Alternatives to Waves Rbass?
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- KVRAF
- 19134 posts since 13 Feb, 2003 from Vancouver, Canada
RBass is my favourite, by far, for this type of thing. I cracked and got Waves Platinum for this and other must-haves. But there are some options.
Windows & VST, I assume?
Windows & VST, I assume?
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- KVRian
- 1010 posts since 4 Nov, 2003 from Washington DC
Yep! That's the problem with Waves. All those bloody bundles/dongles. The RBass does a great job but does have a bit of competition. Here are the best alternatives in my never so humble opinion:
Camel Phat: Has a nice warm 'Magic Eq' that does an excellent job. Combine that with the chunky compressor and you've got a formidable bass enhancing machine. It's my personal favorite.
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/538.html
BBE Sonic Maximizer: Lo Contour gives you a nice old school bass boost effect although it's not as 'in your face' as the Waves. Still quite nothing like it for adding clarity to a mix in a hurry!
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/3112.html
The LF Max Punch for Voxengo is another top quality contender. Bit more complex than the RBass, but definitely worth a try.
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1758.html
I have not tried the NewB from Crysonic but it is billed as a Bass Enhancer plug-in. The principle seems to be similar to the Waves. Try the demo and see if you like it.
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2705.html
Between these, you should find a suitable alternative.
And slightly off topic, but isn't it time that Waves looked at the competition from guys like Audio Damage/Stillwell/Cytomic etc. and realized that pricier doesn't always mean better, get rid of the dongles, and start selling at least the regular Waves series individually at a competitive price? I mean companies like Sonalksis, Wavearts, Nomad Factory and Eiosis all have comparative products that sell for cheaper, and some of it runs rings around the Waves stuff. Case in point, the E2 De-Esser from Eiosis.
Camel Phat: Has a nice warm 'Magic Eq' that does an excellent job. Combine that with the chunky compressor and you've got a formidable bass enhancing machine. It's my personal favorite.
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/538.html
BBE Sonic Maximizer: Lo Contour gives you a nice old school bass boost effect although it's not as 'in your face' as the Waves. Still quite nothing like it for adding clarity to a mix in a hurry!
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/3112.html
The LF Max Punch for Voxengo is another top quality contender. Bit more complex than the RBass, but definitely worth a try.
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1758.html
I have not tried the NewB from Crysonic but it is billed as a Bass Enhancer plug-in. The principle seems to be similar to the Waves. Try the demo and see if you like it.
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2705.html
Between these, you should find a suitable alternative.
And slightly off topic, but isn't it time that Waves looked at the competition from guys like Audio Damage/Stillwell/Cytomic etc. and realized that pricier doesn't always mean better, get rid of the dongles, and start selling at least the regular Waves series individually at a competitive price? I mean companies like Sonalksis, Wavearts, Nomad Factory and Eiosis all have comparative products that sell for cheaper, and some of it runs rings around the Waves stuff. Case in point, the E2 De-Esser from Eiosis.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 7 posts since 11 Mar, 2009
bduffy: I'm using ableton on a mac. I prefer vst.
dj ray: I've tried the BBE Sonic Maximizer, but it doesn't quite do it for me.
I'm gonna check out the camel phat, I've heard really good things about it.
It's definitely the simplicity of Rbass that I'm looking for.
dj ray: I've tried the BBE Sonic Maximizer, but it doesn't quite do it for me.
I'm gonna check out the camel phat, I've heard really good things about it.
It's definitely the simplicity of Rbass that I'm looking for.
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captain caveman captain caveman https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=81138
- KVRian
- 1120 posts since 13 Sep, 2005
Personally, I use PSP MixBass 2 which is great. Voxengo's LF Max Punch is another "bassification" plugin although I haven't tried it.
If you look through the content of the Waves bundles, a lot of the plugins are either based on very old DSP or are easily replaced by cheaper options and in the case of the bread n butter plugins, by freeware or bundled host plugins IMO.
If you look through the content of the Waves bundles, a lot of the plugins are either based on very old DSP or are easily replaced by cheaper options and in the case of the bread n butter plugins, by freeware or bundled host plugins IMO.
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- KVRAF
- 19134 posts since 13 Feb, 2003 from Vancouver, Canada
Funny...I had a suspicion you were on a Mac. Must be the psychic power you get when you join "The Club"...crewneck wrote:bduffy: I'm using ableton on a mac. I prefer vst.
dj ray: I've tried the BBE Sonic Maximizer, but it doesn't quite do it for me.
