Free Downloads Waves Plug-Ins Workshop: Mixing By The Bundle
The importance of plug-ins for adding and enhancing application functionality cannot be denied; they are present in every current Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) application today, giving them the power and functionality that they have today. However, they vary greatly, as they are often designed to address very specific market needs, and as a result, it is more important than ever before to have a solid knowledge of how plug-ins work. WAVES PLUG-INS WORKSHOP: MIXING BY THE BUNDLE introduces readers to a variety of valuable Waves plug-ins used in mixing. Each chapter presents them with the plug-ins in a specific bundle, detailing how they would be used in a mix. Beginning with the least expensive Waves bundle and building up to their most complete bundle, readers will build upon their knowledge with each successive chapter. Audio files and plug-in presets will be provided for download so they can literally hear the power of these tools. Whether seeking an understanding of what some of the bundles out there today can do, or looking for new ways to use the plug-ins they already have, readers will find this an invaluable addition to their libraries. .com Exclusive: Q&A with Author Barry Wood What made you gravitate towards Waves plug-ins? In the beginning, Waves plug-ins were literally the only game in town. I was using Digidesign's SoundDesigner II audio editor, and Waves was the first company to introduce the concept of third-party plug-ins. The fact that their original plug-ins--Q10, C1, S1, and L1--are still around today tells you something about their quality. They have continued to innovate and continue to create an impressive collection of useful and unique plug-ins. What is the advantage of buying a bundle vs. a lot of individual plug-ins? The obvious advantage is the discounted price. Bought individually, the plug-ins cost much more than if they're bought as part of a bundle. Waves has also done a good job of creating useful groupings of plug-ins in their bundles. The book shows you exactly how your plug-in palette expands as you move up the ladder to more complete bundles. What common mistakes have you found that new users tend to make when they first start using plug-ins, such as Waves bundles, when mixing their music? That's an excellent question. One of the biggest problems that I've seen is that an engineer will drop a plug on a track and then just cycle through presets until they get something that doesn't sound bad. Presets can be a useful starting point but understanding what all the controls do, how they interact, and exactly how they affect the audio is critical. Without this knowledge you're going to seriously limit yourself in what you can accomplish as an engineer. Did you find that writing this book affected the way you mix at all? Did you rediscover any plug-ins that you'd set aside for others? Definitely! Writing this book forced me to examine virtually every plug-in that Waves makes. Even though I've been using these plug-ins for years, I learned (and relearned) a number of things that had slipped by me. There were also some plug-ins that I had not used in some time because other, newer and shinier, plug-ins had taken their place. In reality these neglected plug-ins still had their own unique sound and features that were cool in their own right. So yes, writing this book has reintroduced me to a number of Waves plug-ins that I'm now using again on a regular basis. Many plug-ins these days from Waves and others attempt to model the sounds of classic hardware; do you like this trend? I love it. When I started my engineering career, digital recorders were just starting to become available; the idea of recording on a computer was still years away. Analog tape, processors, and mixing boards all introduce some very pleasant distortion that often make tracks sound better and larger than life. On the other hand I also love the accuracy and lack of noise that's the hallmark of modern digital audio interfaces. Being able to introduce some of that beautiful analog harmonic distortion without having to deal with the noise and the maintenance of analog hardware is a wonderful thing. What are your favorite Waves plug-ins? For effects I've always loved SuperTap and Enigma. SuperTap is very easy to set up and I can quickly get the delay sound that I'm looking for. Enigma is one of those plug-ins that just gets sounds that are different from any other. I'm also a big fan of all of the API plug-ins, which I particularly like to use on drums. Musicians and engineers have read a lot these days about the "loudness wars" in mixing and mastering; where do you come down on the issue of volume maximizing? I think it's a shame that so much music produced in recent years has had virtually all the dynamics sucked out of it. There are certain genres whose aesthetic includes hyper-limiting for a solid wall of sound; but that's really an exception. Most music benefits from varied dynamics. That being said, I'm also a huge fan of compression. Totally over-the-top compression, like that often used by engineer/producer Tchad Blake, can create an interesting texture in a mix by giving the track a great attitude. It's still all about contrast though; if all the tracks are compressed then you end up with a flat, boring mix. What do you hope readers will take away from this book? I think that beginning engineers will not only get a clear idea of how all of the Waves plug-ins work, but they will also have key mixing concepts explained as they proceed through the book. Even advanced engineers will likely learn something new about the tools that they may have already been using for years.
