Waves Audio, a leading provider of digital signal processing solutions, in association with Aphex, is now shipping the Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter, its modeled plug-in version of the original Aphex Aural Exciter. The new plug-in is based on one of the two original tube-powered prototype units developed by Aphex during the mid-’70s. The Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter will be available separately ($250 Native, $500 TDM MSRP) and as part of the Waves Mercury bundle.
The original Aural Exciter was highly regarded for its ability to increase and enhance presence, brightness and detail on vocal tracks and masters alike, appearing on albums by Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor.
“The original Aphex model 402 is a part of recording history, with a sound that’s uniquely its own,” says Aphex CEO David Wiener. “I can’t think of better hands to entrust emulating that sound to than to the people at Waves. They’ve been wonderful to work with, and we’re looking forward to more projects in the future.”
“We’re pleased to add the Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter to our line of modeled plug-ins based on vintage hardware,” says Mick Olesh, executive VP of Waves sales and marketing. “The original Aphex Aural Exciter made a huge impact on the recording industry, and we’re confident the new plug-in version will be met with the same enthusiasm by our users.”
Find out more about Waves’ Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter plug-in.
- Aphex Vintage Exciter. The Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter by Waves is modeled on a tube-powered hardware unit. It allows you to increase high frequencies without raising the level too much. As you can see, there are plenty of lofi plugins available that make your productions sound like they were recorded with a toaster (or something.
- XLN Audio Description Modeled on one of the few surviving tube-powered units ever made, Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter plugin delivers the unique character of the original hardware unit, with all the advantages of software.
- Home Audio Software Waves Audio Effects Plugins Waves Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter Be the first to review this product Aural Exciter Plug-in with Insert and Send Configurations and Mono/Stereo Operation; - Mac/PC AAX Native, RTAS, AudioSuite, VST, AU.
Modeled on one of only a few tube-powered units ever made, the Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter plug-in delivers all the unique character of the rare original hardware unit, with all the advantages of software. Faithful model of the rare tube-powered original; Adds brightness, vibrancy and depth; Increases presence without raising levels. Nomad Factory BBE Sonic Maximizer D82. One of the best known names in excitement, with.
Aphex released the original hardware version of the Aural Exciter in the mid- 1970s. The box used a unique process to increase and enhance presence, brightness, intelligibility and clarity by adding phase shift and musically related synthesized harmonics to an audio signal. The original units couldn’t be purchased, but rather were exclusively available (along with an operator) at the price of $30 per minute per track of finished recording time.
This meant that applying the processing to a pair of acoustic guitar tracks that ran through a five-minute song would cost $300. Thirty-five years later, the plug-in can be purchased, surprisingly, for less than that, and it includes unlimited instantiations dictated only by the power of the host computer.
Exciter Plugin Free
The Waves Aphex vintage Aural Exciter plug-in is a software model of one of the original, tube-powered Aural Exciters. It delivers the unique character of the original within a Native ($250) or TDM ($500) plug-in shell. The original device had two modes, the MIX mode (called MIX 2 on the plugin) that allowed the unit to be used as an insert, or the AX mode that allowed the unit to be used in an aux send/return configuration. Because of the way the box processes audio, both modes sound entirely different.
Since DAW mixing is often radically different than traditional analog mixing, Waves provided a third mode called the MIX 1 mode. This mode allows the plug-in to be used as an insert with the same sonic results as using the AX mode in an aux send/return configuration. I should also mention that, as with the original hardware Exciter, the BP (bypass) mode does slightly affect the sound.
The original hardware exciter was fairly noisy and, while the plug-in provides the option of being completely silent, the modeled noise characteristics of the original can be dialed in at up to the original’s level.
I’ve been using the Aural Exciter plug-in for several months now, and I think it’s truly fantastic. I’ve found many uses, including inserting the plug (set to the AX mode) on an aux to create adds a wonderful presence to backing vocals. It adds a beautiful sparkle and sheen to acoustic guitars when inserted on the channel and set to MIX 1. I’ve successfully inserted the plugin (again with the MIX 1 mode) on a drum sub-group to breathe new life into a dead, lifeless drum track. I’ve even had good results on few rare occasions of strapping the plug across my entire mix (although traditional EQ is still the better tool for this task in most situations).
The good news is that virtually every vocal and acoustic instrument, and frequently even an entire mix, sounds better with the Aural Exciter. The bad news is that its cumulative effect can negatively affect a mix. My advice? Use it often, yet sparingly.
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