# Gullfoss or Fabfilter Pro Q3? - Seventh Heaven, Cinematic Rooms, Soothe2, or Fabfilter Pro R?



## Robert_G (Oct 31, 2022)

I've been battling back and forth with the idea of going high end with plugins. I've spent so much on virtual instruments that I'm wondering why I'm still using stock plugins. Is it really worth it to go to these high end plugins. I know that some of the pros here swear by them.

The only plugin I've ever bought is Valhalla Room and I'm not sure it's even that great of a reverb for Orchestral Music....although it's wonderful for hybrid stuff, but with unprocessed Orchestral stuff, I struggle to get a distinct cleanness from it, so I've been using Roomworks and Reverence and I like those better....but they are pretty stock/basic stuff.

As for EQ, Gullfoss seems like a smart EQ. I'm not sure you can even compare Gullfoss to Fabfilter Pro Q3. Some guys say you need them both.

As for Reverb, there are 4 that really catch my attention that are well spoken of here. 2 of them are from the LS and I wonder if they are supposed to compete against each other or are that much different? Some say that Soothe2 has the best reverb tails around. And FF Pro R is popular too.

*Keeping in mind that I mostly do Orchestral Music and Soundtrack music with orchestral instruments and choirs.*

Thanks for any advice.


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## spacewizmusic (Oct 31, 2022)

As far as I know Soothe 2 is a resonance suppressor. 
I've seen it getting compared against Gulfoss, though they are different. 
I'd choose Q3 (flexibility) then Gulfoss then Soothe. 

No comments for the reverbs, my ears still can't decide the difference.


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## Zanshin (Oct 31, 2022)

I have most of the stuff you mentioned.

How about Kirchhoff EQ instead of Fabfilter Q3, they are equivalent for the most part. I feel like I can work faster in Kirchhoff, also Kirchhoff has blendable mid-side and left-right processing - smoothly. Fabfilter is 100% one or the other if I remember properly. Plus now that Kirchhoff EQ is part of the Plugin Alliance stable it can be had rather cheaply.

After that, Soothe is a great problem solver. I'd consider Gullfoss last.

The reverbs you should spend a weekend demoing, that's really subjective. Try all the Liquidsonics stuff for sure.


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 31, 2022)

*EQ-y things*

ProQ3 has, arguably, the best, most usable user interface of any digital EQ - which is why it's so widely used and highly regarded. I'd start there, if money isn't an issue. It can easily do mid-side and stereo etc without opening a new instance - a point on the graph can either be mid-side or stereo so a single point cannot be 50% mid-side and 50% stereo. A less expensive route would be Tokyo Dawn Records EQ suite of: Slick EQ GE, Slick EQ M, and Nova GE - especially when on sale.

Soothe is only worth considering if you regularly deal with resonance issues. It's very expensive for what it is, and it's not even necessarily the best at what it does, since it'll be context dependent. DSEQ is a less expensive, harder to use (but more flexible and powerful) alternative to Soothe.

Gullfoss is a "finisher" and is unlike either ProQ3 or Soothe. Magic pixie dust ("unmasking") that's easy to overdo.

*Reverb-y things*

Wait for the Black Friday sale and get Liquidsonics Cinematic Rooms and just be done with reverbs except for special effects. That's one option. Your ears will eventually thank you! Seventh Heaven is also popular, but... I don't like it because it's very heavy-handed to my ears. Others love it, however. Cinematic Rooms and Lustrous Plates would get you a long, long way toward ignoring every other reverb for quite some time.

That's a fair bit of cash, even on sale, for something you can't really distinguish as being better. Alternatively, you could explore Valhalla Room, Valhalla Vintage Verb, and/or Valhalla Plate. Each is only $50. Another option is to wait for a sale on Izotope Neoverb. If you don't mind brighter reverbs, SonsigA is excellent, as well. Some reverbs require a fair bit of before/after EQ (like the Valhallas) to make the most of them.


