gswitz
Thanks, Sharke. I guess I'll wait for a Waves sale. Do they use a dongle?
Or maybe I'll just add it to my long term hardware wish list.

Currently on Sale at AudioDeluxe for $99...

http://audiodeluxe.com/products/waves-aphex-vintage-aural-exciter-native




Add to cart for price..

Thanks Mike. I'll wait. In the mean time, I'll play with specific frequency ranges with tube effect then phase canceled to see what I can do myself. You never know where listening might lead.

Thanks cclary. That's a good deal for the waves. It is still steep for me right now. I'm also a bit afraid of using my limited resources on things have never had in my arsenal. ..things none of my friends have to loan me. I am apprehensive.

And the fact that sharke didn't say he can't live without it gives me pause. If course bit and others have given it a thumbs up which is why I've become suddenly curious... That and the fact that I have trouble getting bass to sound good on mp3 played through ear buds .

gswitz
And the fact that sharke didn't say he can't live without it gives me pause. If course bit and others have given it a thumbs up which is why I've become suddenly curious... That and the fact that I have trouble getting bass to sound good on mp3 played through ear buds .

No dongles at Waves any more! Although you still have to deal with that stupid Waves Shell nonsense. 
 
The reason why it's not an "essential" plug for me is that most of the stuff I play with involves either synths or commercial samples, and if you can't dial in more "zing" from the synth itself then you're doing something wrong. However, I will occasionally mess with samples from old records, especially old orchestral recordings that sound a little muddy and lifeless, and the aural exciter really polishes them up somewhat. It's something to be used in moderation, of course. You can really screw a mix up with it to the point where it's literally painful to listen to - but I suppose the same goes with any plug. 
 
As far as I am aware, the main use for it is in helping with recordings that could use a little more top end and which EQ isn't going to fix (because there's no top end to boost). Although I'm sure it can be used for effect too. The Waves press release said of the unit it's modeled from: Highly regarded for its ability to increase and enhance presence, brightness and detail on vocal tracks and masters alike, the Aural Exciter was even credited on popular albums by the likes of Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, as a sort of hardware "session player."
 

I'm pretty sure there must be A/B demos out there. 

jbraner

sharke
I bought the Aphex exciter at a ridiculous discount some time ago. It works wonders when you have say a sample of some old music that needs brightening, but for the life of me I cannot work out how to use it as an effect send without the result sounding a little "phasey." I must be doing something wrong. 

Hey sharke - I don't think it's supposed to be used on a send. An exciter works on the sound itself = it's not like an "effect" that you "add" to the original sound...

I believe the original Aphex unit was often used as a send, and the Waves plug has two settings - one to be used on tracks, and another to be used as an aux send. I guess as a send it's like everything else, you're applying the effect to the full sound, and mixing a little in to the dry sound. 

Thanks sharke. I mostly record people, including bass and vocals. I think it could become an important tool for me and help me get better sounding mixes on the playback environments lots of people use.

I just went back and tried it again as a send effect and it's working great. I used it on a sample of an crackly old breakbeat from the 70's and it really made it sparkle without the phasey sound I mentioned before. Maybe there was something up with the project I tried it on originally. 

gswitz
That and the fact that I have trouble getting bass to sound good on mp3 played through ear buds .

I also had some troubles with bass guitar sound, but then I demoed Waves CLA Bass and it sounded so great that I had to purchase it immediately. Now my bass problem days are finally gone! :) I think it suits all kind of music, not only rock. It even works great with bass guitar samples. I have a headless Cort Flying V bass guitar from early 80's and with CLA Bass and ProChannel EQ I can get a really nice bass sound.



BTW: Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter is also very nice little plugin.

Thanks j4r10.I'll check that out.