We use the Mercury bundle here.
I think the price point takes into consideration that you will not have a need for everything, and perhaps not even 70% of it.
If you plan on using at least 50% then it's a tremendous value.
From my perspective, there are plugins in this bundle that we would've never tried (like the H series stuff) but have found them to be really great in many applications, which has made the bundle more valuable than we initially thought it to be.
Waves Mercury around 2000$... Good deal?
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- KVRer
- 2 posts since 3 Jun, 2014 from Nashville, Tennessee
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- KVRist
- 291 posts since 23 Nov, 2008 from Greater Boston
I would say, demo it. And rather than spend 2k on the whole bundle, get the platinum bundle (a little over $500 at Plugin Discounts), then buy just the individual plugins that you really want but don't already have (NLS, C6, Aphex are my personal faves). The platinum bundle includes all the essential stuff Remember, that some of the other plugins you want may not be on sale now, but will probably be on sale sooner or later. Or, they might appear for sale on KVR marketplace.
For the sake of perspective, less than half of that price buys you the entire Komplete Ultimate bundle. So even if you're starting from 0 and need to get beefed up fast, Waves Mercury is not the only way to go.
For the sake of perspective, less than half of that price buys you the entire Komplete Ultimate bundle. So even if you're starting from 0 and need to get beefed up fast, Waves Mercury is not the only way to go.
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- KVRian
- 1050 posts since 1 Jan, 2013
Yeah, it's from Waves.Ryan99 wrote:I think your upgrade price is not coming from Plugindiscounts. 3 of my 4 Waves plugins are on your list, and my upgrade price is 16$ higher than you..
Optimal number of audio plugins is one more than you currently have.
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- KVRAF
- 42529 posts since 21 Dec, 2005
Probably not particularly interesting to most people, but considering what this was once and considering what you get now for that price, it's amazing.
Waves makes some killer shit.
Waves makes some killer shit.
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- KVRist
- 262 posts since 26 Jan, 2013 from TX
Some here are falling victim to a kind of false economy notion which says that what was once hideously overpriced and now is much less costly is therefore a bargain. Is it really?
Very few Waves plugins are what I would consider best-in-class. There are tools by low-cost vendors like ToneBoosters, OverTone, Valhalla, TDR, and HoRNet that I like using more than the Waves equivalent. And for the same money as Mercury (which, as has been noted, contains a lot of redundant stuff), you could get a UAD Octo card with a bunch of state-of-the-art plugins (current promo includes $750 plugin coupon).
No need to rush into anything, anyway. That's a lot of money anyway you look at it, so you'd do well to think it through and consider your options carefully. Good luck!
Cheers,
Eddie
Very few Waves plugins are what I would consider best-in-class. There are tools by low-cost vendors like ToneBoosters, OverTone, Valhalla, TDR, and HoRNet that I like using more than the Waves equivalent. And for the same money as Mercury (which, as has been noted, contains a lot of redundant stuff), you could get a UAD Octo card with a bunch of state-of-the-art plugins (current promo includes $750 plugin coupon).
No need to rush into anything, anyway. That's a lot of money anyway you look at it, so you'd do well to think it through and consider your options carefully. Good luck!
Cheers,
Eddie
The future exists in all directions.
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- KVRAF
- 42529 posts since 21 Dec, 2005
I don't really agree. I tried to not be a waves guy for a long time. I don't like everything they make, but they make some terrific plugs. I remember in the H EQ thread you tried to compare the toneboosters to it. Have another look, they are nothing alike. That doesn't mean that the toneboosters can't do a bang-up job, but the interface, the controls, the layout and the types of eq are totally different.
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- KVRist
- 262 posts since 26 Jan, 2013 from TX
H-EQ vs. ToneBoosters EQ is actually a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I like using the TB better and get better results quicker than I could from H-EQ. But that's just me. YMMV.
Not trying to slag Waves -- I own a bunch of their stuff and it works well -- I just think there are better values out there these days. And don't forget the WUP nonsense. For Mercury, you'll pay $$$ every year for updates and the right to transfer your license if you want. Compare that with free lifetime updates from most of the low-cost vendors I mentioned. Just something else to think about.
Cheers,
Eddie
Not trying to slag Waves -- I own a bunch of their stuff and it works well -- I just think there are better values out there these days. And don't forget the WUP nonsense. For Mercury, you'll pay $$$ every year for updates and the right to transfer your license if you want. Compare that with free lifetime updates from most of the low-cost vendors I mentioned. Just something else to think about.
Cheers,
Eddie
The future exists in all directions.
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- KVRist
- 262 posts since 26 Jan, 2013 from TX
No worries, buddy. I hope I don't sound like a ToneBoosters fanboy, but really, it's amazing what you get for the price. Anybody shopping for plugins these days ought to check 'em out.hibidy wrote:I probably came across the wrong way, it wasn't intended, sorry about that.
Cheers,
Eddie
The future exists in all directions.