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## carlc (Oct 31, 2022)

I have been really happy with all of my FabFilter plugins, Pro Q3 especially. That has been one investment I did not regret and I find myself actually using the tools instead of just preset browsing. It helps that they have a large user base and lots of clear tutorial videos online expertly produced by Dan Worrall. In general, you can save a lot by deciding what you want and buying multiple when their bundle sale is going. If the premade bundles don't match what you need, their support will create a custom bundle for you.

I also bought Gullfoss recently. It's not an either/or as Gullfoss is more about finishing touches and unmasking details. I would recommend Pro Q3 first and then consider Gullfoss later. I don't have firsthand experience with Soothe, but as @spacewizmusic mentions, it is more about suppressing resonance. This video helps explain the different uses of these tools.


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## NoamL (Oct 31, 2022)

I love Q3 and Cinematic Rooms because they are easy to learn & use, but also let you dial in exactly the sound you're looking for once you develop your own skills at 'hearing' reverb and EQ. 

GF is easy to overdo. It's best on cleaning up subpar recordings like home/remote recordings of single instruments. I'm not sure about GF on the master bus. When everyone has a GF mix, no one does...


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## Robert_G (Oct 31, 2022)

Zanshin said:


> How about Kirchhoff EQ instead of Fabfilter Q3, they are equivalent for the most part


I can't even find a price for it on their site unless I'm blind.



vitocorleone123 said:


> *EQ-y things*
> 
> ProQ3 has, arguably, the best, most usable user interface of any digital EQ - which is why it's so widely used and highly regarded. I'd start there, if money isn't an issue.


I have been leaning toward it. Haven't really seen any negativity towards it.



vitocorleone123 said:


> Soothe is only worth considering if you regularly deal with resonance issues. It's very expensive for what it is, and it's not even necessarily the best at what it does, since it'll be context dependent. DSEQ is a less expensive, harder to use (but more flexible and powerful) alternative to Soothe.


Actually, this is the case with 8Dio Insolidus/Silka. I love the libraries and I use them a lot, and there are definitely resonance issues. I can usually find ways to limit it, but it takes a lot of work. It would be nice to have something to take care of that


vitocorleone123 said:


> Gullfoss is a "finisher" and is unlike either ProQ3 or Soothe. Magic pixie dust ("unmasking") that's easy to overdo.


Yeah....I was wondering about that. Would you kind of say like most deEssers? I find they can sometimes do more harm than good.



vitocorleone123 said:


> Wait for the Black Friday sale and get Liquidsonics Cinematic Rooms and just be done with reverbs except for special effects.


I would wait until BF for sure, but I'm still not wanting to spend that much for Pro....would probably go standard. Is standard good enough?



vitocorleone123 said:


> you could explore Valhalla Room,


I have VR. Great for Hybrid....not so great for orchestra, etc.


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## Robert_G (Oct 31, 2022)

carlc said:


>



I am going to watch your video. Hopefully it explains well. I find these types of videos usually quite useful. 


NoamL said:


> I love Q3 and Cinematic Rooms because they are easy to learn & use, but also let you dial in exactly the sound you're looking for once you develop your own skills at 'hearing' reverb and EQ.


Again....hopefully Cinematic Rooms Standard is enough because I'm leaning towards it. I thought about FF Pro R, but it as nice as the GUI is, there seems to be some real mixed reviews on it.



NoamL said:


> GF is easy to overdo. It's best on cleaning up subpar recordings like home/remote recordings of single instruments. I'm not sure about GF on the master bus. When everyone has a GF mix, no one does...


Interesting. I can see how that might happen though.


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## musicalweather (Oct 31, 2022)

My 2 cents: I write mostly orchestral music. As much as I love the GUI and controls on Pro-R, it's not the reverb I reach for first, or even second or third. It always sounds a bit bright to my ears and the tails aren't as transparent as I'd like. My favorite reverb is Exponential Audio's Phoenix, which, alas, is being tanked by iZotope. Not sure what I'll get to replace it -- maybe Cinematic Rooms. Some other reverbs that I like very much, though none of them seem to have the transparency of Phoenix: Acon Digital Verberate, SIR3 (I actually have SIR2), Seventh Heaven. Arturia's Rev Plate 140 is great on drums. 

