KVR Audio

Andy Gone · Post by **Andy Gone** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 7:41 am

Robmobius wrote:Are they really that good tho'?

I mean, there's quite a number of very high quality plugins available now. The Waves SSL were state of the art when they came out. But I don't think they can hold their own at that ridiculous $750 price.

I think their sale price, should have been their actual price (for the last few years at any rate) because of very tough competition.

Same with the API stuff. I think that having the 'magical' $750 price tag is luring people into thinking that they are amazing just because they are expensive (imo).

Let's be honest, nobody buys Waves at full price. I believe this is their approach since last few years, and they seem to be quite fine with it.

For the bundle itself, demo it if you are in doubt. If you don't like it, you don't like it

Of course Slate claims Waves did not model it well (ok, competition is a good thing

), blah blah... I actually don't care if it is 100% accurately modeled since I never touched a real SSL console to compare. I am not claiming this is best SSL emulation in the world--I'm not an expert to judge on that, but for me Waves SSL does the job. And it is very CPU friendly. And it has 1 (one!) sample latency. The channel strips are so handy that I find them almost on all acoustic drums I do. And I believe Solid State Logic would not approve their logo on it if it was 'not good'.

Robmobius · Post by **Robmobius** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:20 am

simon.a.billington wrote:
You don't have to buy it, but if it was something you were considering grab the demo and try it. Otherwise you could end up kicking yourself for not jumping on the sale price. There's no guarantee it's going to go on sale again for Black Friday either, but then, it might just happen.

What you said makes a lot sense - especially if the plugs have been updated. And if you want the SSL sound. I've read a number of reviews last night, and the general consensus was they are 'nearly' there and very very good.

It does seem very odd that the bundle went up in price.

I did try the demo about 4 years ago and thinking I loved the compressor. However, I'll give it another go - Saw them for 218 bucks on plugin discounts. Which would be a very sweet deal for 4 hi quality plugs.

Thanks!

simon.a.billington · Post by **simon.a.billington** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 1:49 pm

I often use it in conjunction with NLS.

The trouble with people testing these kind of plugins aren't actually using the same hardware for comparison. Analogue is fickle, no two devices sound alike. There is always some kind of "nearly there" aspect comparing one device to another.

Really, nearly there is actually closer to "there" than many realise.

If you were to take this a step further, drop them in on a mix, it's going to sound like an SSL console. Anyone hearing your mix is not going to be able to tell the difference between there and nearly there either. It's a kind of reasoning that becomes redundant when out in context.

So, while you do your testing my advice would be to forget about how close it is or isn't to the real thing. Instead focus on what it can do for your workflow and the sound of your mix.

You may not even need it in the end but then again, it might be a time saver for you, or it might help the mix gel more, or you might really like the way it sounds on certain instruments. That's what you should really concern yourself with.

asksol · Post by **asksol** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 6:19 pm

Note that both Andy Gone and Simon A Billington are shills for Waves, just take a look at the post history in their profiles.

It's impossible to trust any testimonial for Waves at this point.

Numanoid · Post by **Numanoid** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 6:28 pm

I think that $299 is still a bit to pay for 4 plugs, seeing that one have to pay again if one wants to stay updated

$749 is quite a large bit for sure...

ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:07 pm

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ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:12 pm

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ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:16 pm

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ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:31 pm

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Numanoid · Post by **Numanoid** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:33 pm

Hmm, am I sensing a SSL backlash here...?

ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:36 pm

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Numanoid · Post by **Numanoid** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:37 pm

KLF got to no 1 quoting 'em: 3AM eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)

ATS · Post by **ATS** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:45 pm

Most at KVR always hated Waves and reFX, nothing new here really. If you go to other places on the web people love both.

jinotsuh · Post by **jinotsuh** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:56 pm

A lot of opinions here, and we all know what Mr Eastwood said about opinions.

I think the waves SSL are pretty awesome, and in the end that's all that really matters, try them, if you like them you like like them, if you don't you don't. Don't worry about some internet forum wannabe's who think they know everything.

And remember there are certain people who just straight out have something against Waves, and you can find that out by checking THEIR post history. Also remember, where you have 'shills for waves' you will also find the opposite

asksol · Post by **asksol** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 9:21 pm

jinotsuh wrote: And remember there are certain people who just straight out have something against Waves, and you can find that out by checking THEIR post history. Also remember, where you have 'shills for waves' you will also find the opposite

I'm not a big fan of Waves products, this is not exactly a secret, but I don't have anything to gain from posting opposing comments. I have like 4 posts being negative of waves, and one post recommending Waves out of 14 pages, where they have 20 pages between them exclusively recommending waves products and starting "Oh man, Waves Frobulator is on sale" threads.

I'm tired of of the constant marketing here on KVR, the ratio of posts talking about buying stuff far outweighs the posts about making stuff. It's even worse if we cannot trust the people writing here to give an unbiased opinion.

Best price on Waves SSL4000 I ever saw!