cymbals when I mix.

Jack Joseph Puig is a famous, award-winning music engineer who's done everything from U2 to 311. Considering his popularity, it was only natural that he would get some famous mixing/mastering plugins, and Waves stepped up to build and offer them to the public. This plugin has different modes to select between a DI, amp synth, sensitivity, main, input, master, comp, low and high knobs, meter select switches to select different monitoring modes, center fades to select between edge, attack, width, sub, presence and length. There are tons of different features built into this, and it's a pretty unique take on mixing. Instead of adding tons of different EQs and compressors, this has everything built-in with some visual sliders to move instead of knobs to turn. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE When it comes to compatibility, Waves plugins are king. I never once had an issue when running a Waves plugin in my DAW. They're cross platform compatible, so this plugin can be used on both Windows and OS X. They do have one issue, however; these plugins are 32 bit. Today's world is 64 bit, and the 32 bit plugins can be a bit annoying as a separate bridge program usually needs to be activated for them to work in a 64 bit environment. Aside from that, the plugin is awesome. The plugin doesn't take up too much RAM, and considering you might be using multiple instances of this plugin, that's a good thing. I've been using the Mercury bundle for probably half a year or so now, so I've had a fair bit of experience with these plugins. OVERALL OPINION The plugin itself is good, without a doubt. However, when I'm tracking bass for metal, I do things a bit differently. If it's just one bass track, I'll add some slight distortion, run a high pass and low pass filter, add some slight compression and be done with it. I generally don't need extreme EQs or tons of heavy compression to get it to stand out in the mix. In fact, the goal is to make it be in the mix but not dominate it, and I find myself over utilizing these sliders more than anything. This is more of an issue with the way I mix rather than the plugin itself, so I can't rate it down too much.

CLA Unplugged is part of the CLA bundle that Waves has to offer. These are plugins that were created by/for Chris Lord-Alge, the famous mixer who's done everything from Rocky IV to Slipknot. This program basically gives that very acoustic kind of feel going on. It has sliders for bass, treble, compress, reverb 1, reverb 2, delay, input and output. There are also small buttons at the top for adjusting different frequencies. On top of that, there are two knobs for adjusting the reverbs in the upper left. To use this, you simply enable it on your buss and start adjusting. I didn't experience any compatibility issues, so I can't comment on that. I never read the manual, but I don't think it's really necessary for these plugins. It's very easy and simple to use, so no issues there. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves plugins have always been some of the most stable plugins I've experienced. They're cross platform compatible, so they'll work with both PCs and Macs. As a Mac user, that's a huge advantage for someone like me. They run in 32 bit mode, but Logic uses a wrapper-like application that runs so you don't interfere with your 64 bit interface. I've tried this on various different buses, and it seems to work on anything with ease. It even works nicely on MIDI, which I found a bit surprising. There are no performance issues at all, and that's a huge plus when working in a DAW filled with all kinds of synths and tracks running tons of plugins. These plugins came with my Mercury package, and I've had that for a few months now. OVERALL OPINION I find myself using this plugin quite a bit on drums for hard rock mixes, actually. You can get some sick reverbs without having to fiddle with too many knobs and buttons. It's real simple to use, and it sounds great. This is one of the better plugins in the CLA bundle, in my opinion.

CLA Drums is part of the CLA bundle that Waves has to offer. These are plugins that were created by/for Chris Lord-Alge, the famous mixer who's done everything from Rocky IV to Slipknot. This plugin is meant for mastering drums, obviously. It's laid out very nicely in an easy to understand manner. You have slider for input, bass, treble, compress, reverb, gate and output. On top of those sliders, you also have specific buttons you can adjust for certain frequencies. Finally, you have a small knob to adjust depending on what type of drum you're mixing/mastering. To use this, you simply enable it on your drum busses and start adjusting. I didn't experience any compatibility issues, so I can't comment on that. I never read the manual, but I don't think it's really necessary for these plugins. It's very easy and simple to use, so no issues there. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves plugins have always been some of the most stable plugins I've experienced. They're cross platform compatible, so they'll work with both PCs and Macs. As a Mac user, that's a huge advantage for someone like me. They run in 32 bit mode, but Logic uses a wrapper-like application that runs so you don't interfere with your 64 bit interface. I've tried this on various different buses, and it seems to work on anything with ease. It even works nicely on MIDI, which I found a bit surprising. There are no performance issues at all, and that's a huge plus when working in a DAW filled with all kinds of synths and tracks running tons of plugins. These plugins came with my Mercury package, and I've had that for a few months now. OVERALL OPINION Mastering drums is very hard. In fact, I find it to be one of the hardest parts of a mix to do simply because it spans so many frequencies, and there's so much going on in terms of overall dynamic range. This plugin definitely helps when you have to compress and adjust certain frequencies in a mix. I recommend trying it out if you get the chance.