All that said, I wouldn't downplay the value stock plugins. When I've done a blind test using my third party reverb plugins and my stock reverb (in my case, Digital Performer's ProVerb), the stock plugin came in very close to the others! I'd recommend using HOFA's Blind Test to do a comparison of plugins. You might be surprised at the results!


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 31, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> I can't even find a price for it on their site unless I'm blind.
> 
> 
> I have been leaning toward it. Haven't really seen any negativity towards it.
> ...


Kirchoff EQ is no longer being sold until PluginAlliance start selling it. There's also Crave EQ. But I really recommend checking out the free versions of the Tokyo Dawn EQs in the mean time - even the free ones are great.

ProQ3 - there's rumblings that it isn't as "pure" for some things as the new hot EQs like Kirchoff etc. but... any time I use PluginDoctor to match digital EQs they sound the same to me, so... your mileage may vary.

Resonances - try the DSEQ demo before paying for Soothe.

Gullfoss is not a de-esser (though it can help a bit if you target the frequencies), but, yes, it's an effect that easy to do, but nothing else does what it does. I use the Live and Mastering versions, not the Standard version (they all 3 come together).

Valhalla Room - from what I've gathered on this board, it can definitely hang with the greats (even if it can't match them), with effort and EQs etc. I've always found it too metallic, but my ears seem really sensitive to that.

Cinematic Rooms - by all means, unless you work in surround or can hear a difference between the Standard and Pro versions, stick with the Standard! You can always upgrade in the future. Fantastic loyalty discounts available, as well, if you buy other Liquidsonics effects in addition down the road (they stack with the BF sale).


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 31, 2022)

musicalweather said:


> My 2 cents: I write mostly orchestral music. As much as I love the GUI and controls on Pro-R, it's not the reverb I reach for first, or even second or third. It always sounds a bit bright to my ears and the tails aren't as transparent as I'd like. My favorite reverb is Exponential Audio's Phoenix, which, alas, is being tanked by iZotope. Not sure what I'll get to replace it -- maybe Cinematic Rooms. Some other reverbs that I like very much, though none of them seem to have the transparency of Phoenix: Acon Digital Verberate, SIR3 (I actually have SIR2), Seventh Heaven. Arturia's Rev Plate 140 is great on drums.
> 
> All that said, I wouldn't downplay the value stock plugins. When I've done a blind test using my third party reverb plugins and my stock reverb (in my case, Digital Performer's ProVerb), the stock plugin came in very close to the others! I'd recommend using HOFA's Blind Test to do a comparison of plugins. You might be surprised at the results!


Cinematic Rooms is not as transparent as Phoenix/Nimbus. But it is more realistic sounding to me - those other two reverbs start sounding more like an effect (a good one, though!) when comparing them to CR.

Stock reverbs now can rival mid-tier 3rd party plugins. I agree - definitely worth trying before spending even more money.


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## KEM (Oct 31, 2022)

EQ - Kirchhoff
Reverb - Cinematic Rooms

Gullfoss and Soothe serve very specific purposes but are great to have


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## Petrucci (Oct 31, 2022)

When I demoed LS reverbs last year I was choosing between SH, CR and HD Cart - and went with HD cart though I also liked CR a lot, probably will get it in the future too)


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## Junolab (Oct 31, 2022)

IMO stick with your stock EQ. It's likely more than fine. Especially when you're not treating acoustic recorded instruments. So just buy a reverb and be done with it. Many will work just fine, but I'm also a fan of Cinematic Rooms. Use standard and upgrade next year if you feel for it. Sound is the same but with much lees controls than the pro.


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## Øivind (Nov 1, 2022)

Voxengo Teote can be an alternative to Gullfoss. Not as easy to use, but cheaper.

I find Cinematic Rooms hard to beat, but I keep reaching for Valhalla VintageVerb the most just because it's so quick and easy to use, and it sounds good enough to me. I wonder if Fabfilter Pro-R 2 is anywhere on the horizon tho.

Also, no iLok for these alternatives if that is a consideration factor.


