Celestial FREE Plugin

[sl1200mk2]

I go back and forth on Acoustica... I think I own 3 paid plugins (most bought on sale) and now 4 'freebies'. They aren't necessarily my 'go to' plugins, but when they work, they work very well. As a whole, I think Acoustica has come into their own the past 1-2 years and overall have gotten much better and easier to use. When they don't work it's for a variety of reasons (you've heard them all before).

I've been very impressed by Celestial and still wondering how it's not a full (paid) release. I used it this weekend on a couple of masters for a client along with a few other plugins and my analog chain. Really, had they released Celestial for sale with an $80 intro price I'd have bought it and been equally happy. I'm still surprised by all the consternation and push back, but it's just another tool, so everyone can use what makes them happy. I'm happy Celestial is here and thankful for the 'free' (however you want to define that) gift.

[v1o]

It's no unprecedented. They did the same thing with CEIL. That's as good as any other channel strip out there.

[sl1200mk2]

It's no unprecedented. They did the same thing with CEIL.

Very true. I guess we should expect a 'big' version of Celestial soon. I have Ceil, but for whatever reason it didn't grab me the same way. I should spend some time with it again.

[metamorphosis]

The installation is bizarre - no option as to where to place the VST, weird download engine, have to create an account... wouldn't recognise my old account...
would've been better advertising to simply upload a zip.

[RPH]

The installation is bizarre - no option as to where to place the VST, weird download engine, have to create an account... wouldn't recognise my old account...
would've been better advertising to simply upload a zip.

That's just your opinion..
Mine is that the manager works great, VSTs get installed where I want. No problem with logging in, ever.
They provide updates thru the manager, so they will never provide a zip.

[heavymetalmixer]

The installation is bizarre - no option as to where to place the VST, weird download engine, have to create an account... wouldn't recognise my old account...
would've been better advertising to simply upload a zip.

There IS an option for where to put the VST (2.4 off course, Steinberg as always so annoying with their "default" VST3 route):
1) Open Aquarius.
2) Log in.
3) Search on the top-right for an engine-like icon and clic on it, and then clic on "Settings".
4) A small window opens up. Clic on the "Installation" folder.
5) "VST 2 x86 path" and "VST 2 x64 path" are the options to change the installation for the VSTs that Aquarius installs (again, only then 2.4 ones) for 32 and 64 bits respectively.
6) Once you modify one or both, go down and clic on "Save" to save the changes.

[v1o]

The installation is bizarre - no option as to where to place the VST,

The option is there, you just don't know where it is. Inside Aquarius there is an icon on the top right corner which gives global options for all your AA download directories.

[Zaphod (giancarlo)]

Yeah... that's a challenge with AA products. They use leading-edge technology to do their analogue emulations.

this leading-edge technology is called dynamic convolution and has been around for 20 years. AA's own version of it is >10 years old. So leading edge is not exactly. Slow and memory hog absolutely it is.

And it sounds great!

often times it does sound good, no question. However the tech is not as often usable as evidenced
by countless user postings to that effect over the years. If it works for you, awesome.

You sound jealous. There have been countless records made with AA plugins over the years.

Honestly, I am as jealous of using AA plugins as I am jealous of being in a straitjacket.
But if you feel good being a true believer, then good for you, man.
Apologies for interrupting your proselytizing schedule though.

You've been saying the same thing for five years. I checked!
Incredibly, every year we increase sales by 68%. It's a frightening progression, try a simulation.
Don't give up!

[cfanyc]

You've been saying the same thing for five years. I checked!
Incredibly, every year we increase sales by 68%. It's a frightening progression, try a simulation.
Don't give up!

Indeed, contrary to your shills that show up before a big sales
period to promote your stuff with 5-10 post history, I have been consistent and transparent.

as to your growth:
- Scientology has 8 million members (source: wikipedia)
- 40 million americans read the horoscope daily and 100 mil occasionally (source: Smithsonian mag)
- 66% of millennials believe that the earth is round (the rest are not sure) (source: scientific american)

So you have long ways to go still.

[Zaphod (giancarlo)]

You've been saying the same thing for five years. I checked!
Incredibly, every year we increase sales by 68%. It's a frightening progression, try a simulation.
Don't give up!

