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Post by tasteliketape on Jul 24, 2019 6:44:46 GMT -6
I don’t normally use these but at this kind of pricing I’m trying a few
From Acoustica One coupon, 1000 uses. Then it's over. Log in to your account and use coupon strangercode100 to save 70% OFF most Acustica plugins, including Nebula 4.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 24, 2019 7:15:16 GMT -6
I'm really trying to decide whether it's worth it...
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Post by tasteliketape on Jul 24, 2019 7:24:39 GMT -6
This pricing is on level with the Brainworx recent sale and Wave plugins when on sale . I do believe there as good as those I bought there new Cola plugin and Coral 2 for around 30 $ each so why the hell not lol I will say the company is kinda a pain to deal with . Also the free Baxter eq is a pretty seeet eq
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Post by indiehouse on Jul 24, 2019 7:38:35 GMT -6
Aren't these kind of taxing on the CPU?
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Post by damoongo on Jul 24, 2019 8:51:47 GMT -6
“Coupon not accepted”
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Post by indiehouse on Jul 24, 2019 9:22:35 GMT -6
Guessing I would need a new computer to run a lot of that stuff. My 2012 Mac Mini is still alive, and I’d like to keep it that way for as long as I can.
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Post by NoTomorrow on Jul 24, 2019 11:49:03 GMT -6
They're very taxing on CPU.....
and worth it
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Post by NoTomorrow on Jul 24, 2019 11:51:07 GMT -6
You have to be logged into your account to use any Acustica coupon... It's possible the promotion is over. It was for the first 1000 takers
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Post by viciousbliss on Jul 24, 2019 14:05:14 GMT -6
I looked at my email, they never sent me that coupon. The stuff can be very taxing. I'm not even sure the newest and best processors can run many instances. There's a new Ryzen processor with a single core score about on par with a 7700k/8700k and a multi-core as good as a Threadripper 1950x. The best combo score of single and multi ever in a processor. Supposedly there's another Ryzen chip coming out that's even better. Acustica stuff supposedly likes a lot of RAM too. I can tell you that the new Azure 2 doesn't run in any session I have where there's plugins on every track. The old regular Azure did. That's with an overclocked Ryzen 1700 and buffer set to 2048. 88/96 rate.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 24, 2019 17:45:31 GMT -6
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Post by Guitar on Jul 24, 2019 19:30:14 GMT -6
These plugins are absolute garbage. Sorry, I tried to use them, but that is my conclusion. Stay away.
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Post by gouge on Jul 24, 2019 20:01:36 GMT -6
how do we get the coupon. ive been registered for a while but didnt get the email and cant see anything on their site.
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Post by Guitar on Jul 24, 2019 20:09:48 GMT -6
use "strangercode100"
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Post by NoTomorrow on Jul 24, 2019 20:58:05 GMT -6
These plugins are absolute garbage. Sorry, I tried to use them, but that is my conclusion. Stay away. These plugins rule. That is my conclusion--- No idea what you're talking about as you don't say why....?? These plugs definitely require a modern machine with multi chip processors. If you have the CPU horsepower then download Aquarius from the Acustica site and demo them. If you're running an old Mac Mini or something, yea steer clear
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Post by Guitar on Jul 24, 2019 21:02:50 GMT -6
These plugins are absolute garbage. Sorry, I tried to use them, but that is my conclusion. Stay away. These plugins rule. That is my conclusion--- No idea what you're talking about as you don't say why....?? These plugs definitely require a modern machine with multi chip processors. If you have the CPU horsepower then download Aquarius from the Acustica site and demo them. If you're running an old Mac Mini or something, yea steer clear CPU usage, interface lag, some controls not working, meters not working, sound lag (latency), sound quality. Everything is bad, all of it. The compressors are worse than the EQ's though, the EQ's are almost usable, some sound 'decent'.
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Post by NoTomorrow on Jul 24, 2019 21:56:31 GMT -6
It sounds like your computer is having issues running them efficiently- I have no problems you speak of.... granted, I am running a 10core Imac Pro.
The sound quality is bad? Dude, you've got to be kidding. Where you said ("the EQ's are almost usable") - thanks for that, I needed a laugh!
I agree about the meters being wacky and that's a known/longstanding issue. They've been improving that over time....
I had a full UAD 16 core system wth every plugin they make and I sent it down the road and couldn't be happier. I still use the Apollo interface and have nothing against Universal Audio.
But Acustica along with the 3rd party developers releasing for Nebula make the best hardware emulations available at any price IMO.
All I can say to anyone who's never used them is go and demo the plugins. You will need a good computer.
They may not be for you but I can assure you that the sound quality is NOT bad! Quite the opposite
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Post by Guitar on Jul 24, 2019 22:00:59 GMT -6
My computer is just fine. I don't mean to be extra harsh, but I truly thought these were some awful plugins. Of course there is always room for everyone's opinions. If you could somehow get around all the buggy stuff, and yes it does seem like bugs rather than a well designed system. IF you could get past all of that, I would consider the EQ "sound" to be good. The compressors were all sub par in my shootouts. There were so many issues with the 5 or 6 that I tried I just had to write off the whole brand. For example, if I need a good sounding EQ, I'm already covered by brands with fewer endemic problems.