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## Robert_G (Nov 1, 2022)

KEM said:


> EQ - Kirchhoff


Doesn't sound like Kirchoff is even available to get.



Øivind said:


> I find Cinematic Rooms hard to beat,.


As much as opinions differ, it seems that Cinematic Rooms is a favorite.......
Hopefully BF will come through this year...


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## KEM (Nov 1, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Doesn't sound like Kirchoff is even available to get.



It should be soon, hopefully within the next month


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## Robert_G (Nov 1, 2022)

KEM said:


> It should be soon, hopefully within the next month


Do you know what the price usually is approximately?


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## KEM (Nov 1, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Do you know what the price usually is approximately?



Well it’ll be on Plugin Alliance now so probably dirt cheap


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 1, 2022)

KEM said:


> Well it’ll be on Plugin Alliance now so probably dirt cheap


Except the list price will be $499 or something ridiculous, and you won't be able to get it for less than $150 for a short time of a few months, and, within a year, you should be able to pick it up for $20 - $30. If it follows the usual PA path.

Unknown, really, for now.


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## KEM (Nov 1, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Except the list price will be $499 or something ridiculous, and you won't be able to get it for less than $150 for a short time of a few months, and, within a year, you should be able to pick it up for $20 - $30. If it follows the usual PA path.
> 
> Unknown, really, for now.



Probably, luckily I still have my Forever 29 subscription so I’ll be getting it for $1, but I expect people to find out ways to get it cheap very quickly


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## Robert_G (Nov 5, 2022)

carlc said:


>



Interesting video. Sculptor actually caught my interest a bit.
After watching the video, I wonder if Gullfoss can be accomplished other ways. I thought it was a 'smart' plugin, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Looks like I still have to do most of the guess work, but I could be wrong about that.
Soothe2 looks to be more limited in use than I thought...but not totally sure.

I do think that FF Pro Q3 and Cinematic Rooms is something I want. After that....I'm still in limbo.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 5, 2022)

Nothing else does Gullfoss except Gullfoss. It's very easy to use. Bracket the frequencies, adjust a couple of values (often just 2) by clicking and dragging the mouse up or down, and... done.


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## Robert_G (Nov 5, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Some say that Soothe2 has the best reverb tails around.


I actually got confused here. *I meant Breeze 2.5 for reverb tails*, NOT Soothe2. Way too many products to keep track of.


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## SupremeFist (Nov 5, 2022)

Øivind said:


> Voxengo Teote can be an alternative to Gullfoss. Not as easy to use, but cheaper.


Teote also sounds much better (to my ears & how I use it).

Soothe is also excellent sometimes for piano or choir/celli bus etc. (Some people use it on the master but I don't understand why.)


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## Robert_G (Nov 5, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Nothing else does Gullfoss except Gullfoss. It's very easy to use. Bracket the frequencies, adjust a couple of values (often just 2) by clicking and dragging the mouse up or down, and... done.We


Well, I can try it out apparently. Can't hurt to give it a try.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 5, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Well, I can try it out apparently. Can't hurt to give it a try.


Exactly! Think I said it before, but I only use the Live version and, when mastering, use the Mastering version. I deleted the standard (original) version from my computer. But that's me.

Try TEOTE, as well. Personally, I disliked the sound of it and the UX in comparison. That may be in part because I'd already been using Gullfoss for awhile and was used to it.


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## unclecheeks (Nov 5, 2022)

musicalweather said:


> All that said, I wouldn't downplay the value stock plugins. When I've done a blind test using my third party reverb plugins and my stock reverb (in my case, Digital Performer's ProVerb), the stock plugin came in very close to the others! I'd recommend using HOFA's Blind Test to do a comparison of plugins. You might be surprised at the results!


+1! I’ve found in most cases stock plugins are just as good, especially when talking about bread-and-butter effects like compression, eq and reverb. Depends on the host, of course, but I concur that in many cases they shouldn’t be underestimated. 

Whenever I get GAS about some new thing, I typically download the demo - unless the trigger finger gets the best of me - and compare against what I already have. In many cases I find differences to be mostly negligible. 

Of course, UI/UX can also be driving factors. I find Abletons native effects a bit too fiddly to use with my tendinitis, so I have picked up alternatives that I find easier to control, even if they essentially offer the same quality and features.


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## Rubens Tubenchlak (Nov 5, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> I actually got confused here. *I meant Breeze 2.5 for reverb tails*, NOT Soothe2. Way too many products to keep track of.


Hi Robert, are you sure that it's possible to choose just the tail in Breeze? I know that you can do that with Aether...


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## Robert_G (Nov 5, 2022)

Rubens Tubenchlak said:


> Hi Robert, are you sure that it's possible to choose just the tail in Breeze? I know that you can do that with Aether...


I would think so. I would do it by adding the Breeze2.5 reverb to my 'Stereo Out' inserts *only* which means I have other reverb (Cinematic Rooms??) in my groups/fx settings. 

@Beat Kaufmann explained to me how this works and I have tried it with Reverence on Groups/FX and Roomworks tail on the main 'Stereo Out'. I really liked the final result. Interestingly both are just stock plugins with Cubase.


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## stigbn (Nov 5, 2022)

I've used Valhallah rooms and vintageverb for years, but since I've started orchestral music this year I thought it wasn't good enough. Last week I finally gave in and bought Seventh Heaven (the 'cheap' version). And I tell you, it is way better than Valhallah IMO - silky smooth. Valhallah creates a nice room but Seventh Heaven seems to enhance the sound without you even realising there's reverb on. When I can afford it I'll also have Cinematic Rooms.


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## carlc (Nov 5, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Interesting video. Sculptor actually caught my interest a bit.


I own it as part of my iZotope bundle. I’ve tried using it a few times but ended up removing it in each case. I probably need to spend a little more time learning it.


Robert_G said:


> After watching the video, I wonder if Gullfoss can be accomplished other ways. I thought it was a 'smart' plugin, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Looks like I still have to do most of the guess work, but I could be wrong about that.


Not really, it is pretty much automated. You can dial in some parameters to control the strength of the effect, and whether you want to emphasize on unmasking vs. taming. Other than that, Gullfoss just does its thing. I am not aware of any other plugins that could emulate what Gullfoss does. Unlike a dynamic EQ, Gullfoss is changing the whole EQ curve multiple times per second in response to the audio track.


Robert_G said:


> Soothe2 looks to be more limited in use than I thought...but not totally sure.


Agreed, it seems like a very focused tool, and is fairly expensive for what it does. It is on my “maybe” list for future, but there are some decent alternatives at more reasonable price points.


Robert_G said:


> I do think that FF Pro Q3 and Cinematic Rooms is something I want. After that....I'm still in limbo.


Totally agree. For me, Pro Q3 gets used across multiple tracks on every project. The UI is super intuitive and sound quality is unquestionable. Cinematic Rooms is on my wishlist for BF sales. We’ll see.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 7, 2022)

stigbn said:


> I've used Valhallah rooms and vintageverb for years, but since I've started orchestral music this year I thought it wasn't good enough. Last week I finally gave in and bought Seventh Heaven (the 'cheap' version). And I tell you, it is way better than Valhallah IMO - silky smooth. Valhallah creates a nice room but Seventh Heaven seems to enhance the sound without you even realising there's reverb on. When I can afford it I'll also have Cinematic Rooms.


Seventh Heaven standard, to my ears, changes the original sound too much. The Pro version finally has ducking, which would be critical for Seventh Heaven to sound good to me. I may end up with the Pro version this year or next year as it'll be pretty inexpensive due to loyalty discounts on top of BF sales. I far prefer the other Liquidsonics reverb you mentioned.

For my uses (non-orchestral), I preferred VVV over Seventh Heaven standard, but have since deleted both from my computer. I never liked V Rooms - always sounded to metallic to my ears, which seem sensitive to that aspect of reverbs (also didn't like Pro-R at all, etc.).