Indeed, contrary to your shills that show up before a big sales
period to promote your stuff with 5-10 post history, I have been consistent and transparent.

as to your growth:
- Scientology has 8 million members (source: wikipedia)
- 40 million americans read the horoscope daily and 100 mil occasionally (source: Smithsonian mag)
- 66% of millennials believe that the earth is round (the rest are not sure) (source: scientific american)

So you have long ways to go still.

there are at least three good reasons why you're wrong:
- the growth value is simply out of the ordinary. It gives you an idea of product adoption. If they were so "tremendous", how would it be possible to grow at this rate in such an overcrowded market with so many problems?
- I'm talking about growth because you simply DO NOT ACCEPT any other indicator. In fact if Dave Pensado does an endorsement is because he was wrong or he was paid, the number of "pro" users according to your estimates is never enough (by the way, then you followed the advice to use Google?), if medium users or small users use the product is because they are stupid or unable to decide. This even happens in front of the evidence, even when during all these years someone has explained to you that they are satisfied with the product.
- And here comes the best point: I have to thank people like you because also thanks to the negative comments our popularity splashes towards the stars. You are part of our equation, you are the motivation for our success. A few years ago, when I didn't understand this, I was hurling myself against negative comments like yours, on the contrary today, I will never get tired of THANK YOU. It's you, constantly talking badly about something, that keeps the pride of other users alive, who have simply found a product that satisfies their needs. Your reaction is so exaggerated that it creates greater loyalty than all the others. If you really want to hurt us you should avoid the hype. But you're part of the hype. Even today. You're helping our sales. When you write a bad review you are pushing people to be critical and try the product, and after trying Celestial they usually look for other products and buy.

Plus, I have one final point. Sometimes, the explanation is really the simplest one. You like to be a conspirator, you continue to define our technology in a blunt way (speaking in 2019/2020 of "dynamic convolution", after so many articles that describe in detail what we do, and that's not "dynamic convolution"). You're a user who suffers from Dunning Kruger, and my job is to turn you on, so that you post double, triple and keep the interest in us alive. I do this in this post, I hope that now, blinded by my words, you can continue to create interest in our products for months.
In a while, when your fervor will be exhausted, you will discover that the simplest explanation is sometimes also the real one, and this is Occam's razor. Our products, contrary to your conspiracy theories, really appeal to users. And users are not idiots, they use them because they've tried them and simply find them useful. I don't want to call them at all costs indispensable, or the best. I think it just works, they do their job and they solve a need, a problem.
Now please, keep venting, don't stop. Help us get bigger. Merry Christmas to you too, bro!



edit: uh, a suggestion: when you compare other users who have a different opinion from yours to users who read the horoscope or who believe the earth is flat, you're not exactly showing yourself to be likeable and therefore credible.
Have you ever thought about that? your comments ooze with hatred and anger, maybe you don't have enough friends for that reason? you have to encourage people, make them feel important, not idiots!
otherwise your life will always suck!

[plexuss]

uh oh. here we go. drama. time to put on the headphones

[v1o]

The same drama happens in all the Gullfoss threads. You know people throwing out all sorts of accusations and conspiracies. My own conspiracy theory is that whenever a genuinely innovative plugin comes out, there are those of us with interests in competitor products that get riled up. There is nothing else out there quite like AA or Gullfoss.

[JerGoertz]

Why do the Italian music SW companies generate so much controversy??? (Kidding guys, kidding!)

[Aloysius]

thank you

[elassi]

Been a AA customer years ago. Though I was very pleased with the audio the gear wasn't that comfortable to handle. Eventually, I gave up, though the "Doc Fear EQ" (provided by a third party using AA's tech) is still in my ears. The best EQ I've ever heard. Nothing in the software world has beaten it to date - at least to me.

That said, I'll give AA another try. Last time I installed their app something went wrong and made me refrain from testing and using the free effects. I'm not against the contemporary way of having a 'control center' on my machine. My box is clean, well administrated and in terms of technology powerful, thus I don't feel disadvantages by them (yet). In fact, there are a few of them in my system (NI, Arturia, Izotope, ...).

tl;dr I'll check Celestial and already say thanks to Giancarlo.