Hi Everybody,
After demoing some of the Mellowmuse plugins, I am pretty floored with the sound. They don't seem to have the harsh edge that a lot of digital plugins do and seem to sound more "3d", smoother, and breathe like hardware versus other digital plugins by some of the big names out there. The compressors and eqs I've tried are lovely as they seem to wrap themselves around the sound source as opposed to sounded like you are just slapping a plugin on top. Not to mention cpu-efficiency and beautiful GUIs. Basically, from what I am hearing so far they are curing my lust for analogue sound in a plugin. I feel like the sound is almost as good or in some cases maybe even better than Nebula's libraries but with the benefit of cpu efficiency and GUI.
The EQ1a and CP1A are terrific and seem to nail that SSl sound and vibe even if they aren't meant to be 1:1 emulations. The compressor is great because it can be transparent but make the sound bigger. Also these plugins don't roll off the low end or pinch the mids like many plugins seem to. The EQ1a just seems really airy and has a bit of an edge like real SSL eqs without sounding harsh?
How come these aren't getting more love? Right now I am preferring these to Waves, Native Instruments, IK, Softube, and a bunch of the smaller developers. The sound quality to me is almost on par with Nebula, which I find amazing. I can't compare UAD but anyways these sound like real hardware to me or at least much more realistic than others.
By the way, I would actually try out the Neve eq and FET type compressor from Mellowmuse but the installers for those two products is just plain not working for me. I would buy these plugins and consider buying one of the whole suites if I could only get all these plugins to work. I e-mailed the developer a few days ago but haven't gotten a response yet. How long does it take to get support when contacting through e-mail? Kind of frustrating. If you have any suggestions of a better way to contact the developer other, please let me know.
Anyways, would love to hear your guys thoughts.
Cheers,
AC
What's Your Take On Mellowmuse?
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- KVRian
- 663 posts since 28 Feb, 2003 from out
I have the reverb and like it a lot. Never tried any of their other plugs but may well do in the future.
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- KVRAF
- 2628 posts since 30 Mar, 2007 from In and Out Burger
Is this company at all related to P&M and Nomad Factory? The GUIs are very similar. Maybe it's just the same Graphic Designer(s) for all 3 companies?
Those Vintage Series plugs look a lot like the design of all of the P&Ms: http://www.dontcrack.com/plugins/view.php?ref=DC20
Or maybe I'm just tired.
Those Vintage Series plugs look a lot like the design of all of the P&Ms: http://www.dontcrack.com/plugins/view.php?ref=DC20
Or maybe I'm just tired.
[Insert Signature Here]
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- KVRist
- 441 posts since 7 Mar, 2011 from Pleasanton, CA
I picked up EQ2V last night; it sounds gorgeous. I ran into a small bug in it and emailed support. They responded within a few hours that they were looking into it.
I hope you get your issue resolved AC!
I hope you get your issue resolved AC!
Seasoned IT vet, Mac user, and lover of music. Always learning.
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- KVRAF
- 9576 posts since 16 Dec, 2002
I was reading rave reviews about SATV, cant remember where though
Amazon: why not use an alternative
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1086 posts since 17 Jun, 2012
Thanks wesleyt!
I tried e-mailing support again at this address: mmsupport@mellowmuse.com
Hoping I get a response. Really love the ones I have tried though. Very impressive.
Any other thoughts on Mellowmuse from anybody else?
Cheers,
AC
I tried e-mailing support again at this address: mmsupport@mellowmuse.com
Hoping I get a response. Really love the ones I have tried though. Very impressive.
Any other thoughts on Mellowmuse from anybody else?
Cheers,
AC
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1086 posts since 17 Jun, 2012
Ok, so I finally got around to testing all the Mellowmuse plugins and have to say that I'm really impressed with this lineup. I am going to say that I am kind of shocked at how little press these plugins are getting because honestly, I am preferring some of their plugins to all their counterparts whether from Waves, IK, Native Instruments or some of the boutique plugin makers and in some cases I prefer them to related Nebula libraries. They just sound and like react a lot more like hardware than my other plugins.