I do agree that, for orchestral, you'd likely get to the results you'd want faster with Seventh Heaven over VVV, assuming you can withstand what it does to the sound. That said, Neoverb is $23 right now, and if you're looking for good, inexpensive reverbs for orchestral music, that's worth considering. There's a thread on it.


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## Robert_G (Nov 11, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> That said, *Neoverb is $23 right now*, and if you're looking for good, inexpensive reverbs for orchestral music, that's worth considering. There's a thread on it.


That is tempting.


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## nas (Nov 12, 2022)

You can't go wrong with FF Q3. It's a great all rounder and does indeed have one of the best UI's out there... very versatile EQ.

For me though, if you've go that covered my favorite and IMHO the most gorgeous sounding and "musical" EQ I have ever heard in a plugin is the one on the Brainworx Amek 9099 Channel strip. It's pretty amazing and actually the entire channel strip sounds incredible and really works great for orchestral scores... or anything else for that matter - very versatile plugin.

https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/bx_console_amek_9099.html


For reverbs I really like Liquid Sonics Seventh Heaven the most, and the pro version really has a lot of different types of impulse responses available - so again quite a versatile reverb. Some prefer Cinematic Rooms, but for me Seventh heaven would be my first choice if I could only choose one.


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## Robert_G (Nov 12, 2022)

nas said:


> For me though, if you've go that covered my favorite and IMHO the most gorgeous sounding and "musical" EQ I have ever heard in a plugin is the one on the *Brainworx Amek 9099 Channel strip*. It's pretty amazing and actually the entire channel strip sounds incredible and really works great for orchestral scores... or anything else for that matter - very versatile plugin.
> 
> https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/bx_console_amek_9099.html


Perhaps it might sound wonderful, but that interface makes me wants to poke needles into my eyes.
Too bad because the reviews sound really good.


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## nas (Nov 12, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Perhaps it might sound wonderful, but that interface makes me wants to poke needles into my eyes.
> Too bad because the reviews sound really good.


Channel strip UI’s can feel clumsy or impractical to some people’s work flow, especially when one is more geared towards FF style UI. Speaking for myself, I came up through the world of analog so most of my early training was on large format analog consoles. I’ve also owned a few Amek consoles when I had a commercial project studio in the 90’s, so the Amek’s UI feels like second nature to me. As far as the color scheme goes, it’s pretty close to the actual 9098i but there’s also a “dark mode” option if you find the colors and aesthetics not to your liking.

At any rate, they do offer a two week free trial so it may be something to consider.

Cheers.


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## pixel (Nov 14, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Perhaps it might sound wonderful, but that interface makes me wants to poke needles into my eyes.
> Too bad because the reviews sound really good.


You could try bx_2098, which apparently is exactly the same EQ as in that channel strip. 
I had it and sold it so I'm not recommending it myself. It has lots of character, you may like it (just remember that PA plugins are worth $29-$49 and higher prices are artificial/fake). 








Brainworx bx_2098 EQ


Inspired by the famous Amek 9098 EQ with the addition of Brainworx' patented TMT and M/S processing.




www.plugin-alliance.com


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## Robert_G (Nov 22, 2022)

pixel said:


> You could try bx_2098, which apparently is exactly the same EQ as in that channel strip.
> I had it and sold it so I'm not recommending it myself. It has lots of character, you may like it (just remember that PA plugins are worth $29-$49 and higher prices are artificial/fake).
> 
> 
> ...





Robert_G said:


> I do think that FF Pro Q3 and Cinematic Rooms is something I want. After that....I'm still in limbo.


Ok. So far I got FF Pro Q3 and I have zero regrets. I've never seen an EQ so easy to use. Immediate results too. 

1 for 1 so far.

Still waiting to see if LS puts Cinematic Rooms on sale. I must say that Neoverb on for $23 is pretty tempting though, but there seems to be some real mixed reviews on it. I think I'm going to wait on Gullfoss....at least for now.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 22, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Ok. So far I got FF Pro Q3 and I have zero regrets. I've never seen an EQ so easy to use. Immediate results too.
> 
> 1 for 1 so far.
> 
> Still waiting to see if LS puts Cinematic Rooms on sale. I must say that Neoverb on for $23 is pretty tempting though, but there seems to be some real mixed reviews on it. I think I'm going to wait on Gullfoss....at least for now.


