Help!... me pick another IK plug.

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Anubis
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2008/05/03 22:17:16 (permalink)

Help!... me pick another IK plug.

This plug-n-mix promotion truly is driving me mad... but in a good way, I'm saving loads of cash and getting stuff I've always wanted to get. Here's the saga so far: I got Amplitube 1 Live/SE, SampleTank 2.5 XL and Amplitube 2 all for $265! Then yesterday I go to their website and see that they've extended the promotion(buy 1 get 1 free) till the end of May! OK, I figure, I'm not gonna get suckered by that... then while trolling my local Sam Ash I notice that they have Amplitube Jimi Hendrix on clearance for $169! That's $100 off! to good to pass up. So now I've got to decide what my free plug is going to be this time around. Can you guys help? I've got to choose from these:


I could really use a mastering plug to run thru Wavelab but the reviews on T-RackS on here have not exactly been glowing. I would like to get Ampeg SVX but I don't own a bass so can I wing it with the E and the A string on my sixstring? And what about CSR? Can just four reverbs be thaaat good to warrant $100 a piece?

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8 Replies Related Threads

    Alphadeus
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    RE: Help!... me pick another IK plug. 2008/05/03 23:06:54 (permalink)
    You should try the demos on the IK website to see which you prefer. They are not restricted and expire in I think 7 or 8 days. I got a free effect with the Vintage Group Buy. I chose T-racks, but it was close between CSR and T-racks. In fact, I'm currently pursuing the cheapest way to get one of the programs on the promotion list so I can get CSR.

    I chose T-racks because I didn't have any decent Mastering tools. Plus it makes for a good "all-in-one" with the limiter and equalizer in one tool, etc. I have a bunch of reverb that came with cakewalk and they serve me well.

    However, using CSR with my high quality piano instruments was amazing. Which is why I'm looking for a way to get it free. Like I said, try the demos for yourself and see which tool suits you.
    #2
    altima_boy_2001
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    RE: Help!... me pick another IK plug. 2008/05/04 00:16:22 (permalink)
    I own all 3 products....

    Ampeg SVX works well for shaping bass synth sounds as well as recorded basses. I'm not so sure about recording using a guitar though since it would take some effort to make it convincing. I use it mostly with Rapture and SampleTank material and it does a good job of shaping the sounds. Setting up a bass patch and switching through the SVX presets can give a wide variety of interesting results.

    CSR is a pretty solid plug-in and highly configurable. It also includes envelopes and LFOs for doing unique automation/modulation that you won't find in a lot of reverbs. I use the Room and Plate reverbs more than Hall, and Inverse is more of a special effect than an everyday plugin. If you're into tweaking reverb then CSR is pretty much a must-have.

    T-Racks is probably useful to a lot of people, but I'm not a fan of the interface so I've stuck with the Sonar Producer plugs so far. IMO, CSR and SVX would be more useful for most people in general than having yet another mastering chain plugin.

    You can use me as your eSoundz referral (altima_boy_2001).
    #3
    Anubis
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    RE: Help!... me pick another IK plug. 2008/05/04 01:12:44 (permalink)

    ORIGINAL: altima_boy_2001

    Ampeg SVX works well for shaping bass synth sounds as well as recorded basses. I use it mostly with Rapture and SampleTank material and it does a good job of shaping the sounds. Setting up a bass patch and switching through the SVX presets can give a wide variety of interesting results.

    I'm curious about this as SampleTank has some pretty convincing bass sounds in there and I own it also. So do you bounce the SampleTank output to audio and then play that (wav) file in the Ampeg plug, or do you route the output of SampleTank directly to Ampeg?

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    #4
    DW_Mike
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    RE: Help!... me pick another IK plug. 2008/05/04 13:09:29 (permalink)
    I would say you could narrow it down to SVX or CSR. If you don't do much in the way of recording real bass then I would go with CSR.

    Mike

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    #5
    altima_boy_2001
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    RE: Help!... me pick another IK plug. 2008/05/04 18:27:53 (permalink)
    I'm curious about this as SampleTank has some pretty convincing bass sounds in there and I own it also. So do you bounce the SampleTank output to audio and then play that (wav) file in the Ampeg plug, or do you route the output of SampleTank directly to Ampeg?

    I just put the Ampeg SVX plugin in the SampleTank audio track in Sonar. No bouncing required.

    You can use me as your eSoundz referral (altima_boy_2001).
    #6
    Anubis
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    RE: Help!... me pick another IK plug. 2008/05/06 00:54:45 (permalink)
    Thanks for the replies compadres. I actually D/L'd the TRacks demo and I'm starting to get a better appreciation of it. Now that I understand IK's tube emulation technology I can appreciate that one has to use a very light touch because of it's non-linear response. I like the fact that it's modular too and I can mix and match the individual components with other plugs in my mastering chain inside of Wavelab. IOW- I don't have to use the entire suite, but I can if I want to.

    I don't think Ampeg would be really useful to me unless I were to buy a real bass guitar- that sounds enticing too as I'm always unsatisfied witht the bass tone I get inspite of countless sampled Vsti's. And it would be cool to learn to play some real bass licks. CSR is last on my list because I guess I don't need them as bad. But if they're as highly configurable as some say then maybe I can get more use out of 'em than with just the standard (impulse)reverbs I've collected. Decisions, decisions...

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    #7
    DerGeist
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    RE: Help!... me pick another IK plug. 2008/05/06 09:35:33 (permalink)
    T-racks has been great for me as a lazy (really lazy) man's matering tool.

    We record all of our jams (guitar, organ. drums). Before I send out the files to my fellow jammers so thay can give a listen at home I run the whole thing through T-racks using one of the suite presets. It really does wonders. Night and day. I'm sure I could do something great with T-Racks (or anothjer tool) if I took the time to but my whole goal here is to make these jams sound as good as possible without spending more than 10 min (simple mixing to get levels right, maybe a touch of reverb, and T-Racks).

    I know what I just wrote caused a whole bunch of mastering nerds to we themselves.

    For non jam work I don't do my own mastering and when I record I go to a studio.

    But when I jam and record T-racks is always there and sounds great.
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    Anubis
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    RE: Help!... me pick another IK plug. 2008/05/26 23:55:51 (permalink)
    OK, I finally decided what to get for my (second) freebie. Ampeg SVX. It was down to that or TRackS. I went to the StompIO tour hosted at a local GC and there I got to demo the plugin on a real bass and I was impressed. Not to mention that all three of the bands there played their sets thru the StompIO(guitar and bass) and they sounded pretty convincing.
    I've never been satisfied with the tone of my bass using virtual instruments (SampleTank is the closest) so I decided to spring for the real thing (albeit another "budget" model) and learn to play the darn thing. I just want something for tracking that together with SVX sounds like the real thing... and so far I'm satisfied... no. not with my playing but the tone.


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