Nebula - the bestest audio plugin since sliced, erm, buffer?

[xox]

nebula is so much better that one needs to use the latest audiophile's jargon to prove the point :facepalm lel

[LimpyLoo]

We need examples not hyperbole my dear ...Why is it amazing, why is it better than the algorithmic equivalents ?

 

In RSP's examples, I *could* tell the different 'tween the mic one (seemed 'boxier' sounding in the diffusion of the sound, presumably it's like a really short impulse recording) and the room reverb sounded like ... well a room reverb! Though I couldn't really tell the difference between the raw and the compressed version, like at all when a/b-ing them.

So I've only used Nebula 3 free and some of the 3rd-party standalone freebies...

 

The 1-band tube EQ (by Acustica, I wanna say...?) is really nice...it's free so go grab it...

 

there's also the Red EQ (3-band I think) that's really nice

 

And the free N3F programs are super basic but they're all high-quality

 

I dunno mate, just go grab some freebies, check em out, report back

[chim]

The full version is a secret nuclear weapon. Very cumbersome to work with but blows everything out of the water. Even better than the UA stuff. For full effect one has to mimic a physical setup and use individual mix buses, and the desired signal flow, on each individual track. Little by little the details start to snowball and once everything comes together on the master channel it's like a religious experience. I had tears in my eyes when I first heard what it could do. It's not perfect for speedy time effects like compression, but for general analog magic like tube and tape effects, just physical signal flow, there's nothing like it. But it takes time and money. Only worth it if you're a bit of an audiophile and engineering freak. I know plenty of pros who have sold off half their studio in favor of this technology, but some prefer UA or good old VSTs because it's quicker to work with.

[chim]

We need examples not hyperbole my dear ...Why is it amazing, why is it better than the algorithmic equivalents ?

You need to take a serious crash course in DSP to understand how it works and its limitations in emulation. There are stark differences between the way sample-by-sample treatment works compared to analog signals on a tiny level, which snowballs into various differences and obstacles on the audible plane. As for nebula, once you start playing with some of the pain-stakingly made third party modules (people have reproduced entire mix consoles), it just sounds amazing. A lot of serious fucking math is involved in DSP and it's an interesting field in its own right, but there is an insane amount of variables involved when a signal passes through a physical device. If you want the sound of a particular device, the best made nebula modules are 90-99% accurate on even the most difficult-to-emulate gear according to industry professionals. A word that gets thrown around a lot is spatial depth, the feel that you're treating the sound in a 3D space than just applying a flat blanket - algorithmic EQ's in particular struggle with this. You have to have an ear for this sort of stuff and an insanely geeky interest in the first place to even be motivated to bother with it. It's definitely not for everyone. I for one found it ecstatic to try out various variations of old consoles, compressors, EQ's and then applying some obscure tape just to see what it did to the sound, for me it was easy to hear an amazing difference in color, texture and behavior compared to DSP equivalents.

[mcbpete]

I'd be a convert for sure if I heard audio examples of those 'pain-stakingly made third party modules' that 'just sound amazing', but there seems so little audio examples out there for some reason.

As I mentioned in the opening post the demo didn't do anything for me but that's apparently due to it being a much older version of the volterra kernel (is that what it's called ?) compared to the pro & server versions ...

 

I just want so things that blow my audio ears off (in a subtle but lovely way!)

[TubularCorporation]

So I've had the free version installed for a few weeks now and have been doing a lot of recording and mixing and so far I haven't actually found a situation where I couldn't functionally similar results with more control and less CPU overhead using either DSP or traditional convolution plugins. 

 

 

On the other hand, I've been using the old TDR Proximity plugin constantly these days and don't know how I went without it for so long, especially since I've use SlickEQ on just about everything for years.

[mcbpete]

TDRs stuff are amazing - Bought all their plugins to date !

[TubularCorporation]

TDRs stuff are amazing - Bought all their plugins to date !

Yeah, TDR, Klanghelm, Melda and Toneboosters covers 95% of my plugin needs, and the stock Reaper plugins and JS stuff cover the rest.  It's been hard to resist buying Nova and SlickEQ Mastering just because, even though I really don't need them.

 

EDIT: actually, I hadnt' really checked out the details of SlickEQ Mastering yet, I might actually need it after all.  TB FlX has my dynamic EQ needs pretty well covered though, although it doesn't play well with mono output in Wavelab for some reason (can't even render a mono file with it in the master section, Steinberg and Toneboosters both blame each other).

[Nil]

Disclaimer: I'm a TDL's beta-tester, so I might be a tad biased, but I absolutely love their plugins. SlickEQ Mastering sounds incredible, and Kotelnikov GE is a deep, deep beast. I also beta-test for Klanghelm and Goodhertz, and with TDL they're my fav devs when it comes to sound processors (it's all about U-He when it comes to synths IMHO). Huge fan of their work and overall ethics.

[mcbpete]

So I've had the free version installed for a few weeks now and have been doing a lot of recording and mixing and so far I haven't actually found a situation where I couldn't functionally similar results with more control and less CPU overhead using either DSP or traditional convolution plugins.

That's as far as I got in the first post - glad it's not just me ... So is this the platinum coated HDMI cables of the VST world ?

[peace 7]

I invented a convolution everything plugin, that takes whatever shitty input you got and outputs Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy. For samples, listen to Come To Daddy, because that is exactly what your track will sound like with my ultra DSP technology. Accepting €50 PayPal preorders now, until October 31.

