Well, the Elemental Audio Power Pack looks very tasty, I think thats what I would get ... includes EQ, Maximizer, a very cool Multi-Volume-Zone compressor, and of course, InspectorXL.
And no, I don't own it, but would love to
What would you buy first?
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- Banned
- 1648 posts since 11 Sep, 2005
$400? Wow .... o.O
Well, the Elemental Audio Power Pack looks very tasty, I think thats what I would get ... includes EQ, Maximizer, a very cool Multi-Volume-Zone compressor, and of course, InspectorXL.
And no, I don't own it, but would love to
Well, the Elemental Audio Power Pack looks very tasty, I think thats what I would get ... includes EQ, Maximizer, a very cool Multi-Volume-Zone compressor, and of course, InspectorXL.
And no, I don't own it, but would love to
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- KVRAF
- 19156 posts since 13 Feb, 2003 from Vancouver, Canada
ooh! The survey's at 50/50 right now! So much for influencing your decision! 
It'll get really interesting tomorrow with some daytime voting.
It'll get really interesting tomorrow with some daytime voting.
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- KVRAF
- 6937 posts since 4 Jun, 2004 from Utrecht, Holland
Be VERY selective about which reverb/compressor you are going to buy! Regret is lurking around the corner... If you hesistate even for a sec, don't buy it! Just because they charge $200 doesn't mean it's a better plugin than your fav freebee.
If it stays 50/50, that's really OK because you want both effect types to be good. And I think for that money you can buy pretty good stuff (and some other too with the leftovers.)
And where's the "Fish" option??
If it stays 50/50, that's really OK because you want both effect types to be good. And I think for that money you can buy pretty good stuff (and some other too with the leftovers.)
And where's the "Fish" option??
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- KVRist
- 262 posts since 8 Jun, 2005
Seconded.bduffy wrote:Good point!TotcProductions wrote:I would say take the 400 bux, buy the ARTS ACOUSTIC REVERB vst and then buy the Sonalksis compressor (not the multiband one, the other one) and/or Voxengo's Marquie compressor, for a quality all purpose solution.
Peace
For compressor, I don't know exactly the Kjaerhus ones (because I'm on mac), but people rave a lot about them... you could even buy the Golden Audio Channel for $198,- with 2 EQs, 2 Compressors, Noise Gate and DeEsser built in. With ArtsAcoustic for $189,- you'd still have some money left for a few beers...
You can demo all of them, ArtsAcoutic reverb and Sonalksis/Kjaerhus Compressors:
http://www.artsacoustic.com
http://www.sonalksis.com
http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com
Then decide yourself
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- KVRist
- 251 posts since 19 Oct, 2004
I voted reverb as the FIRST MAJOR PURCHASE.
There are plenty of free reverbs and compressors; many of them already mentioned here.
A reverb will have a certain inpact and will probably have 3-7 instances in my projects.
A compressor will also have an inpact and will probably have 12-25 instances in my projects.
When investing in plugins I broke things down into certain price ranges.
1 $100 or less
2 $100 - $250
3 $250 - $500
You specified a budget of $400.
I would look at a $200-$300 reverb and a $100-$200 compressor.
I think there are great compressors in the $100 or less range. If you're on a PC I would highly recommend...
REVERB
- CSR, ArtsAcoustic, RaySpace or a PowerCore(VSS3/DVR).
COMPRESSOR
- 2 nice compressors for about $150 say db-audioware compressor, and Voxengo Marquis or Kjaerhus GCO-1.
OR
- A channel strip like TrackPlug or Kjaerhus GAC-1 and just use one of the compressors when necessary.
REVERB+COMPRESSORS+MORE
- Wave Native Power Pack was the last Waves items I used and I was really impressed with the C1 compressors and TrueVerb. In addition for about $375 you get things like the Q10 EQ, S1 stereo imager and L1(??) Maximizer. I thought it was a nice set.
- I have Sonar so I have the Sonitus:FX. These are actually my bread and butter plugs. For $300(???) you get the clean compressor and the reverb that is very similar to TrueVerb; along with EQ, gate, delay and multiband.
