Software multiband compressors

The Sonalksis CQ1 is a multi-band, frequency-selective dynamics processor that I only recently discovered, and I am really impressed with the results I can get with it. While retailing for $279.99, there is a free downloadable trial of this product at the Sonalksis website so you can get a preview and feel for the product.

The CQ1 (Multiband Compander) is sold along with DQ1 (Dynamic Equalizer) in the Sonalksis' Multiband Dynamics Bundle. It retails for $449.99

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There are a few reasons why I loved this plug-in so much, but first off I have to bow to simple fact that the CQ1 is another great plug-in made by this European company. With CQ1 you can easily select the frequencies you want to compress or expand using its four-band features. No wonder Sonalksis describes the CQ1 as a “frequency sculptor”. The side-chain filter is a great feature to select and eliminate undesirable frequencies of a track. Despite similar capabilities with the DQ1, the CQ1 can achieve more aggressive “sculpting” results. The interface is intuitively easy to operate, and offers well-designed presets as well as the capabilities to make and customize your own. I use the CQ1 not only on individual tracks but also for final equalization/frequency sculpting of my master output. This is an amazing and flawless sound shaping tool.

The CQ1 offers zero latency and supports up to 192Khz. Its interface is easy to use and makes it easy to monitor what you are accomplishing with the product.

For all those who want a polished final product right out from their home or professional studio. CQ1 is a great tool for every stage of music making, be it recording, mixing or mastering.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The L3-L16 is a 16 band limiter with EQ, and Maximization. It will give a very warm tone, or any type of tone you would want from warm to cool. It is an all in one mastering VST that can be used in a bunch of different DAW’s and programs. Waves allows you to try this plug in before you decide to purchase it. The L3-L 16 is a very powerful tool. It has everything you need to not mix, but to master your recordings. You will need the manual if you want to do things the right way and get the exact sort of a tone you are looking for on your complete finalized track. The manual is easy to use and to understand. All of the main functions are easy to use you will just need the manual to understand how to use them and locate them.


SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

I ran L3-L16 on my Apple Macbook Pro 2.66 Ghz i7 Dual Core 4GB laptop and it worked great, it does take a little more time to install than most of the other Waves plug ins did on my computer. I have not tried to use the L3-L16 on my PC because I hardly every “master” on my PC. The L3-L16 was very stable on my Mac and has never gave me any issues or errors and has not crashed once. I have been using it for around 10 months now and I have got way more than my money’s worth. I have really learned some new mastering techniques with this VST and I use it to help me dictate the mood of the whole track by making it warmer or cooler.


OVERALL OPINION

The L3-L16 is a full mastering program, if you have a little knowledge with mixing then it is time to start learning how to master your own songs. I didn’t want to have to send my stuff off to get mastered anymore and pay twice the amount of this software just to get a few masters done. I wanted to learn to do it myself and the L3-L16 has really helped me. I am happy with my purchased and I would do the same purchase again if I needed to. The quality is amazing now!

The Vintage Warmer is a plug-in that has become incredibly popular recently thanks to the fact that it offers musicians the ability of having a processing unit which can create an Analog sound, as well as many other warm effects. The sound of analogue has always been desired since software has become more and more popular and now devices such as the Vintage Warmer are being developed so as to create an artificial sense of warmth that resembles that of hardware. In this review I will take a look at the Vintage Warmer and will outline its main features.

Features

I acquired the Vintage Warmer with the hope that it would warm up my mixes and my individual sounds. It has an effect of creating a virtual analog simulation and has saturation effects when it is over driven which is similar to that of analogue. The Vintage Warmer is essentially a multi-band compressor that has a selection of features that imitate analogue devices.

The thing that I first noticed about the Vintage Warmer is that it doesn't really look like a modern plug-in and has quite a good traditional visual style. It was however easy to use and I quickly started getting good results.

Pros and cons

I really liked this plug-in thanks to its cheap price and its effective use on a wide range of sounds. I found it to be exceptionally good on sounds such as drums, bass and vocals and began also experimenting with it on the master channel for a warmer mix.

What I've found to be really nice about the Vintage Warmer was that it was a very dynamic plug-in which could be used on many different sounds for a positive effect. It can also be used on the master channel to boost a mix and add warmth. The problem that I think it will bring to many producers who use this device is that they will become reliant on in all of their mixes and will not be able to decide when to use it and when not to use it. This may become a problem because I found that sometimes the Vintage Warmer did make certain sounds more muddy and this was especially true when I used it on the whole mix for certain tracks. It is important that you use your ears when doing drastic processing like this so that you can be sure that you're not detracting from the mix rather than adding to it.

Comparisons to the Vintage Warmer

I found the Vintage Warmer to be in a league of its own when comparing it to other multi-band compressors. However, I found that there were several other plug-ins that are now imitating the design of the vintage warmer, but none are quite as good. One of those that was good was that of the URS saturation plug-in. This is a popular device that has a slightly more crunchy sound than that of the vintage warmer.

Summary

The Vintage Warmer is a brilliant plug-in that I really appreciate, thanks to its cheap price and its access to demos around the web which also allow individuals the ability to test it out before they buy. I also liked the ease-of-use and was able to add it to sounds and tweak the plug-in very quickly in order to get a good result. I think that it may get overused if the individual does not pay attention to the sound and it is important to stay vigilant with the plug-in when you do choose to use it on your mix and on certain sounds. However, if you use a sequencer which allows plug-ins, then investing in the Vintage Warmer is certainly a good idea.