For example, I really love their EQ1 plugin. It does the SSL thing really well and the sound was almost on par with the SSL eq libraries that come stock with Nebula but the interface is way more usable and more efficient cpu-wise. I like these way more than the eqs from the waves ssl plugin - they seem to sound more "3d" and wrap their sound around the source rather than sounding like a layer pasted on top. I also enjoy and own the IK British channel and while I prefer those plugins to the Waves, they sound a bit more "2d" as described before versus the MM EQ1. Ditto for the Native Instruments Solid Series bundle. I have similar observations for the CP1 compessor, which I prefer over the Waves SSL, IK Bus Comp, Native Instruments Solid, The Glue, SkNote, and even Nebula.
The MM plugins just seem to blend with the signal in a very natural way without adding harsh, digital artifacts. In short, they sound and react a lot more like hardware. These sound closer to the Nebula plugins than I expected (maybe slightly less rich i harmonics) but the GUI and way they react (Nebula compressors are very fiddly) makes these way more usable.
I also tried their 1176-style comp and I am preferring that to the IK Black and Native Instruments VC76 SKnote Stripbus comp I own as well as the Softube FET and Waves CLA comps. Most of the other plugins, while I like what they do on the compression end - they either make the signal sound more "2d" (Waves comps mess with the stereo image and make the signal sound smaller), sound cloudy (I love the Native Instruments 1176 but it just smears the signal too much), Softube FET (I like this the best but it seems to leave some kind of digital artifacts that I can't put my finger on even when set to flat), and well the current version of the SkNote 1176 doesn't sound anything like an 1176 to me to be honest. Nebula's 1176 compressors sound good but simply don't react how you expect.
OK so those are my favorites. I haven't tried the reverb because honestly I am satisfied with my reverbs and have no need for a convolution reverb. I tried the Neve-style eq and Neve-like mastering eq. They were both very good but really heavy on the color. A bit too much sound and they don't seem to breathe or sound as open as the EQ1. I still prefer the EQ2V to the IK 81 eq I tried but when I compared it to my cdsoundmaster N-Ten-AT4 (1084 eq), I kept on going back to the cdsoundmaster eq as I preferred the more open Neve sound to the heavier EQ2V. This might not be a fair comparison because the 1084 might be a lot more open sounding than the 1073, which the EQ2V is most likely modeled after. I tried the EQ3V mastering comp and just found it to be too thick as a mastering eq. It didn't quite have the same depth as something like the Nebula Pultec eq, which is also thick.
I haven't tried the LA2A-style comp but I'm not a huge LA2a fan anyways. But based on my satisfaction with the 1176-style comp, I'm sure I would probably like if the LA2A thing was a sound I was looking for.
I guess if you're read this rant so far, you will see that I am very impressed with these plugins. But I'm just kind of shocked that they aren't so well known when to my ears the sound/functionality is far superior to plugins that get touted all the time.
For example, I really love their EQ1 plugin. It does the SSL thing really well and the sound was almost on par with the SSL eq libraries that come stock with Nebula but the interface is way more usable and more efficient cpu-wise. I like these way more than the eqs from the waves ssl plugin - they seem to sound more "3d" and wrap their sound around the source rather than sounding like a layer pasted on top. I also enjoy and own the IK British channel and while I prefer those plugins to the Waves, they sound a bit more "2d" as described before versus the MM EQ1. Ditto for the Native Instruments Solid Series bundle. I have similar observations for the CP1 compessor, which I prefer over the Waves SSL, IK Bus Comp, Native Instruments Solid, The Glue, SkNote, and even Nebula.
The MM plugins just seem to blend with the signal in a very natural way without adding harsh, digital artifacts. In short, they sound and react a lot more like hardware. These sound closer to the Nebula plugins than I expected (maybe slightly less rich i harmonics) but the GUI and way they react (Nebula compressors are very fiddly) makes these way more usable.