In the audio world, SSL is as famous as Fender or Gibson. They're some of the leaders when it comes to consoles. Because of that, it's only natural that somebody would make a virtual console based on the SSL hardware. This is modeled after the very famous SSL E-Channel. It comes from the Solid State Logic 4000 series consoles that have Class A and VCA chips. Basically, that's technobabble that means it sounds good. The EQ section on this is real nice on this. It has that famous SSL sound with the high pass, low pass and four band parametric EQ. There's also a compressor feature in this plugin. You can place it either before or after the EQ to truly get the sound you're looking for in your head. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Waves plugins are some of the best out there, bar none. For one, they're cross platform. For a Mac user, that means the world. I'm always trying to support companies that support Mac, and Waves has been pretty good about that since the whole Intel switch. I've used these in Logic without any problems. Although they're 32 bit plugins, Logic will add a bridge to allow you to use them in a 64 bit environment as to not limit you to the amount of ram you can utilize. On top of that, these things are rock solid. I've never had a crash with Waves plugins at all. OVERALL OPINION This is a truly awesome plugin that I tend to use a lot. It's simple to use, but it is loaded with all kinds of different features. The EQ section on this thing is magical, and the compression section is the icing on the cake. There is also the G series, and they sound equally great. It's real hard for me to choose between the two, so I rate them equally for the most part. Be sure to listen to both and decide which one you like for yourself. I know these plugins can be pricey, but please don't pirate them. The guys over at Waves work hard to make these for you guys, and every time someone downloads them, it cuts into their profit margin.

The Waves Ltd. Audio Track plug-in is a three in one signal processor for your DAW. Included in the plug-in is equalization, gating, and compression and can serve as a starting point for just about every track, hence the name. It comes in every major Waves bundle and also comes as an individual for both Native and TDM systems. It's compatible across the board in terms of plug-in formats as well as for both Mac and PC platforms. Learning how to use Audio Track isn't hard at all - if you understand the basics behind each of these processors, you should be able to use the plug-in right off the bat. The equalizer is made up of four bands with gain, frequency, and bandwidth control, as well as the ability to set the slope which comes in handy if you want to use a band as high or low pass. The compressor has the standard controls for threshold, ratio, attack, and release, while the gate also has the same parameters. Lastly, there are input and output levelers and metering for threshold, attenuation, and input and output levels. There's not much need for a manual, but if you're a beginner I'm sure it would be a help. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE I'm running the Waves Ltd. Audio Track plug-in on my home system and have also used it at a few professional studios that I've worked at, including the one I'm currently employed at. Primarily I use it at home, where I've got Pro Tools 9 and a Mac Book Pro with 4 GB of RAM and a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The plug-in doesn't take up much processing power at all, as I could definitely run one on every track if I wanted to. I don't have a need to do so, but if you were just starting your DAW this would be a good candidate for a single plug-in to do something like this... OVERALL OPINION The Waves Ltd. Audio Track is the perfect channel strip plug-in to get you started in the world of Waves signal processing. It's got your basics all in one place here in terms of EQ, compression, and gating, and you could definitely get away with doing a basic mix using just this plug-in. It's definitely a Waves quality plug-in in terms of sound, although the compression doesn't sound as full as some of the other Waves plug-ins. You'll get it with most of the Waves bundles, but primarily is useful for those looking to get Waves quality signal processing without spending too much money. The bottom line is that Waves Audio Track gives you a ton of bang for your buck!

The Waves Ltd. Kramer Guitar Channel is one of the plug-ins found in the Eddie Kramer Collection of plug-ins. If you're looking at this, you probably already know all about Eddie Kramer, but for those who don't, you've certainly heard his work on Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin albums. Each of the plug-ins in this bundle pertain to a particular application, with this one obviously focusing on guitar processing. The plug-in has a similar interface to the others in the bundle, and it's overall pretty easy to use. There are three main modes to choose from - rhythm 1, rhythm 2, and lead. Once you've chosen which mode suits you best, it gives you a pretty good number of parameters to work with, including those for sensitivity, compression, treble and mid EQ, FX level, flange mix, depth, verb mix, delay, delay mix, and overall output level. As you can tell, there's definitely a lot to work with here as this is quite a versatile guitar plug-in. I haven't yet had a need to look at a manual for this plug-in... SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE The system that I'm running the Waves Ltd. Kramer Guitar Channel on is Pro Tools 9 based, as I was previously running Pro Tools LE 8 with it. I've got a Mac Book Pro computer that has a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM. I'll either run Pro Tools as a standalone piece of software or in tandem with a Digi 002R audio interface if I'm recording or working at home. I've only tried running a few instances of this plug-in at once within a single session, and haven't encountered any performance issues with it as of yet. OVERALL OPINION Although I usually use individual processing plug-ins for true mixing, the Waves Ltd. Kramer Guitar Channel is the perfect way to get a quick and easy guitar sound in the box. It's really easy to use while at the same time gives you a ton of parameters and control to work with, as it's sort of a Swiss army knife of plug-ins for guitar. In fact, all of the plug-ins in the Kramer bundle work this way, as it's definitely a bundle worth considering adding to any DAW. I've only printed a couple of mixes with this plug-in on it so far, but have used it a lot for getting out quick rough mixes since it's so easy to get a sound with it. I don't know that I'd recommend this bundle over something like the Renaissance Maxx bundle, but if you've already got most of the Waves essential plug-ins, the Guitar Channel and Eddie Kramer bundle are definitely some plug-ins worth trying out a demo for!