I'm curious about the Nebula line of plugins, some people swear by them, and others think there are better alternatives. So the big question is, are they worth it, are they a game changer?

Yeah, I've never used anything from nebula before.

Any opinions would shed some light on this.

Thanks!

I`d like to hear this too.

I tried Nebula a few years back and it was too much hassle to get running so I gave up. The Aqua plugins on the other hand are simply fantastic! Even the free ones beat out my uad plugins all the time for character and ease of use. Try the Red EQ and the TanZL compressor for starters. They are superb!

Yeah I've wanted to check out some Aqua stuff, I will totally check their free stuff out first!
Also, kind of off-topic, but how do the UAD plugins compare to other companies? I hear some people LOVE UAD and others that say there are other alternatives that sound just as good or even better.

From what I`ve read/heard UAD plugins share the exact same code as the native counterparts. You just get the benefit of the processing from the card AFAIK.

I had a similar experience, and I suspect many people did, too. There's a popular Nebula/Acustica Audio thread on here where the fanboys go nuts over each AA release in one breath...before acknowledging all the crashes, CPU hogging and other problems the software gives them in another breath.

I'd like to try AA again, and while I monitor that thread to see if things have improved, it doesn't appear much has changed. Acustica seems to want to develop a plug-in that doesn't require the latest processors to run more than 2 instances of it, but it also appears that they move on to new plug-ins (all cryptically named after "colors") before fixing problems in existing plug-ins.

So...caveat emptor. ("Buyer beware"...or is it "Seize the day"? I always get those two mixed up. My Latin is about as good as my Greek. ) If it works out for you, please let us know. I would like to see AA succeed--I'm just not ready to buy an Intel i9-based system to help them do it.

Steve

I personally find Nebula is better suited for anyone who doesn't mind being more technical.

Aqua however, is top notch and does actually sound "Analog". Whatever that means anyway.

@ auralart - Analog. Yes. That's exactly how I would describe the way the aqua plugins react and sound.


Regarding uad...I really love some of their plugins but feel as though there are native equivalents. For me the uad EMT plates are at the top of the heap and they really knocked it out of the park with their Pultec, 1176 and La2a line of plugs. Those are the must have uad plugs IMHO.


For everything else it's really down to workflow and taste. I keep finding out in shootouts...after I spend a bunch of money, that I already have something (either free or inexpensive) that's just as good. Example. I bought the Katz K-Stereo plugin the other day and found after testing I think the Sheppi spacial thingy is practically just as good. You could also get the same/similar results with MS processing.


I would put the Vlad Molot compressor up against any plugin compressor out there. It is one of the most impressive SW comps I've come across. I would also put the Klanghelm DC8C2 compressor up against any buss compressor too. Stillwell Bombardier comes in a close second. And these two comps cost peanuts.


Klanghelm IVGI and Shattered Glass Audio SGA-1566 are two of the best "distortion/saturation" plugins I have and they are both free. Sausage Fattener is another amazing distortion type plugin and it costs what....$20 bucks? Valhalla Vintage Verb is one of the best all-around reverbs out there. Again, it costs peanuts and it kicks some serious derriere. It's crazy good.


I think I would be OK using only my uad plates, VVV, Molot and uad pultec combined with the stock clean comps and EQs + IR reverb from my DAW. It's just that in true gearslut fashion I can't stop drinking the "hype" cool-aid. Mostly, I just need to improve my skills. The tools have never held me back tbh.

Where I've found Nebula most useful is in bringing in a bit of analog-ish mojo to ITB mixes. When I first got Nebula a number of years ago, I bought one of AlexB's API console impulse packages. It's pretty easy to hear the difference in a vanilla ITB mix versus the same mix with a console impulse inserted on every track (or at least as many as possible before the CPU begs for mercy). Just like you'd expect from an API console, it's more aggressive in the midrange, and the end product sounds just a bit more like a record. It's not the easiest workflow to manage, and it eats my six year old Macbook Pro's CPU for lunch, but it's a tool I like having available.

