Just when I thought my WUP was getting too high.

[john a]

Hey all-
I was in the middle of a mix when a brother engineer in another room emailed me the Waves JJP link. We have WUP-ed everything we got from Waves, and my rig has a Mercury bundle - so I took a break, did the download/install - my CL1B died during this project, and there's been no time to fix it, so I have been looking for a way to do the sort of drastic but transparent crush on a lead vocal that I like to use it for. BTW none of the BF versions of any of the hardware comps I've used (660, LA2A 1176) have ever come close to the "real thing". I put the JJP 'Child on the vocal, pinned it to the floor, adjusted the output, and....well, after we printed that track I went back and redid all the lead vocals on the project. Truly, there is no comparison between the BF stuff and this plug. (Truthfully, I've always thought most of the work on the BF plugs went into the pictures.)Next I reworked two bass tracks with the JJP Pultec - in my large-console studio past I used Pultecs day in and day out for many years, and since then there has been an empty spot in my audio soul where the EQP-1A used to be. No more- these plugs do just what I remember getting from the Pultecs. (I know the UAD stuff is reputed to do the job, but for one reason or another I never went there.)

So - for me -they rock. I've had my issues with Waves (like no upgrade credit for my THREE at-the-time-really-expensive Gold TDM bundles with serial dongles). But...I bought the Mercury bundle by using my NARAS membership credit to get a 50% off list discount, and WUP ed right away, and since then have gotten a very substantial dollar amount in free updates of VERY useful plugins. I know I'm never going back to consoles and outboard - so - my quest is to do this gig as well as I can do it using my chosen set of tools. This stuff REALLY helps. And getting it free means my plug in budget can go for non-Waves essentials - like maybe the TC CL1B;-), which probably won't just stop passing audio on the lead vocal in the middle of a tracking date.

just my .02-as always YMMV

cheers

john a

[EvilElfBoy]

I was wondering if there are any UAD users that would like to chime in on this forum about these plug-ins for comparison. I have been interested in the UAD stuff for awhile, but never pulled the trigger. I am not a huge waves fan as far as prices, but I have to admit my studio classics bundle and renmax bundle have never done me wrong. Any info would be appreciated!

[Jeff Ulmer]

now I'll be really happy if they release an 1176 and some Neve emulations. Maybe they will this year and I'll get them for free!

You already have 3 Neve emulations with the Vintage series - 1073 and 1081 EQs and the 2254 comp.

[Dutchmuzik]

Fair point.

They just seem very, very overpriced. I guess I'm out on my own in that opinion.

The SSL ones seem a lot more reasonable for $1000. I notice that they weren't sold as "modelled on Chris Lord Alge's personal SSL". If you see what I mean.

SSL is more expensive than JJP. SSL TDM $2000 list, JJP TDM $1600 list. SSL Native $1000 list, JJP Native $800 list. Of course those are list prices and these can be purchased for less.

[Table Syrup Records]

I gotta give em props too.

I haven't yet had to pay for another year of WUP but have already recieved some free stuff, and some cheap upgrades to my Platinum because of it.

Fabulous.

...They are kind of a pain in the Arrrrsss, but eh... so is everyone else.

You gotta remember that they can do some AMAZING things with ALGORITHM EMULATION these days.

And as sampling rates get higher, resolution gets higher, and computers get faster, the measurements of a dry verses wet signal as an algorithm gets better and better.

I had the opportunity to use the SSL bundle one time, and some SSL consoles a few times. Maybe the plugs aint perfectly modeling what the hardware is, but for how close they are, and giving you the feel of particular equipment at fractions the cost, I'd say companies doin it up like Waves got it goin on.

Like dude said earlier, every SSL AWS 900 (and so on) will sound different.... maybe not so much variation these days, but variation nonetheless. Not quite like the old stuff anymore... look at some of the old Trident consoles and the different caps they put on pres on the same console, same model, different years. That's one of the millions of reasons that old hardware sounded so particular, even to the particular unit of a model.

What are ya gonna do. That's why I like mods. Another thing speaking to particular plugs... having their particular sound.

my 2 cents

[IO Composer]

You already have 3 Neve emulations with the Vintage series - 1073 and 1081 EQs and the 2254 comp.

Ha! Indeed I do! So many freaking plugs with the Mercury bundle.... As usual, I'm still just scratching the surface of my technical capabilities. Ironically, my goto plugs are EQ3 and Dyn3. I spend so much freaking money on plugins and yet the ones I use the most come with the PT package :P

-Jamey

[michael c]

How do these plugs sound compared to the URS Pultec emulation?

[Lee Blaske]

So kudos to Waves... great products with excellent prices. You have to give them credit for becoming a much more user friendly company since they premiered their WUP concept. That shows really evolutions which I am a fan of.

Happy camper here

Another currently happy camper here. Things seem very reasonable at Waves these days.

[Barry Johns]

I pulled a recent tune, removed all eq and compression plugs, re-did the mix with these plugs and I was stunned. So smooth, creamy, silky, all the great things we use to describe a very nice mix. I think these plugs are very, very good.

I bought the RTAS bundle, I can run a TON of these on my HD rig with my MacPro.