I also tried their 1176-style comp and I am preferring that to the IK Black and Native Instruments VC76 SKnote Stripbus comp I own as well as the Softube FET and Waves CLA comps. Most of the other plugins, while I like what they do on the compression end - they either make the signal sound more "2d" (Waves comps mess with the stereo image and make the signal sound smaller), sound cloudy (I love the Native Instruments 1176 but it just smears the signal too much), Softube FET (I like this the best but it seems to leave some kind of digital artifacts that I can't put my finger on even when set to flat), and well the current version of the SkNote 1176 doesn't sound anything like an 1176 to me to be honest. Nebula's 1176 compressors sound good but simply don't react how you expect.
OK so those are my favorites. I haven't tried the reverb because honestly I am satisfied with my reverbs and have no need for a convolution reverb. I tried the Neve-style eq and Neve-like mastering eq. They were both very good but really heavy on the color. A bit too much sound and they don't seem to breathe or sound as open as the EQ1. I still prefer the EQ2V to the IK 81 eq I tried but when I compared it to my cdsoundmaster N-Ten-AT4 (1084 eq), I kept on going back to the cdsoundmaster eq as I preferred the more open Neve sound to the heavier EQ2V. This might not be a fair comparison because the 1084 might be a lot more open sounding than the 1073, which the EQ2V is most likely modeled after. I tried the EQ3V mastering comp and just found it to be too thick as a mastering eq. It didn't quite have the same depth as something like the Nebula Pultec eq, which is also thick.
I haven't tried the LA2A-style comp but I'm not a huge LA2a fan anyways. But based on my satisfaction with the 1176-style comp, I'm sure I would probably like if the LA2A thing was a sound I was looking for.
I guess if you're read this rant so far, you will see that I am very impressed with these plugins. But I'm just kind of shocked that they aren't so well known when to my ears the sound/functionality is far superior to plugins that get touted all the time.
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- Banned
- 22457 posts since 5 Sep, 2001
created some buzz about them a while back.. they are very good... but they sadly don't get talked about as much as some of the bigger name stuff.. yet the guy hasn't made a bad plugin. AFAIK it's a one man band and they don't allow transfer which i know puts some off.
But in any case, their channel and valve tape plugins are some of the best around, and their comps and eq's are great.
People should really give them a try.
But in any case, their channel and valve tape plugins are some of the best around, and their comps and eq's are great.
People should really give them a try.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1086 posts since 17 Jun, 2012
Theo! Hope your doing well, mate. Glad to see you around. Thanks for the response. I agree with completely that he hasn't made a bad plug.TheoM wrote:created some buzz about them a while back.. they are very good... but they sadly don't get talked about as much as some of the bigger name stuff.. yet the guy hasn't made a bad plugin. AFAIK it's a one man band and they don't allow transfer which i know puts some off.
But in any case, their channel and valve tape plugins are some of the best around, and their comps and eq's are great.
People should really give them a try.
Going OT, but curious to know, are you excited about the Slate VMR? I recall you were felt that VBC was good enough to replace most of your compressors. With VMR modeling a Neve Eq, SSL Channel EQ, modded 1176 ala Slate Dragon, and VCA hybrid (part DBX/part SSL?) that should cover a lot of bases.
Cheers,
AC
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- KVRian
- 799 posts since 26 Nov, 2010
True, true. That's exactly what keeps me from investing more into Mellowmuse. Got the CS1V couple of years ago and the sound really is awesome and so is the GUI. It would never run stable in Cubase though and still doesn't today when used as a VST3. All along it had this very special feature to crash so hard it wouldn't even leave a dump.TheoM wrote:AFAIK it's a one man band and they don't allow transfer which i know puts some off.
Can't complain about the support though - seen much bigger companies with much less interest in their products. Anyways it never caused any trouble in Studio One.
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- KVRist
- 340 posts since 18 Sep, 2013
I agree that the Mellowmuse plug-ins are excellent.
He has made one bad plug-in, though. His guitar amp sim, which sounds plain horrible.
The CP2V comp is fantastic, but it adds a LOT of saturation... can sound very very good on some sources, while it's too much on others.
His Neve clone EQ, EQ2V, is amongst the best on the market for sure. I just don't like the concentric knobs, always confusing for me.