Nebula/Acqua sound terrible IMO for music, but their clinical artificial sound could be just the thing for something like a techno percussion track.

UAD plugins are not as good as hardware but better than all other plugins.

Despite some minor teething, installation problems I think the Acqua stuff sounds fantastic. Many of them better than the UAD equivalent.

Respectfully, I couldn't disagree more. But that's fine, everyone is different I guess. "Clinical" and "artificial" are the antithisis in my experiences with Nebula libraries and Acquas so far. Which 3rd party Nebula libraries have you tried? I find Tim Petherick's are second to none, especially his compressors.

https://www.timpetherick.co.uk/downl...y/compressors/

UAD=great, but this new **** right here ^^ !!! ... Try it yourself, those who haven't already.

So the Nebula stuff is the problematic stuff, but the Aqua works similar to "typical" plugins?

yes... and no.
Acustica Audio makes Nebula *now called N4* and Aqua
The biggest trouble is to install a demo or buy something from their website... really if you can make it then working with nebula presets will be a breeze
I have no experience with UAD but I have tested Pink CM *the computer music free version* against Waves Api and... well it does sounds a LOT better.
So i got me a copy of N4 and so far I can tell you that it s not as a cpu hog as you may think. It sounds really really good. AlexB and TimP libraries are amazing. Plus you get a lot of preamps, eq, reverbs bundled with N4.
Consider that every instance of N4 *and every aqua plugin* adds a lot of latency. So if you, record and mix at the same time it could be a problem *yeah there s a zero latency version of the plug too but at a high cpu cost

Then, here on GS, there-s some kind Acustica Audio cult debate. I'm not into it, in a single sentence I d say that
you get more quality with less flexibility.
kind of the same statement you could make about using hardware.

Thanks, @ marcoc

With a name like Drumsound, you would be remiss not to download and try Aqua Gold on your drumsounds. Your mind will blow.

I"m gonna need more information than that. What is Aqua Gold? Is it a collection of things? Is it a compressor or an EQ, or a bunch of them? Is it a sample/replacement thing? If it is a replacement thing, I couldn't give less of a crap.

Google it. Try it, you will be happy.
Ok here..... https://www.acustica-audio.com

Acustica doesn't make it that easy to understand what the various plugin bundles are, what with naming them after a series of arbitrary colors and not putting any details on their products page. But apparently Gold is a Neve emulation plugin bundle.

Maybe that's true of the plugins for which there ARE. A direct native version - Bx_digital or softube etc.

There's no native version for most of the plugins though, so that argument can't hold true.

Nebula and Acqua requires huge amount of processing power so if you dont have latest ultrapowered PC, dont even bother with them. This solution is also more expensive than some native solutions, because of Acqua plugins prices.

Oh, so most of the plugins are proprietary.

Acustica and UAD share a special place in my plugin collection. They sound amazing, but has a lot of compromises.

First of all, Acustica's are CPU hogs like the bests UADs are DSP hogs. For using the plugins of both companies you have to make some investment. It is not very practical to use UAD without at least a Quad, the same way it is not practical to use Acustica without a more than decent computer. To really unleash their power you would have to buy a lot more DSP and an ultra fast PC.

Soundwise, they are the bests, imho. Of course you can find others plugins, from others companies, that are on par, but AA and UAD consistently brings wonderful sounds to the table.

I've not done a headcount, but a significant number - certainly all the ones people rave about.

Tony, please do your self a favour and dive into it if possible. You've been on this board for a long time (as have I, this is my second account here, I deleted the previous one due to personal reasons), and you've help me and so many others here. Now I see it's my time to give back. I bought my first Acqua plugins a little over year ago. Last fall I bought myself Nebula 3, after reading and reading about it (for years, lol). I had tried the demo version, and it did nothing for me. After getting into it and acquiring some help from fellow GS'ers it was a whole new world opening up.