I'm gonna check out the camel phat, I've heard really good things about it.
It's definitely the simplicity of Rbass that I'm looking for.
I agree: the BBE doesn't sound the same, and as I hinted at before, I haven't found anything to be as smooth or natural-sounding as RBass. For Mac, I'd check out PSP MixBass (but that's tied to a bundle too!) and CamelPhat, although CamelPhat's low end enhancer only starts at, like, 90hz or something, and I find it a bit "nosey"-sounding. Great plugin, though! Use it all the time.
That being said, I do know where you can get a good deal on Waves plug-ins. Let me see if I can get a quote for you...
Last edited by bduffy on Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- KVRian
- 1010 posts since 4 Nov, 2003 from Washington DC
Crewneck, if you like simplicity you will simply lurve Camel Phat! Its much much more than just a bass enhancer and you will find yourself returning to it time and time again. Really is quite miraculous. The way I look at it, it's really more like a channel strip. For a Waves RBass like effect on a kick drum, tune the Magic EQ to around 65 Hz and turn up the amount to about 40%. Dial in around 5% of the Tube Distortion effect and a slight amount of compression with a medium release. If you really learn this plug-in inside out, you'll find a dozen applications for it, bass enhancement being just one.
Last edited by dj ray on Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- KVRist
- 215 posts since 6 Mar, 2004 from Massachusetts
I like LF Max Punch a lot too, and fortunately it's one of the Voxengo plugs that's available on the Mac.
You might also want to try out airwindows BassKit -- AU only, but that's not a problem if you're running Live. There is a demo:
http://www.airwindows.com/basskit.html
You might also want to try out airwindows BassKit -- AU only, but that's not a problem if you're running Live. There is a demo:
http://www.airwindows.com/basskit.html
Mac Studio Max | 32GB | 12.6 | MOTU 828es | MOTU M4 | Studio One 6 | Logic 10.7
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- KVRAF
- 19134 posts since 13 Feb, 2003 from Vancouver, Canada
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- KVRian
- 1010 posts since 4 Nov, 2003 from Washington DC
Camel Phat's Magic EQ i.e. 'Low End Enhancer' ranges from 60hz to 120hz.bduffy wrote:Funny...I had a suspicion you were on a Mac. Must be the psychic power you get when you join "The Club"...crewneck wrote:bduffy: I'm using ableton on a mac. I prefer vst.
dj ray: I've tried the BBE Sonic Maximizer, but it doesn't quite do it for me.
I'm gonna check out the camel phat, I've heard really good things about it.
It's definitely the simplicity of Rbass that I'm looking for.
I agree: the BBE doesn't sound the same, and as I hinted at before, I haven't found anything to be as smooth or natural-sounding as RBass. For Mac, I'd check out PSP MixBass (but that's tied to a bundle too!) and CamelPhat, although CamelPhat's low end enhancer only starts at, like, 90hz or something, and I find it a bit "nosey"-sounding. Great plugin, though! Use it all the time.
That being said, I do know where you can get a good deal on Waves plug-ins. Let me see if I can get a quote for you...
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- KVRian
- 1010 posts since 4 Nov, 2003 from Washington DC
Sorry, I been drinkin again...bduffy wrote:Is "lurve" greater than "love"?
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- KVRAF
- 19134 posts since 13 Feb, 2003 from Vancouver, Canada
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- vvvvvvv
- 2578 posts since 24 Oct, 2000 from skelmersdale, west lancs, uk
PSP Mixbass isn't really an RBass competitor, which I see as a max-bass-fat-maker
But MixBass has a nice, pleasing tone, and makes a great complement to RBass.
But MixBass has a nice, pleasing tone, and makes a great complement to RBass.
Member 12, Studio One v6.5, VPS Avenger, Kontakt 7, Spitfire, Dune, Arturia, Sonible, Baby Audio, CableGuys, Nektar Panorama P1, Vaporizer 2 to test out
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captain caveman captain caveman https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=81138
- KVRian
- 1120 posts since 13 Sep, 2005
That's strange, because if I had thought of that description before you I'd have used it to describe MixBass 2.kevvvvv wrote:PSP Mixbass isn't really an RBass competitor, which I see as a max-bass-fat-maker
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- KVRian
- 766 posts since 22 Mar, 2007 from Punta Gorda, Florida USA
Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp
