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TC Electronic MD4 vs Softube Weiss DS1

gsilbers

Part of Pulsesetter-Sounds.com
Im looking for a better mastering compressor. I tried the md4 a while back and the weiss also but not together.
Anyone liked one better than the other? Theyre different of course, but in general as one dynamic processor for mastering.
 
Weiss is fantastic and can be very transparent, but MD4 has become my go-to now. It's incredibly easy to use and mixes just sound huge (if that's what you're going for).

I would also encourage you to check out Tone Projects Unisum. If you're a tweaker or like to really dig deep, there's a ton of functionality. The HYGGE button ("contentment") is great for instant body!
 
Weiss is fantastic and can be very transparent, but MD4 has become my go-to now. It's incredibly easy to use and mixes just sound huge (if that's what you're going for).

I would also encourage you to check out Tone Projects Unisum. If you're a tweaker or like to really dig deep, there's a ton of functionality. The HYGGE button ("contentment") is great for instant body!
Interesting. I remember seeing it a while back but thought something like the MD4 would be better. Luxury pricing marketing ploys do seem to affect me. Ill check out it. thanks
 
Check out the Weiss Mastering Compressor. Its based on the DS1 code, but way simpler interface.
I was going for tweakhead but most of the times i end up using few controls. This one seems more for master bus which is ideal for me. Is it heavy on the cpu?
 
The MM-1 is really easy to use and hard to make it sound bad. Not a lot of tweakability but it gets the job done. Transparent and Wide mode are both great. On sale at the moment for $89 and it's included in Softube Volume 5.

MD4 has an amazing ability to pull details out of a mix (try the DXP presets!) in the same way as Zynaptiq Intensity but without the harshness that Intensity adds. TONS of functionality built into a friendly UI. The full System 6000 pack is well worth the investment.

Unisum is very tweakable, to the point of being intimidating in advanced mode, but there are lots of excellent presets to help you learn how to use it fully.

Sonnox Inflator is another one worth checking out - at $39 it's a bargain. Old but still very good.

The good news is, all the above are available for full free trials - I'd encourage you to try them all and see which you're most comfortable with. Personally I love MD4 - it's a miracle worker on old material!
 
The MM-1 is really easy to use and hard to make it sound bad. Not a lot of tweakability but it gets the job done. Transparent and Wide mode are both great. On sale at the moment for $89 and it's included in Softube Volume 5.

MD4 has an amazing ability to pull details out of a mix (try the DXP presets!) in the same way as Zynaptiq Intensity but without the harshness that Intensity adds. TONS of functionality built into a friendly UI. The full System 6000 pack is well worth the investment.

Unisum is very tweakable, to the point of being intimidating in advanced mode, but there are lots of excellent presets to help you learn how to use it fully.

Sonnox Inflator is another one worth checking out - at $39 it's a bargain. Old but still very good.

The good news is, all the above are available for full free trials - I'd encourage you to try them all and see which you're most comfortable with. Personally I love MD4 - it's a miracle worker on old material!
im trying unisum right now. sounds good. and already have inflator.

Sadly i already spent my trials when these first came out. I liked them but the price at the time i thought i could still using what i have.

I like the VSS4 but i think ill gonig to get cinematic rooms instead. And the others sure are good but i think the md4 id the one ill be usng the most. Although the cpu hit is crazy bad if i remember.

I just noticed the md4 has EQ. i dont thnk i noticed (or cared) before.
 
Just for context, I paid $999 for MD3 on the TC Powercore (plus $1500 for the X8 to run it!) and it was worth every penny. I used it on everything for years! Missed it badly when the Powercore was discontinued. $249 for MD4 Native seems like a massive bargain to me. :2thumbs:
 
The Weiss stuff is awesome, but incredibly buggy on Cubase. Each time I use those it's a gamble if they crash randomly and freeze the whole software. No matter if it's VST2 or 3.
 
The Weiss stuff is awesome, but incredibly buggy on Cubase. Each time I use those it's a gamble if they crash randomly and freeze the whole software. No matter if it's VST2 or 3.
Have you tried to disable OpenGL/metal? That can solve potential problems
 
The MM-1 is really easy to use and hard to make it sound bad. Not a lot of tweakability but it gets the job done. Transparent and Wide mode are both great. On sale at the moment for $89 and it's included in Softube Volume 5.

MD4 has an amazing ability to pull details out of a mix (try the DXP presets!) in the same way as Zynaptiq Intensity but without the harshness that Intensity adds. TONS of functionality built into a friendly UI. The full System 6000 pack is well worth the investment.

Unisum is very tweakable, to the point of being intimidating in advanced mode, but there are lots of excellent presets to help you learn how to use it fully.

Sonnox Inflator is another one worth checking out - at $39 it's a bargain. Old but still very good.

The good news is, all the above are available for full free trials - I'd encourage you to try them all and see which you're most comfortable with. Personally I love MD4 - it's a miracle worker on old material!
Not familiar with all of those, but two are very different from one another - and not mutually exclusive. Unisum is a compressor (Kotelnikov GE is my choice - sounds great and don’t need to be an engineer to use it), and Inflator is a wave shaper saturation/distortion plugin. I use both Inflator and KGE together plus ProL2.

None of that is what the OP asked :)
 
Just for context, I paid $999 for MD3 on the TC Powercore (plus $1500 for the X8 to run it!) and it was worth every penny. I used it on everything for years! Missed it badly when the Powercore was discontinued. $249 for MD4 Native seems like a massive bargain to me. :2thumbs:

yes, that is true. I had the powercore as well.

HAving the md4 and vss4 native is very cool indeed. These Algos where regarded as a closed secret inside the TC6000 costing $5K+.

I didnt know about the Weiss until the plugin came out. I wonder if anyone tested it against similar style compressors that are transparent.
 
I think price-wise the Unisum should be considered as it's super high quality. I own this plus the Weiss bundle. Love the TC stuff as well, but I don't have a high confidence in TC to do the necessary updates (they don't have a great history about this).
 
I'm a self-confessed fan of Sonnox' Inflator, but it's most certainly no mastering compressor.
True - it's not even a compressor! :grin: I just threw it in as a sidebar as it can do some of the voodoo that MD4 does when it comes to pulling out detail and adding weight to an existing mix. And at $39 it's a no-brainer!
 
I would vote on the DS-1 for its transparency but the MD4 at that price...may as well get that. After years of buying all the best mastering plugins, the difference between this one and that one becomes really negligible but does become more apparent when you're stacking plugins. Good luck!
 
Just for context, I paid $999 for MD3 on the TC Powercore (plus $1500 for the X8 to run it!) and it was worth every penny. I used it on everything for years! Missed it badly when the Powercore was discontinued. $249 for MD4 Native seems like a massive bargain to me. :2thumbs:
I miss MD3 dearly... I'm another PowerCore orphan....
It was amazing on the master and on vocals too!

From comments of people I respect I heard the new MD4 is not in the same league....
But I haven't tried it first hand.
 
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