For free:
Reverb
Ambience, Kjaerhus Classic, Glaceverb, SIR
Compressor
GComp, BlockFish, Kjaerhus Classic
There are plenty of free reverbs and compressors; many of them already mentioned here.
A reverb will have a certain inpact and will probably have 3-7 instances in my projects.
A compressor will also have an inpact and will probably have 12-25 instances in my projects.
When investing in plugins I broke things down into certain price ranges.
1 $100 or less
2 $100 - $250
3 $250 - $500
You specified a budget of $400.
I would look at a $200-$300 reverb and a $100-$200 compressor.
I think there are great compressors in the $100 or less range. If you're on a PC I would highly recommend...
REVERB
- CSR, ArtsAcoustic, RaySpace or a PowerCore(VSS3/DVR).
COMPRESSOR
- 2 nice compressors for about $150 say db-audioware compressor, and Voxengo Marquis or Kjaerhus GCO-1.
OR
- A channel strip like TrackPlug or Kjaerhus GAC-1 and just use one of the compressors when necessary.
REVERB+COMPRESSORS+MORE
- Wave Native Power Pack was the last Waves items I used and I was really impressed with the C1 compressors and TrueVerb. In addition for about $375 you get things like the Q10 EQ, S1 stereo imager and L1(??) Maximizer. I thought it was a nice set.
- I have Sonar so I have the Sonitus:FX. These are actually my bread and butter plugs. For $300(???) you get the clean compressor and the reverb that is very similar to TrueVerb; along with EQ, gate, delay and multiband.
For free:
Reverb
Ambience, Kjaerhus Classic, Glaceverb, SIR
Compressor
GComp, BlockFish, Kjaerhus Classic
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- KVRAF
- 42529 posts since 21 Dec, 2005
Kjaerhus is a quintsential "free" company for pc's..........now about the paid stuff.....
Seriously consider wave arts. There are many reasons to consider. You can get the power-duo for about 250 bucks, that will include the masterverb and the trackplug.
Some benifits of wave arts are:
-low cpu hit.......I mean LOW!!!!! Seriously low......you can use trackplug over and over and over without freaking out your cpu. Masterverb is darn good as well. Oh, btw......
30 free demo..........hello? how can you beat that........no limitations!
-ease of use......man, you can squeeze allot out of these......no pun intended!
-absolutely top-notch customer service.........great bunch o' folk........
Am I a fanboy........maybe, but since there is a 30 day no-limit demo......what have you got to loose!
Also, don't forget the vintage warmer if you go "compressor". Ok, it's really not a "compressor", but there are some inherent beautiful things that make it one of the most "must-have" items out there
Seriously consider wave arts. There are many reasons to consider. You can get the power-duo for about 250 bucks, that will include the masterverb and the trackplug.
Some benifits of wave arts are:
-low cpu hit.......I mean LOW!!!!! Seriously low......you can use trackplug over and over and over without freaking out your cpu. Masterverb is darn good as well. Oh, btw......
30 free demo..........hello? how can you beat that........no limitations!
-ease of use......man, you can squeeze allot out of these......no pun intended!
-absolutely top-notch customer service.........great bunch o' folk........
Am I a fanboy........maybe, but since there is a 30 day no-limit demo......what have you got to loose!
Also, don't forget the vintage warmer if you go "compressor". Ok, it's really not a "compressor", but there are some inherent beautiful things that make it one of the most "must-have" items out there
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- Beware the Quoth
- 35518 posts since 4 Sep, 2001 from R'lyeh Oceanic Amusement Park and Funfair
Before you look at dedicated compressors, have a look at Quantum-FX. Its a modular construction-kit environment, bundled with about 50 prebuilt effects of damned high quality, and the developer has a lot of experience building dynamics processors for the broadcast industry, so the included dynamics effects are very good.
It also includes reverbs, which are usable, although not as good as a dedicated high-end plugin, but you could tailor what's included to suit yourself...