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- KVRist
- 257 posts since 28 Nov, 2012
I feel like there is an ironic kind of message at play here where if you dont know if you need a 2000 dollars waves bundle, then you dont need a 2000 dollar waves bundle.
Do you HONESTLY think you wont be back to buying plugins in a few weeks? How many mixes do you have lines up to use some of these plugs?
What is in there that you think is so essential to your mixing that it requires that cost for such redundancy?
Like others have said, I'd invest in a FEW nice EQ's and compressors from places like Sknote, HoRNeT, TBoosters, Overtone, Slate, IK, and save a ton of money, and still have killer tools to boot.
You know you get to use these plugins more than just once, right? They're not like hardware, you can litetally keep using them, and use as many as you want. Just so you're aware
Do you HONESTLY think you wont be back to buying plugins in a few weeks? How many mixes do you have lines up to use some of these plugs?
What is in there that you think is so essential to your mixing that it requires that cost for such redundancy?
Like others have said, I'd invest in a FEW nice EQ's and compressors from places like Sknote, HoRNeT, TBoosters, Overtone, Slate, IK, and save a ton of money, and still have killer tools to boot.
You know you get to use these plugins more than just once, right? They're not like hardware, you can litetally keep using them, and use as many as you want. Just so you're aware
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- KVRist
- 201 posts since 14 May, 2008
Hey brother,
Well, I think it all depends on how much you're going to miss those 2K, or if you're not going to miss them at all.
Waves was indeed a pioneer in this business, but they're becoming more and more redundant along the years.
Honestly, nowadays you can achieve the same results with your DAW's plugins or even free ones.
And, like somebody else already said, you probably wont use 90% of the bundle.
Anyway, just do the math...Demo the bundle and check which plugins you're really going to use. Compare them to other free and paid alternatives, then check if it's worth buying the whole bundle, buying those few plugins individually or not buying anything at all.
Personally, I think Waves is stuck in time. They didn't even update their GUIs to fit contemporary screen sizes, which is something they should've done about 10 years ago.
Sure, there was a time when waves plugins were irreplaceable. This time is long gone, though.
Raf.
Well, I think it all depends on how much you're going to miss those 2K, or if you're not going to miss them at all.
Waves was indeed a pioneer in this business, but they're becoming more and more redundant along the years.
Honestly, nowadays you can achieve the same results with your DAW's plugins or even free ones.
And, like somebody else already said, you probably wont use 90% of the bundle.
Anyway, just do the math...Demo the bundle and check which plugins you're really going to use. Compare them to other free and paid alternatives, then check if it's worth buying the whole bundle, buying those few plugins individually or not buying anything at all.
Personally, I think Waves is stuck in time. They didn't even update their GUIs to fit contemporary screen sizes, which is something they should've done about 10 years ago.
Sure, there was a time when waves plugins were irreplaceable. This time is long gone, though.
Raf.
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- KVRist
- 257 posts since 28 Nov, 2012
I find it funny to see producers still excited to buy things like the Waves SSL E-Channel strip and things. I mean I'm sure they're good, and work, but arent they close to a decade old? There's no way they sound more authentic or whatever than like Satson or something, but it just goes to show that we dont really actually value accurate emulations.
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- KVRAF
- 42529 posts since 21 Dec, 2005
But that is the the thing. I used to be like "waves sucks" (when they were ilok and super expensive) and then I tried some and it's like 
"I was wrong". It doesn't really matter tha they are older, it matters that they work.
We can have this debate forever and neither side is going to convince the other.
One thing I will say is that the waves I have get used. I don't know if I had the mercury bundle that I wouldn't be totally overwhelmed by the sheer volume.
"I was wrong". It doesn't really matter tha they are older, it matters that they work.We can have this debate forever and neither side is going to convince the other.
One thing I will say is that the waves I have get used. I don't know if I had the mercury bundle that I wouldn't be totally overwhelmed by the sheer volume.
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- KVRAF
- 2746 posts since 13 Feb, 2012 from Amsterdam
Yeah, Waves is good. Really it is. Don't know if, for instance, the SSL collection is still best in class, but something like the Renaissance series, which is ancient by now, just works really well. That's not to say there aren't other alternatives which are on par or better, but the age of the plugins really doesn't matter in this case (well, maybe with a few out of the Waves bundle, but I wouldn't dismiss it because of that).
I wouldn't worry about quality (it's there for the most part), but whether you'd need all of that. And as someone else mentioned, it probably won't stop your GAS anyway.
I wouldn't worry about quality (it's there for the most part), but whether you'd need all of that. And as someone else mentioned, it probably won't stop your GAS anyway.
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- KVRist
- 257 posts since 28 Nov, 2012
Oh no, I agree, I guess I switched to a 'emulation' tangent for some reason, haha.hibidy wrote:But that is the the thing. I used to be like "waves sucks" (when they were ilok and super expensive) and then I tried some and it's like
We can have this debate forever and neither side is going to convince the other.
One thing I will say is that the waves I have get used. I don't know if I had the mercury bundle that I wouldn't be totally overwhelmed by the sheer volume.