However, the prices are a little bit high imo, at 79$ per plug-in, especially if you compare it to the prices of other one-man-companies, and there are never any sales, afaik.
Add to that the no license transfer policy, and it could explain why there is not so much buzz around MM plugs.
The reason is surely not a lack of quality, though.
He has made one bad plug-in, though. His guitar amp sim, which sounds plain horrible.
The CP2V comp is fantastic, but it adds a LOT of saturation... can sound very very good on some sources, while it's too much on others.
His Neve clone EQ, EQ2V, is amongst the best on the market for sure. I just don't like the concentric knobs, always confusing for me.
However, the prices are a little bit high imo, at 79$ per plug-in, especially if you compare it to the prices of other one-man-companies, and there are never any sales, afaik.
Add to that the no license transfer policy, and it could explain why there is not so much buzz around MM plugs.
The reason is surely not a lack of quality, though.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1086 posts since 17 Jun, 2012
Hmmmm.... interesting. Yeah, I thought the guitar amp sim was the most unimpressive of the package as well. I can see your point about the no license transfer policy. I never really thought much about that because I usually think when I am buying it I will own it and use it for the long haul, even though that's often not the case lol. So I can see why it's important to most. Still, at these prices, I think it's worth considering the fact that a lot of smaller developers still charge those prices. Take for instances, CP1 at $50. I like this better than The Glue, but that that thing runs for $100. I would like if the prices were maybe 20% cheaper all around but I don't think that the prices are out of line for the quality.
I almost wonder if the lack of popularity of it just getting lost in the mix between those that gravitate towards the line of thought that oh that's a Waves or Slate plugin so it must be the most or those that look for the lowest cost little guy like SKnote and say it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. By the way that 165C comp I own is fantastic so I was just making a point and not knocking any of the smaller developers.
I almost wonder if the lack of popularity of it just getting lost in the mix between those that gravitate towards the line of thought that oh that's a Waves or Slate plugin so it must be the most or those that look for the lowest cost little guy like SKnote and say it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. By the way that 165C comp I own is fantastic so I was just making a point and not knocking any of the smaller developers.
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- Banned
- 22457 posts since 5 Sep, 2001
My guess is it would be superb, but i haven't been following it. I am slowly clearing out all my music stuff and just using logic factory and reason and a few RE's. I will give it a try though and let you know.AC222 wrote:Theo! Hope your doing well, mate. Glad to see you around. Thanks for the response. I agree with completely that he hasn't made a bad plug.TheoM wrote:created some buzz about them a while back.. they are very good... but they sadly don't get talked about as much as some of the bigger name stuff.. yet the guy hasn't made a bad plugin. AFAIK it's a one man band and they don't allow transfer which i know puts some off.
But in any case, their channel and valve tape plugins are some of the best around, and their comps and eq's are great.
People should really give them a try.
Going OT, but curious to know, are you excited about the Slate VMR? I recall you were felt that VBC was good enough to replace most of your compressors. With VMR modeling a Neve Eq, SSL Channel EQ, modded 1176 ala Slate Dragon, and VCA hybrid (part DBX/part SSL?) that should cover a lot of bases.
Cheers,
AC
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- Banned
- 22457 posts since 5 Sep, 2001
Proteinshake wrote:True, true. That's exactly what keeps me from investing more into Mellowmuse. Got the CS1V couple of years ago and the sound really is awesome and so is the GUI. It would never run stable in Cubase though and still doesn't today when used as a VST3. All along it had this very special feature to crash so hard it wouldn't even leave a dump.TheoM wrote:AFAIK it's a one man band and they don't allow transfer which i know puts some off.
Anyways it never caused any trouble in Studio One.
WOW i am really surprised about the stability issue. Is this mac or pc? One thing i always liked about his stuff was the simple licensing and stability
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1086 posts since 17 Jun, 2012
Cool. Thanks Theo!My guess is it would be superb, but i haven't been following it. I am slowly clearing out all my music stuff and just using logic factory and reason and a few RE's. I will give it a try though and let you know.
