Nebula3 Pro Bundle

Nebula3 Pro WIN x64 1.3.486

If you understand, use or know what Impulse Reverb do this is kind of similar. In essence loads impulses which emulate the vibe and sound of various consoles (yes the console wars are on at the time of this review), EQs, Tape sats,compressors, filters, Akai samplers, the list goes on. From very bespoke equipment to a simple sampler. You can find loads more on their website.

Fortunately Nebula is one of 'under the radar' plugins that shouldn't be. The great thing is they offer a FREE version with a ton of impulses. I say fortunately as it really is a best kept secret. The unfortunate is currently you will require a reasonably modern/powerful CPU to run many instances live.

Again read up on users experiences in their forums, here and GS.

First off this is can be a complex plugin and let's not forget what it is actually doing. That said it is also one of those plugins that can be as simple or complex as you want and some of that will be reflected in the end users knowledge, experience and expectations of what Nebula actually does. the general user interface is simple on the surface, dig and you will get lost. This is a plugin that you WILL be required to read the manual (if your a hobbiest like me), dig the forums or you will not get the best from it and probably make you tracks sound like violin concerto played on chainsaws (not a bad idea).

Down to the overall feedback as I believe it would be conceited and ignorant of me to comment on the technical specs and usage, I know my limits :)

Value for money, well, fantastic with what there is in the user library are fantastic. I jumped straight in with some 3rd party impulse as these are what drove me to Nebula in the first place. AnalogueInTheBox for their Mammoth Eq (I have about 80% of their impulses), CDSoundmaster, AlexB (Considered one of the best and has a great collection of Consoles and eqs I recommend the Black Consoles). I mention this as you will find yourself venturing onto 3rd party impulses, prove me wrong lol. Most are 96khz with lower rate options but some are 44.1 only. Not all sliders server as a function for the impulses. This is more about mojo and some sound treatment with minimal adjustment.

Sound wise I use Mammoth eq as my main masterbuss eq, it lifts and just makes things sound better...can't say anything better than that. Go listen to some demos. The consoles are another strong point and of course we now have alternatives (VCC, Satson, Juice). I find the compressors are not Nebulas strong point probably due to latency but that really doesn't bother me and again as CPUs and systems progress this will change. This also uses CUDA technology which (as far as I understand) utilises GPU processing power (graphics card) that are CUDA compatible (NVIDIA developments). Worth adding they now have a Server edition of Nebula so you could effectively have as many nebulas as you have computers. This is where it's worth pointing out that Nebula is something that should be used and applied towards the mixdown or mastering stage of your work. Like other plugins the best sound is on the higher rates which provoke latency, obviously rendring off line is the best course of action.

Hope I haven't spoken out of term for my lack of experties but I discovered Nebula a long time before I even heard of other similar products...demoed it, get the free version and soon you will be Nebulized...looking forward to future developments.

An update after reading a few of the other reviews. This is not for the faint hearted and will deliver superb results. It is not designed as a live effects plugin as it is high latency and will require a powerful machine to get the most from it and it will need some 'under the bonnet'tweaking to get the best from it. This is one of the reasons for the Server edition being released and should indicate the power of the plugin, it's complexity and it is ahead of it's time. I am sure as CPUs get more powerful and the coding more refined, usage will change. Do not let that deter you...for reference I can easily get half a dozen instance running alongside other plugin instruments and effects running.
Worth noting the support is good and I have no complaints. This guy knows his DI's from is Don'ts... :)

Only criticism is remembering to manually check for updates as no email notification as yet.

System : Windows7x64•i7 2.66ghz•12GBRam @ 1600mhz•Vertex2 SSD drives•RMEFF800 @ 128 bufferRead Review