I started with digital years ago, then after few years I found myself from a fully analog studio. That one was of course the eye, and ear opener for me. Ever since I cringed if I had the 'privilege' to mix ITB, which once had been my territory, what I had known the best. Especially compressing was difficult (non existent compared to analog mojo), and it was always jumping through hoops and chaining plugins to get soundwise anywhere near the analog equivalents.

Getting into Acustica Audios products was a treat for me. I had to mix more and more ITB (and there's lot's of benefits too!) and finally I got to the point where I don't simply miss ANY of the hardware I used to work with (well apart from the tape machine occasionally). AA's products and the 3rd party libraries for Nebula just deliver.. It sounds like the hardware that was captured.

It might feel puzzling, but hey, it has been that for many of us. The comments about cpu usage are partly true. I'm one of the lucky ones as I built myself powerful enough pc, i7 4790K with 16gb's of ram, and I had adopted REAPER as my DAW years earlier. AA's products are able to take most advantage from a system like mine, with other hosts it's not that efficient, not to mention that mac users suffer the most. Then again many mac users still use these products because of the results. The sound is what matters. I can run tens of Acqua products and tens of Nebula instances in a crowded mix with no hiccups. It took some time to tweak my system and to communicate with AA's support but once I got it up and running it's been like a dream.

I don't know what type of digital system it is that you're running along with your analog gear, but check some of the Acqua plugins, mainly Navy, Amethyst and Gold come to mind at first, considering your style. If you need any help there will be plenty of folks ready to walk you through it. Navy is an eq, Amethyst and Gold are full channelstrips , but they also include the pre's eq's and compressors as individual plugins, so that you don't have to dig out the full strip if you need just the eq etc. Acqua plugins appear as any algorithmic plugin, they are easy to use and, well beautiful to look at They contain Nebula tech which is running under the hood. And if you ever get interested in running Nebula, it IS a lot easier than it seems. It's not for technical oriented folks or nerds etc.. Using Nebula takes about the same time as patching hardware, but of course there's a learning curve. But the gratification is worth it, definitely.

And to the op, is it worth it? Worth what? It is hard to recommend AA's products to anyone, as the first touches can vary so much and be even disastrous experiences. If you're on a PC that's good, if it has the juice that's even better, and on top of it all if you're running REAPER then you're all set to go. But to those who are considering hopping in with different types of systems, I'd make the recommendation anyway, but then be ready to treat your AA plugins as they were your studio's best hardware pieces, I've yet to work in a studio with 'infinite' amount of best of the best hardware processors, so take it from there. A good enough PC, if you need one will be be around or under 1,5 K, €'s or $'s, and that's peanuts for what you get with it.

Whoah this became a long one . .

Back on the crusade, eh? I bet that secretly you use AA tech all over the place and try to steer everyone else away from it, so that you get to keep all the goodies by yourself..

You have to try the demo and freebies for yourself.

They cant be a game changer can they ? Otherwise everyone would be using them. Everyone goes on and on ad nauseum about hardware and analog sound - and how plug ins fail in some way. If it was true that these plug ins were better than all others, and truly bottled that lightening that others failed to do- then who would give a stuff about any processing or latency problems ? Why would you put up with the sub standard sound of any other manufacturer ?

Each plug in company reckons they nail the analog sound fo real this time. Peoples advocacy of them is just like a religion - there cant be more than one omnipotent god ! It's about what ever makes you feel good about your work.

How did you like them?

I liked the free Red a lot, and tried the free Nebula set - some lovely things in that. I bought a couple off the back of those and really liked them. Like most people I have tried a lot of plug ins, and at first I thought they were the best I had ever heard, just like when I tried a Liquid Mix, a UAD card some softtube plug ins etc etc.

They are great plug ins - no doubt - but the claim that they are superior to all others due to the technology used is far fetched.

Start with ochre and tan ...... that would open the gateway for you