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Post by NoTomorrow on Jul 24, 2019 22:20:20 GMT -6
True.... everyone hears things differently.
I simply have zero problems with bugs, the interface, loading times etc. If I had all of the issues you're describing then I wouldn't like them either. If your computer is just fine then I have no idea why you're experiencing so many bugs, unresponsive controls etc.
But 'awful' plugins? Man I can't get over it. I have folders full of 'awful' plugins dating back years. Just like many of you out there- I probably have 90% of plugins ever released.
I have heard lots of people complain (rightfully) about the meters and certain bugs here and there. But compared to 2 years ago Acustica/Nebula has come light years. The Acustica bandwagon is going to get very crowded over the next couple of years. You can quote me on that.
And not because they are 'awful' but because they are great.
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Post by ragan on Jul 24, 2019 22:45:33 GMT -6
I've demo'd a few of these things and they're just a mess for me. Laggy controls, weird little glitching, extreme CPU usage and, worse, extremely erratic CPU usage. The install and auth stuff was a mess for me too. There are some cool sonics for sure, but nothing that made me want to put up with the experience. Not by a long shot. Couple that with the super aggressive, awkwardly cult-y (not talking about you, NoTomorrow at all) fan club/foot soldiers and Nebula is just not for me.
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Post by NoTomorrow on Jul 24, 2019 23:57:02 GMT -6
Well let's agree to disagree fellas.
We're sort of talking about 2 different but related things...... sound vs. usablity/efficiency
If you have problems installation/auth or unresponsive controls or running more than a couple instances of the plugins in a session then I can understand kicking them to the curb. In that situation you’ll never cross the Rubicon into the really powerful result these plugins can have when you spread/stack them across many tracks on a mix. That is when the wow moment comes.
You definitely need all solid state drives and a powerful, well-maintained computer. I'm a web developer/graphic designer so I need a top of the line computer for more things than audio, and I realize that not everybody wants to drop 5 grand on a machine.
A couple of years ago their authorization system was terrible. These days you just create an Acustica account, download Aquarius (which handles their online auth system now), install it and login. Then you can search any plugin and download the trail. It works perfectly for me on mulitple machines.
I think a real world analog to Acustica Audio is Stam Audio. Half of the posts on the internet rip them and the other half praise them. The deragatory comments are almost never about sound/quality of the Stam products but about process/communication/shipping times. The praise comments are about the incredible build/sound quality for money and, incidentally, these people are more tolerant of the communication/shipping delay issues. I understand both sides of the argument. But I think both Stam and Acustica will both succeed over time because the sound/quality of their products/tech is so good and they will eventually iron out the business management problems.
To my ear, algorithmic plugs are now always a disappointment to me vs Acustica stuff. Very similar to convolution reverb vs algorithmic reverb- I prefer convolution. The Acustica tech(vector kernels) is like convolution on steroids. I know some people that still love algo plugs…. cool, all good. But I would never go back.
As CPUs become more powerful and the plugs become more efficient I would expect a singularity/threshold where Acustica really takes off.
Having said all of that, it makes no difference to me what people use. I agree with you about the ravenous troll types that form fanboy clubs on all manner of different products. I was just posting to make sure everybody doesn’t think these plugins are trash, because they are not.
I’m just a real user and not on anybody’s payroll.
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Post by gouge on Jul 25, 2019 1:53:34 GMT -6
ive only had experience with the free acoustica plugs
on my i5 surface pro i can run a few channels and on the desktop i7 i can go more crazy before i hit the limits.
cant say ive ever had any big issues amd i like how they sound.