Unfortunately you just missed a recent 50% discount on the thing. Demo at www.db-audioware.com
It also includes reverbs, which are usable, although not as good as a dedicated high-end plugin, but you could tailor what's included to suit yourself...
Unfortunately you just missed a recent 50% discount on the thing. Demo at www.db-audioware.com
An idiot on Set Theory:
"In some cases there is an object called red that contains everything that is red. In much the same way a pot is a plate."
"In some cases there is an object called red that contains everything that is red. In much the same way a pot is a plate."
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- KVRAF
- 3125 posts since 6 Dec, 2002 from Ljubljana/ Slovenia
and it's still a good suggestionVitaminD wrote:UAD-1 project pak is 400 bucks... has a reverb and compressor in it. just a suggestion from someone who A) doesnt own it and B) has never tried it
+1
(I have the Uad1 Project Pak btw)
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TotcProductions TotcProductions https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6202 - KVRAF
- 5157 posts since 5 Mar, 2003 from Franklin, NH
Yeah, this is probably a very good idea...didn't think about this myself. I turn green with envy every day that goes by where I don't have one and all these KVR users do.soulata wrote:and it's still a good suggestionVitaminD wrote:UAD-1 project pak is 400 bucks... has a reverb and compressor in it. just a suggestion from someone who A) doesnt own it and B) has never tried it
+1
(I have the Uad1 Project Pak btw)
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- KVRian
- 1359 posts since 5 Mar, 2005
I agree with much of this. I don't think UAD project pack is a great buy unless you plan to buy there better plugins later. The project pack does'nt have a reverb anywhere near as good as CSR (imho), it's reverb is more on the level of some good freeware verbs, and if you go for commercial products you want products that clearly are much better then freeware (thats the whole purpose of buying).I don't believe the project pack has a compressor anywhere near as good as Marquis or Soniformer.The project pack has good plugins but the great ones are sold separately hence i would not buy it unless i planned to buy more uad's in the future.wwwill wrote:I voted reverb as the FIRST MAJOR PURCHASE.
There are plenty of free reverbs and compressors; many of them already mentioned here.
A reverb will have a certain inpact and will probably have 3-7 instances in my projects.
A compressor will also have an inpact and will probably have 12-25 instances in my projects.
When investing in plugins I broke things down into certain price ranges.
1 $100 or less
2 $100 - $250
3 $250 - $500
You specified a budget of $400.
I would look at a $200-$300 reverb and a $100-$200 compressor.
I think there are great compressors in the $100 or less range. If you're on a PC I would highly recommend...
REVERB
- CSR, ArtsAcoustic, RaySpace or a PowerCore(VSS3/DVR).
COMPRESSOR
- 2 nice compressors for about $150 say db-audioware compressor, and Voxengo Marquis or Kjaerhus GCO-1.
OR
- A channel strip like TrackPlug or Kjaerhus GAC-1 and just use one of the compressors when necessary.
REVERB+COMPRESSORS+MORE
- Wave Native Power Pack was the last Waves items I used and I was really impressed with the C1 compressors and TrueVerb. In addition for about $375 you get things like the Q10 EQ, S1 stereo imager and L1(??) Maximizer. I thought it was a nice set.
- I have Sonar so I have the Sonitus:FX. These are actually my bread and butter plugs. For $300(???) you get the clean compressor and the reverb that is very similar to TrueVerb; along with EQ, gate, delay and multiband.
For free:
Reverb
Ambience, Kjaerhus Classic, Glaceverb, SIR
Compressor
GComp, BlockFish, Kjaerhus Classic
You do not want to buy mediocra plugins because regret may set in later and you won't reap more benifits then freeware.The plugins you buy should almost make you smile when you launch them, and have complete confidence you'll get the sound you want from them.With $400 i'd go for the best and in my eyes that is CSR reverb and Marquis or soniformer compressor.both can be bought for a total of $330 or less. You may consider something else to be the best rather then my choices but WHATEVER YOU FEEL IS THE BEST BUY IT.I'd be skeptical about sticking with freeware aswell unless you TRULY believe that freeeware is the best.
