Aural Exciter... What do YOU use?

[danander11]

OK... I have a few different plugs that offer a vocal exciter type preset.. and I've tried a few things on my own.. but I'm curious as to what others do.

The Aphex Aural Exciter (and Big Bottom) is TDM only.. so what are you Native folks using?

Peace!

[danander11]

Just noticed my typo in the header...

Buy me books... send me to school..

[RiF]

For enhancing stuff, I am using the T-Racks Fairchild or UAD/T-Racks Pultec with a little HF boost. Sometimes a light UAD Precision Maximizer (now we come into the "Exciter" area) on the 2bus.

[albee1952]

As for me, I don't use them. I do use (and can't live without) the Pultec EQ1-A in the Bomb Factory Pultec bundle and it rules for adding sparkle unlike any other EQ plugin. Exciters generally screw with high frequency phase and harmonics. This made more sense back in the day when tweeters were not as good as they are now. Just my 2 cents.

[TOM@METRO]

+1 for the Pultec.

[EGS]

Originally Posted by albee1952

As for me, I don't use them. I do use (and can't live without) the Pultec EQ1-A in the Bomb Factory Pultec bundle and it rules for adding sparkle unlike any other EQ plugin. Exciters generally screw with high frequency phase and harmonics. This made more sense back in the day when tweeters were not as good as they are now. Just my 2 cents.

+1. Or maybe "back in the day" of 2" tape wearing away the highs after a lot of passes...

[jmitchell1532]

Say I'm doing oos and ahhhs. I'll use the Digi EQ on a stereo aux, cut everything under 1.5k, and boost everything past it with a sloped Q. It gives a nice breathy-ness to the oos and ahhhs, helps them cut through a mix. I much more a fan of figuring stuff out on my own, coming up with techniques, rather than having a specific plug for it, I guess.

[Shan]

Originally Posted by danander11

The Aphex Aural Exciter (and Big Bottom) is TDM only.. so what are you Native folks using?

iZotope alloy Exciter

Vienna Exciter

Shane

[danander11]

Interesting responses..

I've always been a bit curious because I've seen argument both for and against 'exciting'. Some folks like it because they prefer it over straight up EQ'ing, some don't like it because of the way it affects the harmonics and phasing, (which is what I always thought was the sole purpose of the exciter).

I'm always looking for news ways of doing things and there is a thing or two here I might try.

Thanks!

btw, for those that have it, how does the Bomb Factory Pultec EQ1-A compare with the Waves PuigTec EQP1A?

[albee1952]

I would love to hear the JJP version myself(waiting for a friend with more cash than me to buy that bundle). I do love the BF version(but maybe the JJP would knock me over?). As to your comment re phase and harmonics(and I believe you are correct), The only thing I can say is, why mess with this when the great preamp builders work so hard to maintain phase and low distortion? Granted, distortion does come in some very musical flavors, but most of the good ones are the result of classic preamp design(and none of the exciters, hardware or software, claim to recreate that "coveted" character). It still intrigues me as I remember being taken aback the first time I heard Kansas Left Overture(LP on an audiophile system), but none of the newer processes seem to create that particular magic(those first Aphex units were rented to the studios for some absurd fee like $100 per minute of music....yikes). I also wonder if the magic back then happened partially because of the interaction with all the other analog gear. Maybe the real magic is a combination of the original process AND tape saturation and other factors that are missing from most of our setps these days. Food for thought.