only issue is price. with exchange some of their plugs are headin towards $500-600 australian. cant justify that. I only paid $12 for the lindel te-100. it sounds pretty good too. the tdr and klanghelm stuff is about $50 aud so the acustica stuff is seriously expensive in comparison.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2019 5:40:29 GMT -6
OK, I am using free Acqua and Nebula products and just bought Cola. In the very first Nebula versions (and I tried them all...) everything was like in the beginning of convolution reverbs, inefficient, slowish, my machine, although powerful for it's time, barely capable of running them smoothly. Realtime usage disastrous. Now I run everything with i7 3770, not a new CPU at all, under Windows 8.1 and have essentially zero problems. Just found a setup file for their first free Acqua plugin, seems to be a Manley or other tube pre, and it runs fine today, and I remember it was a catastrophe when I first tried it, they took it down very early because of the progress they made, I guess, and because many people had problems with the GUI and running it sufficiently well. It is easier to find the sweet spot in their actual products, and the GUI is like people are used to from other products, although the effort to make this happen is quite big if you know how they put together several instances of emulation under one hood for even the simpler ones. Yes, I am a fanboy of great new technological ideas, like Mixbus or Nebula, love-or-hate products for many. But it is like always with bleeding edge technology, it does not show the full potential in the beginning due to problems in practical usability. Yes, they are cpu hogs. That is unavoidable due to what they are supposed to do. Still, for more instances, I need to run them offline / freeze tracks to make full use of them, or use them sparingly, but they have been good problem solvers for me, where possible nothing would have fit the task except the hardware these plugins are emulating. Also, I stripped down plugin usage a lot since I use Mixbus, so it is a bit like with expensive hardware: I don't have the opportunity to strap it over a dozen channels because I would have to rob a bank to make this happen ... (I wish they would not have emulated THIS so well. LOL.) I use them because the sonic outcome for me is on par with Mixbus and I never have to think about if I degrade the signal with it, it is like the Klanghelm products, it just gives me a good impression of what hardware emulation should be like, not like the 10,000 plugins that claim to be something they aren't. More real mojo, less half hearted emulation that claims to be real while not providing the essential behavior, nonlinearities or details. (Talking about products like W... and U .. etc...) Nearly all problems I have with especially the named products that I like are due to lack of computational power in my machine. As long as I can deal with it by using them sparingly or offline, it doesn't bother me. The availability of even free or really affordable pieces of their technology is also a "thing" to me. If you are confident about your products, you can give away some actually usable pieces for free, so people can decide if they want to invest money or not. Also, these are very honest little businesses, and I never have the feeling that I get ripped off. They do what they can to deliver good products, and even if it gets ugly sometimes, you know, that you can name the people behind it and they feels somewhat accountable for what happens and are committed to their products, even it it sometimes seems they are not ... I often read about "horrible" support from these small businesses, but in my personal experience I am much more confident that they are concerned about their customers, than I am with the big players in the field, where I often have the feeling that they think they can ignore criticism and still get away with people praising their professionality all the time and for beeing an "industry standard" no matter what.
OF COURSE YMMV! I don't think this is a "right or wrong" kind of question, but opinions on what kind of products you personally prefer for whatever reasons ...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2019 10:16:16 GMT -6
Btw., being called "dishonest" and right away "lying" in regards of your business IS a reason to sue someone, IF this person has no valid / logically correct proof of his statement. At least where I live, I do not know about the laws in the US regarding free speech, I know that the US is one of 2(!) countries that have a kind of unlimited free speech that does not exist elsewhere. So things can come over differently, depending on context and where you live. Criticism is something else. And of course you CAN call someone a liar IF you have a proof for this statement. Absolutely nothing to say against this. If I got ripped off or lied to, I would try to warn others for sure.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 26, 2019 20:13:14 GMT -6
I find the EQs to be really good...and I thought Lemon was really cool. Been tempted to pick that one up, but ultimately I always feel like I can get similar results with other plugs.
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Post by the other mark williams on Jul 26, 2019 23:10:03 GMT -6
I think I may have said some version of this here before, but I think Acustica is kind of a weird company. Quite a few things Giancarlo says come across in a way that I really don't think he intends. It seems like a translation issue (both literal and contextual). I'm not specifically referring to the "lawsuit" threat mentioned above when I say that. I just mean I'm sometimes surprised at how difficult communication appears to be with the company.
Beyond that, yes, the plugins are kind of odd sometimes. They don't authorize their plugs the same way most other companies do, they don't seem to be as concerned about CPU optimization as other companies are (though it's true their whole process is simply more CPU intensive across the board), and a much greater portion of their fanbase seem to be using PCs and Reaper than I think is common across the industry as a whole. I know PCs are great, and I know Reaper is great, but the answer to "why can't I run more of your plugins" simply cannot be, "switch to a PC and switch to Reaper" every time. It's simply unrealistic.
HOWEVER, having said all that, I love the sound of their plugs that I own. I've never heard a Neve plugin emulation sound as good as Gold. I've never heard an API plugin emulation sound as good as Pink. I've never heard a Pultec plugin emulation sound as good as Purple. I haven't bought everything I've demoed from them, because I haven't liked everything I've demoed from them. But the ones I just mentioned (plus Cream), I think are really, really good. My previous favorite ITB 2254 plug was the Lindell. But the first time I opened the 2254 in Gold, I was astounded. I just couldn't believe it sounded that much better. I was not expecting it, because I'd heard their compressors weren't that great.
And the thing that put them back on my radar after several years was their free Ochre plugin. It's older, and it's got the old jerky-style GUI where it takes a second or two to hear changes. None of the newer releases (or updates) exhibit that behavior. Two or three years ago I had the Kush/A-Designs Hammer EQ on a master bus, and then figured I'd try out that free Ochre plugin. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It just smoked.
Sigh. I swear to you all that I am not a fanboi. I like algorithmic plugins better, because they are easier to use, they have a small hard drive footprint, and there are lots of low-latency options. But my ears really like some of these Acustica plugins, which annoys me, honestly. I wish it were not so.
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