is waves platinum tdm really worth the $$

[fathermac101]

I am trying to budget my new hd setup and am considering the waves bundle...

Does the waves tdm bundle sound any different than the native bundle?

I don't know if I want to spend 3 grand for the same tools all these semi-pro native nuendo/logic people probably downloaded from some audiowarez site for free...... ..

does anyone have similar feelings about waves?

[Aquarius]

Hi there !

Check the demos on waves' website.
The Master series is amazing, best value with the Platinum bundle !

[BradLyons]

You'll hear various arguments on the difference between TDM and Native. Basically, ProTools is a 48-bit fixed point processing system where most native setups are 32-bit floating point. An argument can be made that in a floating point design, it is better processing than fixed point no matter what the resolution but my ears do tell me different. Now, it's not going to be a night and day thing but I do hear more resolution and better clearity on TDM plugins v/s their native counter-parts. Understand that in an HD system, you have real-time monitoring WITH the plugins, you don't have to worry about the computer having to process every detail and it locking up, and everything is made for THAT system... not third party drivers with sample buffers just to name a few things up-front.

As per the Waves Platinum Bundle, it is absolutely worth it.... you will not find a better value of plugins out there. To be perfectly blunt, there isn't a single ProToolsHD system I design that does NOT have this bundle. I, well how do I put this nicely, absolutely force my clients to take it and they must convince me why they don't buy it with their system because I know that without a wide variety of plugins..... you're shooting yourself in the foot. Of course, it's NOT cheap so if the $$ is an issue... that is understandable. But from a guy that both uses this stuff professionally and has for many years on both systems and designs systems, you really need to somehow make it fit into your budget. If not when you buy the system, at some point soon after that.

Hope this helps.

[lancejorton]

it's worth it. i agree with Brad. if you change a Waves plug-in from TDM to RTAS or vice-versa, it keeps the settings. i've A/B'd the Ren Compressor and Ren EQ6 back and forth over and over and i think the TDM sounds better. its not a huge difference, but there is a difference. plus, you can't use RTAS on an Aux channel or Master fader in TDM.

as far as the package of plug-ins, its very much worth it. once you look at what you actually get, i think the price is really good.

lance

[doug_hti]

Originally posted by lancejorton:

as far as the package of plug-ins, its very much worth it. once you look at what you actually get, i think the price is really good.

lance

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Yeah if you do look at what you get, IT IS DEFINATELY worth it from a VALUE stand point.
BUT just make sure you have a need for all or a majority of the other various plugins that it includes.
I want to buy the masteres bundles, but my computer (g4 466) can't even handle one instance of the c4 at 96k.
Just get the demo after you get your rig, and DON'T download other demos at the same time, as you'll get overwhelmed and won't force yourself to get the results you want with the Waves stuff...

[uno1234]

The Masters series is not worth it. The plugins may sound good, but they are impossible to use, and add serious latency. If you go with anything, get the Gold Bundle.

If I could do it all over again, and I was only making music for myself (and didn't worry about what plugins my clients needed me to have), I would skip Waves plugins. Yeah, they give you a lot for your money, but overall, they aren't that great. When mixing tracks, I hardly use them, with the exception of Ren Reverb, but that is replaceable. They are totally overrated.

Try out the demo, but you'll find I think that individual plugins from many other 3rd parties are actually much better than Waves. They also give you bang for your buck now, but then they'll ream you on upgrades every year.

[tripit]

I for one don't think they're worth it. You get a lot of plugs, yes, but I found that at the end of the day I only really liked and used maybe 2 out of all the waves plugs. So it's rather like spending money on only 2 plugs.
I would rather spend the money on select plugs that I feel are better than the waves, even if they are more costly. But that's just my 2 cents. Also, I have found that TDM can tend to sound better in some plugs but not others, and once again, in some cases it's not worth the extra cost.
I recommend that you demo them and decide for yourself.

[rtcstudio]

The Masters plugins were never meant to be used like other eqs and compressors, on individual channels in a session. Hence the name "MASTERS". They are meant to be used on the 2 buss, during the final mix, so the latency is not an issue.

And I think the Waves stuff sounds great, but find myself mainly using the Renaissance and Masters plugs, and things like Enigma, Doppler and MondoMod.

I LOVE the WavesMechanic stuff as well, but nothing sounds quite like Enigma and Doppler. So I'm not sure I quite agree with the statement that for "every Waves plugin there is a better one..."

[MARVINBASS]

Hands Down Waves TDM are the best. There is a difference between TDM and RTAS. The Masters Bundle is for "Mastering" only. I do use the L2 on a bounce down mix for clients to reference. It sounds better that the L1+.

[benderbro]

If you're doing post work, it's the all-in-one tool box that everyone uses. I wouldn't be without it.
When it comes to music, I agree that you could save $ if you only need a few plugs and you can definitely get better eq, comp and reverb.
I'd also go TDM rather than native. Less headaches and thinking to worry about.