I'd probably get Verberate 2 over Neoverb, personally. My ears liked it better, despite liking R4 and Nimbus better than both of those.

Historically, ALL Liquidsonics reverbs go on sale. Buy one at a time and use the loyalty discount on the next, which stack with the once-yearly sale they have on Black Friday.

Fabfilter: there is no digital EQ easier to use that ProQ3 (just be aware that it's default Q values don't map directly to other EQs if comparing, which you can see in PluginDoctor).

Side note: if you don't have Slick EQ M, I'd get that for $10 on sale - I think it's easier/better on the mixbus than ProQ3, albeit not as easy to use.


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## Robert_G (Nov 22, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Side note: if you don't have Slick EQ M, I'd get that for $10 on sale - I think it's easier/better on the mixbus than ProQ3, albeit not as easy to use.


I'm seeing 50. Where do you see 10?


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## GtrString (Nov 22, 2022)

Nope, you will gain nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

Much more value in new instruments.

my2c


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## Robert_G (Nov 22, 2022)

GtrString said:


> Nope, you will gain nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch.
> 
> Much more value in new instruments.
> 
> my2c


I've been buying those too....


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 22, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> I'm seeing 50. Where do you see 10?


I don't - just read that it was on sale for $10 within the last few days. Maybe the sale is over (Tokyo Dawn Labs don't often do sales themselves - it's 3rd parties that do).


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## Robert_G (Nov 22, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> I don't - just read that it was on sale for $10 within the last few days. Maybe the sale is over (Tokyo Dawn Labs don't often do sales themselves - it's 3rd parties that do).


That's unfortunate.


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## Akoustecx (Nov 22, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> That's unfortunate.











Tokyo Dawn Labs TDR SlickEQ Mastering


A high-end stereophonic mastering equalizer specifically designed around audio mastering workflows TDR SlickEQ M (Mastering Edition) extends SlickEQ’s proven concept into a fully-fledged stereophonic equalizer. Specifically developed for the audio mastering engineer, no compromises have been...




www.audiodeluxe.com


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## edhamilton (Nov 22, 2022)

I'm old. I've been on Pro Tools since it was named sound tools.
Ridden the whole plugin journey.

Fabfilter eq is the only eq in my plug in folder at this point.
I have a few flavors of Comps, but only Fabfilter eq.
Serious. It sounds great. Interface is great.
If I need saturation - I get it from something else. (fabfilter also lately).


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## wsimpson (Nov 22, 2022)

I am in the exact same position as this - evaluating reverbs in preparation for black friday. I have been experimenting in surround sound and thought I had to go Cinematic Rooms Pro. I downloded the demo and find it difficult to understand, at least for me. There is not a lot of great content out there on real practical ways to use it and my ears aren't good enough right now to get the full value out of it. I am actually leaning towards FabFilter since the UI makes it really easy to get great results fast. Maybe later when I can appreciate why CR is better I might revisit this decision and do something like that, but pretty sure I will do FabFilter at this point. I will wait until Friday to see the LiquidSonics deal and then second guess what I think is my decision right now.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 22, 2022)

wsimpson said:


> I am in the exact same position as this - evaluating reverbs in preparation for black friday. I have been experimenting in surround sound and thought I had to go Cinematic Rooms Pro. I downloded the demo and find it difficult to understand, at least for me. There is not a lot of great content out there on real practical ways to use it and my ears aren't good enough right now to get the full value out of it. I am actually leaning towards FabFilter since the UI makes it really easy to get great results fast. Maybe later when I can appreciate why CR is better I might revisit this decision and do something like that, but pretty sure I will do FabFilter at this point. I will wait until Friday to see the LiquidSonics deal and then second guess what I think is my decision right now.


You can find last years deal. Probably the same pricing this BF.