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Cengage Learning PTR; 1 edition (February 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1435457463
ISBN-13: 978-1435457461
Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 8 x 10 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,333,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #70 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Audio, Video & Photography > Speech & Audio Processing #120 in Books > Computers & Technology > Software > Utilities #812 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Recording & Sound
Due to the author personally handling the situation with the files at the publisher's site, I have updated my review. See the comment below for the link to retrieve the files, which have presets, raw audio files, and mp3's to compare your mixing to that of the author. Mr. Wood logically progresses through the essential Waves audio plug-ins in a literal and pragmatic approach. He provides explanations and suggestions without personalizing the mix recommendations, too, much. By this manner, he encourages the reader to not simply copy his technique and, at the same time, discourages simple knob tweaking; that's why you are interested in this book, right!!! If you wish to weed through the veritable sea of Waves, then this is a great place to start.
There was some useful information about the plugins. But I wish it went a little more in depth. Great read for beginners that want to mix along with it as they can really see how pluging effect their sound.
I found this book to be a good overview of the Waves plugins. I am familiar with VST effects (intermediate level) but was new to the Waves Gold package. This book did a good job of describing why you might want to use one Wave plugin over another (there is a bit of overlap). Custom example settings for the Waves plugins were also included. The book also helped by providing some useful mixing tips that can be applied even with other non-Waves plugins.I was able to find the audio files up on the publisher's website. The audio files were out of sync as the other review stated. I use Cubase and was able to toggle these audio files to musical timebase and everything lined up fine. Perhaps it would be better if they were all set to the same tempo to begin with to avoid any confusion.Overall I feel that this was a very good value and am pleased with the purchase. Between this book and the Wave manuals I feel that I am now fully capable of using the Waves plugins to their full potential.John
This book is great for the plugin novice but you will need to supplement the info online. I recommend reading it from the beginning up to and including the bundle you have purchased. Read the brief description of the plugin (which cannot possibly be thoroughly explained in the short paragraphs devoted to each plugin) then watch the waves mastering tutorial for that plugin online (they average about 7 mins each). Then play with that plug in on one of your own audio files. This really worked for me. I also downloaded the companion files (audio + presets) so that I could go through the author's thinking process regarding how to mix a track and that was really helpful too. I knocked off one star because the info is really brief and basic, and it was really painful to listen to the audio track provided even once, let alone 60 times (sorry Barry!!!).
I just finished the book and I must say this one I wish I could of read years ago. With so many plug-ins in the mercury bundle, it was beyond a time-consuming process to go through the manual for each and everyone. Not only did I get a clear idea of how the EQ, compression, effects, and other plug-ins compared and contrasted, the workshops gave me very profound insights on their practical applications...where and how to better use them. This is a must read for any Waves owner or anyone who is looking to purchase a bundle, but ambivalent on which to purchase. I got more than a bargain in less than 2-3 days and learned a lot. A big thanks to the author for the efforts to put this one together. -Matt
I am a songwriter that creates music `in the box'. This is a very valuable book for those who want to learn plugging and particularly waves plugging. There are so many `brainy' audio courses out there, that divert you from what is important when you track and mix in a DAW, that is using out own ears. If you want to learn Waves Plug-ins, and you are overwhelmed with complex work flows and ideas the structure of this book can help you sort things out. By so generously providing the `necked' audio tracks, along with pre-sets and workflows. I am able to go from the simple bundles that are for starters and implement effective mixing ideas to a song. Later on if you are able to upgrade to more costly waves bundles, one can do a mix with more sophisticated/different flavored plug-ins and workflows to get a different/better? Results. Using the same raw audio for different mixes when implementing different bondless of plug ins, is a great idea.Most important when mixing is NOT to touch any buttons if we are not sure what it does to the sound. Barry Wood successfully provides us with tools and work habits that will last a life time. A must buy then go to waves.com and see the 2 webinars that he just did for waves users. Your music will change forever. I am hopeful that this will become the standard for teaching.[...] Waves Native Power Pack
Barry writes in a very clear and simple way. Along with promoting Waves Plugins he talks about the art of mixing and mastering ones tracks. His breakdown of how plugins work and how one could and should use them is extremely helpful to anyone using a DAW to record their music. You can download the files to hear the examples he talks about. All in all a great product and very useful for those wanting to improve their engineering chops.Waves Plus-Ins Workshop -- Mixing by the Bundle
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