Treat your music like your woman, don't go out and buy her used clothing and cheap and used wedding ring, but get the best you can get for her, this with quality time spent with her will take you far.Anything less may be an insult. The more you do for her the more she'll do for you!
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3369 posts since 16 Jan, 2005 from Ottawa, Ontario
Thanks for all the input people!!! The reverb I was going for is Rayspace. I've had the benefit of trying out a couple of commercial verbs in a somewhat large and well outfitted room with good near and mid-field monitors, and Rayspace has a sound I really like. There is something about some commercial verbs that I am yet to hear in a freebie, like the way the tails can be SO warm and thick, they sound as though there's accompanying strings shortly behind them. I'm actually very very happy with alot of freeware, and the more I've to used them the more true it this has become. Plugins like Ambience, SIR and the little Roomverb from Buzroom make me appreciate them more as time goes by. I think Ambience makes for some pretty nice cold sounding rooms.
I was leaning towards the reverb from the getgo, but I wouldn't mind PSP's Mastercomp. It brings things together like cake at a wedding, and a recent poll thread somewhere here helped convince me. I've tried alot of freebies and mostly used the Classic one, but I've found it sounds like it quashes the breadth of a large mix a little bit.
I may be a little ahead of myself spending so generously on a compressor, even though I especially like what I'm hearing in the Mastercomp, but the influence of good and appropriate reverb is final, especially when you know what you're going for. And this is where my reverbs have so far fallen short. Since I'm going for very artitificial ambient type of sounds, reverbs tend to be longer, and play a much more *instrumental* part in composition than they would in rock music, for example. I was very encouraged when I finally decided to try some commercial verbs to find that my sounds actually weren't lacking as much as I thought. I had spent alot of time trying to find ways to bolster and improve them and with the confidence I had in my small free reverb collection, I felt I had what I needed to get things right. But I was very surprised at the results with other very different kinds of reverbs, partly due to their increased configurability. That difference is getting me much closer to what I want. I've tried a couple of others and thoughts would also be much appreciated on:
R66 - whose price has dropped dramatically(?), wasn't it about $300 sometime ago...
Silverspike R2
Spinaudio Roomverb
Convoboy - almost a giveaway which I'll probably get just to help me learn more about convolution. SIR is great, and it's because of this that I want to see what more can be done with convolution.
Thanks again as usual everyone!
I was leaning towards the reverb from the getgo, but I wouldn't mind PSP's Mastercomp. It brings things together like cake at a wedding, and a recent poll thread somewhere here helped convince me. I've tried alot of freebies and mostly used the Classic one, but I've found it sounds like it quashes the breadth of a large mix a little bit.
I may be a little ahead of myself spending so generously on a compressor, even though I especially like what I'm hearing in the Mastercomp, but the influence of good and appropriate reverb is final, especially when you know what you're going for. And this is where my reverbs have so far fallen short. Since I'm going for very artitificial ambient type of sounds, reverbs tend to be longer, and play a much more *instrumental* part in composition than they would in rock music, for example. I was very encouraged when I finally decided to try some commercial verbs to find that my sounds actually weren't lacking as much as I thought. I had spent alot of time trying to find ways to bolster and improve them and with the confidence I had in my small free reverb collection, I felt I had what I needed to get things right. But I was very surprised at the results with other very different kinds of reverbs, partly due to their increased configurability. That difference is getting me much closer to what I want. I've tried a couple of others and thoughts would also be much appreciated on:
R66 - whose price has dropped dramatically(?), wasn't it about $300 sometime ago...
Silverspike R2
Spinaudio Roomverb
Convoboy - almost a giveaway which I'll probably get just to help me learn more about convolution. SIR is great, and it's because of this that I want to see what more can be done with convolution.
Thanks again as usual everyone!
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- KVRAF
- 19156 posts since 13 Feb, 2003 from Vancouver, Canada
I just tried out that RaySpace again - much better than I remembered! Very cool plug-in. For $90, it's kind of a steal.