The Tony Maserati series represents an assembly of enterprise titans. Waves, one of the earliest and most enduring audio plug-ins businesses, has made its recognition on first-class bundles in their very own plug-ins consisting of the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond bundles, in addition to emulations of a number of the maximum respected names in studio hardware from API to SSL. Tony Maserati is a multi-platinum, Grammy prevailing engineer with blending credit consisting of Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, and Kelly Clarkson. What Waves and Tony Maserati have performed is to prepare several of Tony’s tried and genuine combinations of EQ, compression, and consequences right into a simple, intuitive package. Basically, we are being invited into Tony’s audio global and getting a hazard to gain from his experience in our mixes.
What You Get
The Maserati collection is six plug-ins specifically designed for the number one gadgets of most mixes. The VX1 for lead and harmony vocals, the ACG for acoustic guitars, the GTi for electric guitars (and horns depending at present), the HMX for keyboards, the B72 for bass, and eventually the DRM for all of the person drums in a general studio package. The Maserati series also gives integrated effects on every one of the six plugs atypical of maximum EQ and compression plug-ins. These effects include reverb and, in some instances, a delay as nicely (like at the GTi and VX1). The FX knobs manipulate the overall amount of the effect, however, in a completely preferred way. On event, you are also offered some extra controls like a “Wet” knob(at the HMX), a “Tone” manipulate (on the B72), “Excite” and “Pre Delay” (at the ACG), or even “Vibro” and “Chorus” (at the Gti). Overall, the consequences are properly idea out, appropriate, and sound tremendous.
The Look and Feel
The first component I observed about the Tony Maserati collection is that visually it stands other than a whole lot of to be had audio plug-ins in that it’s greater fanciful and creative in its layout and doesn’t have hardware equal inside the bodily gear world. The high-quality description I can supply would be to mention it looks like a move between an old timber radio and the dashboard of a few vintage automobiles. The knobs paintings and the lighting glow have a completely comforting, warm appearance and experience. There’s a method to this insanity as well: By leaving out actual frequency notations, put off times, and almost all numbers, we are forced (inside the best viable way) to apply our ears and not our eyes to mix. This is a borderline radical notion in recent times whilst we’ve got emerge as used to typing 200hz and minus 1.5 into the windows of our EQ plug-ins. By changing our workflow, we’re compelled to concentrate instead of truly looking forward to a result that we have gotten hundreds of times earlier than.
Download and Setup
There’s no question that the folks at Waves spend a lot of time considering their advertising as they do their plug-ins, and it indicates on their internet site. Waves have a web page on their website with video interviews of diffusion of engineering and manufacturing luminaries as a promotional tool. To immerse me in Tony’s global, I watched his video that takes us via New York and into his studio whilst he discusses in prevalent phrases his technique to blending. It’s not a twist of fate that Tony’s interview mirrors his plug-in collection in that he doesn’t communicate a good deal about the details but, as a substitute, addresses his universal philosophical and emotional method and leaves it as much as us to concentrate to his paintings as proof that the details are operating. Make no mistake. The video is not designed as a “how-to” for the plug-ins. In short, Tony discusses the plug-ins at the give up, and at the same time, as it’s not much, it is certainly beneficial to listen to what he has to say. He discusses how the plug-ins aren’t meant to imitate any specific piece of tools; however, as a substitute to act as a tool that he based totally on his favorite presets. While we do not get any real nuts and bolts advice on using the plug-ins, we do get to hang out with a multi-platinum, Grammy-triumphing engineer for about half an hour is pretty darn cool.
The Waves website, in conjunction with your iLok, is the favored approach of set up. After looking around, I found the download phase that protected the correct version and OS. After the download (that could take some time given we’re talking about loads of megs of records), the set up was a sincere manner of clicking at the installation button and following the commands. I also went to the website and downloaded the pdf manuals for the six plug-ins. Still, other than a few simple sentences approximately what made each plug-in precise, the relaxation changed into fairly repetitive.
Before and After
Recording and combining drums is utilizing a long way the most challenging task for me as an engineer. I’ve spent years putting in place and tweaking the gate, EQ, and compressor preset in Metric Halo’s Channel Strip to provide a good baseline sound for the drums recorded in my studio. Within the DRM plug-in, there are presets for every character drum in the package and then a few extra tweaks written in layman’s terms like a thump and snap. I was curious to see how the simple buttons, knobs, and dials of the DRM plug-in dealt with the uncooked session audio. Other than the sensitivity (essentially input) and output knobs, the thump, snap, and treble knobs had been all that remained to tweak. Again, without an actual comprehensive variety marking, it’s tough to be precise. However, I spent a while moving the knobs till I completed what felt like the exceptional drum sound I should get. At the cease of the day, the drum sound did not quite preserve up for me. After switching from side to side in some instances, I felt like the Maserati plugs couldn’t bring the warm temperature and presence to the Metric Halo ones’ drums. This isn’t always to mention that I could not get it there with a bit extra EQ and probable gating; however, it wasn’t as robust as what I had in a direct assessment.
ACG- Acoustic Guitar
My common technique of mixing acoustic guitars involves a high skip filter out at 120hz, which leaves room for the bass and kick drum. Every occasionally, I’ll add a chunk of compression to either bring up the general performance or even a few inconsistencies in dynamics. While the acoustic in my unique blend became the best, I surely appreciated what the ACG did for its sound inside the new combination. I spent a bit of time evaluating the 2 general settings, ACG1 and ACG2, finally deciding on ACG 1. Then I determined myself pulling returned a bit at the punch, mid and high knobs, and boosting the output. Not simplest became their more fabulous presence; however, the element became more elevated and more sonically interesting. If you are trying to get an acoustic to keep its very own in a complete, dynamic mix, the ACG is a remarkable area to start.
B72- Bass
This bass plug-in has two settings. A DI, which encompasses most real electric and upright basses, a synth putting spreads out the sound and provides more excellent outcomes. I liked the sound of this plug-in loads, and it compared well to my unique Waves 4-band Renaissance EQ and the Waves Renaissance compressor. Although I do not do a great deal of synth bass, I like having the choice to get spacier outcomes inside the rare times once I do.