[lala]

Disclaimer: I'm a TDL's beta-tester, so I might be a tad biased, but I absolutely love their plugins. SlickEQ Mastering sounds incredible, and Kotelnikov GE is a deep, deep beast. I also beta-test for Klanghelm and Goodhertz, and with TDL they're my fav devs when it comes to sound processors (it's all about U-He when it comes to synths IMHO). Huge fan of their work and overall ethics.

what do you like about the GE? its got a few things ive not seen before 

[Nil]

I'll simply quote TDL's website: 

The Gentleman’s Edition adds following features:

• External sidechain input
• Inertia timing mode
• Continuously variable control over “low relax” slope
• L<>R sensitivity
• Powerful frequency dependent ratio function (FDR)
• Yin/Yang modes (manipulates the compressor’s own distortion behaviour)
• Equal loudness output gain trimming
• Equal loudness bypass
• “Insane” quality mode
• 10 additional user preset slots

 

I use the Inertia modes, FDR, Yin/Yang and "Insane" features all the time:

- Inertia modes make the GR behavior less linear and clinical, sound super-musical.

- FDR allows you to smoothly target parts of the spectrum, incredibly useful 

- Yin/Yang can sound effortlessly good on the right sources (and is just a couple of clicks away)

- when set to Insane, you can compress / limit an insane lot without nasty artefacts (seriously impressive).

The external SC is a welcome new addition.

[mcbpete]

"Yin/Yang and "Insane" features" are the two I use most as well :)

[Ragnar]

I invented a convolution everything plugin, that takes whatever shitty input you got and outputs Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy. For samples, listen to Come To Daddy, because that is exactly what your track will sound like with my ultra DSP technology. Accepting €50 PayPal preorders now, until October 31.

 

peace 7 found this thread

[TubularCorporation]

 

Disclaimer: I'm a TDL's beta-tester, so I might be a tad biased, but I absolutely love their plugins. SlickEQ Mastering sounds incredible, and Kotelnikov GE is a deep, deep beast. I also beta-test for Klanghelm and Goodhertz, and with TDL they're my fav devs when it comes to sound processors (it's all about U-He when it comes to synths IMHO). Huge fan of their work and overall ethics.

what do you like about the GE? its got a few things ive not seen before 

 

 

 

The equal loudness feature is great, I'm really glad more plugins are starting to include this lately.

 

I mainly moved to GE for the tilt control.

[Ragnar]

gonna upload nebula killer when i get back

[lala]

 

 

Disclaimer: I'm a TDL's beta-tester, so I might be a tad biased, but I absolutely love their plugins. SlickEQ Mastering sounds incredible, and Kotelnikov GE is a deep, deep beast. I also beta-test for Klanghelm and Goodhertz, and with TDL they're my fav devs when it comes to sound processors (it's all about U-He when it comes to synths IMHO). Huge fan of their work and overall ethics.

what do you like about the GE? its got a few things ive not seen before 

 

 

 

The equal loudness feature is great, I'm really glad more plugins are starting to include this lately.

 

I mainly moved to GE for the tilt control.

 

 

Do you find you use the different colours & outputs a lot for different parts, and does it make a discernible difference? like funky makes the bass go peng or whatver 

[Ragnar]

http://stash.reaper.fm/v/28333/fakewarm.txt

 

sorry so messy, bottom drive slider adds more harmonics or whatev, also seems to make it asymmetric for reasons I don't quite understand yet. Top drive slider is saturation if "tanh" slider is on. Bypass bypasses the convolution. dc adds a little dc offset. zoomamt is how precise the movements are if turn the mousewheel up and toggle adjusting the per-sample/fft chunk inputs (64 overdrive parameters get nudged around in different directions, just move the mouse around and see what happens)

[TubularCorporation]

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I'm a TDL's beta-tester, so I might be a tad biased, but I absolutely love their plugins. SlickEQ Mastering sounds incredible, and Kotelnikov GE is a deep, deep beast. I also beta-test for Klanghelm and Goodhertz, and with TDL they're my fav devs when it comes to sound processors (it's all about U-He when it comes to synths IMHO). Huge fan of their work and overall ethics.

what do you like about the GE? its got a few things ive not seen before 

 

 

 

The equal loudness feature is great, I'm really glad more plugins are starting to include this lately.

 

I mainly moved to GE for the tilt control.

 

 

Do you find you use the different colours & outputs a lot for different parts, and does it make a discernible difference? like funky makes the bass go peng or whatver 

 

 

Usually I stick with the American and German ones, but I'll choose by ear on a case by case basis.  As far as the output and EQ saturation, I usually keep that stuf off and use some combination of Kalnghelm SDRR (almost always in desk mode) and TB Reelbus for that sort of  coloration, but I do like using the "deep" output mode on pads sometimes, and the "boost and cut the same frequency with saturation on" trick works well to thicken up lows a bit.   All of the saturation stuff in SlickEQ seems really subtle in a nice way.

 

I'd love to see Klanghelm do a character EQ!

 

Ragnar, I'll definitely check that out tomorrow, need to spend my spare time today getting ready for a show tonight.  It's been a while and I'm rusty.

[Ragnar]

http://stash.reaper.fm/v/28334/fakewarm2.txt

 

new version with 3 times as many parameters you can tweak

 

if anybody can run this and only use about half their CPU, let me know because i can increase the FFT size

[Ragnar]

http://stash.reaper.fm/v/28336/fakewarm.txt

 

new 1.0 version that I'd bring on dessert island with me

[Lane Visitor]

I tried the free version and used just reverb on a few things including a vocal and a clap, and yes, it sounds that good. really really natural yet quite subtle. It just sounds "right."