Do you spend money on more reverbs or get one of the best? I can tell you that I, personally, regret buying a lot of the reverbs I did, trying to save money and get ones they were surely “good enough”. Those are mostly deleted now.

I’d still demo/look at TaiChi if not considering CR. There’s quite a few long form videos on TaiChi.


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## Robert_G (Nov 22, 2022)

wsimpson said:


> I am in the exact same position as this - evaluating reverbs in preparation for black friday. I have been experimenting in surround sound and thought I had to go Cinematic Rooms Pro. I downloded the demo and find it difficult to understand, at least for me. There is not a lot of great content out there on real practical ways to use it and my ears aren't good enough right now to get the full value out of it. I am actually leaning towards FabFilter since the UI makes it really easy to get great results fast. Maybe later when I can appreciate why CR is better I might revisit this decision and do something like that, but pretty sure I will do FabFilter at this point. I will wait until Friday to see the LiquidSonics deal and then second guess what I think is my decision right now.


The interesting thing was when I bought Q3 with the BF discounts, Fab Filter Pro R is about $105 or so.


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## Bman70 (Nov 22, 2022)

Anyone using smart:EQ 3? Can it do something like Trackspacer does (assuming it's actually 'smart')? Wondering because it's currently on sale for $59, while Trackspacer is $29.


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## Trash Panda (Nov 22, 2022)

Bman70 said:


> Anyone using smart:EQ 3? Can it do something like Trackspacer does (assuming it's actually 'smart')? Wondering because it's currently on sale for $59, while Trackspacer is $29.


Yes, but in an even more robust way, using a three tiered system. 

I get results I like best doing the following:
Take up to 6 instrument groups/busses and give each one an instance of Smart Eq3 as the final component in the bus FX chain. 

Add each of those instances to a Smart Eq3 group. 

Prioritize instrument groups as follows:
Tier 1: instrument group(s) that I want to have the most focus/do the most carrying of the melody. 
Tier 2: The main harmony contributors. 
Tier 3: Percussion and bass elements 

After this is set up and the learning function is completed on each instance of Smart Eq3, I’ll go into each instance and set them to 100% dynamic and set the Smart Filter bounds to remove any broadband boosts or cuts that occur on the low or high end, so only the main frequencies of the instruments are being effected.

I feel this gives very clean, transparent mixes that lets instruments shine to their best ability in the mix.


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## carlc (Nov 22, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> The interesting thing was when I bought Q3 with the BF discounts, Fab Filter Pro R is about $105 or so.


Once you buy your first plugin and get an account set up, you can build your own custom bundles from the account page. It is interesting to see how the discounts stack as you add & remove plugins. One thing to be aware of is the system rewards large purchases, so buying 8 plugins in 1 transaction will be cheaper than buying those same 8 plugins in 2 or 3 transactions.


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## Manfred (Nov 23, 2022)

For those who may be interested, I just purchased this template that uses all of these plug-ins. Rico has created a fantastic “starting point” for understanding/learning about the plug-ins and the mixing process (I’m newer to mixing/mastering). Even if you don’t have/use CSS instruments, I think what you can learn and utilize in your DAW makes the price a value ($149). I’ve purchased (or will this BF) the noted plug-ins and am finding each a real plus. Happy shopping!

Thread 'Project colossal - css template'
https://vi-control.net/community/threads/project-colossal-css-template.109214/


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## Robert_G (Nov 24, 2022)

Robert_G said:


> Ok. So far I got FF Pro Q3 and I have zero regrets. I've never seen an EQ so easy to use. Immediate results too.
> 
> 1 for 1 so far.
> 
> Still waiting to see if LS puts Cinematic Rooms on sale. I must say that Neoverb on for $23 is pretty tempting though, but there seems to be some real mixed reviews on it. I think I'm going to wait on Gullfoss....at least for now.


Ok.....2 for 2
Cinematic Rooms Standard is even nicer than I imagined. No regrets here either.
I think even for $23 I don't see the need for Neoverb now that I own Cinematic Rooms.

And the more I think about Gullfoss....the more I think that a having a good start in your mix followed by consistency towards the finish.....not sure it's necessary to have this.


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