WAVES
APHEX VINTAGE AURAL EXCITER®
USER GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION..........................................................................3
1.1 WELCOME......................................................................................................3
1.2 PRODUCT OVERVIEW......................................................................................3
1.3 CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY........................................................................4
1.4 COMPONENTS ................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 2 – QUICK START GUIDE.................................................................7
CHAPTER 3 – INTERFACE AND CONTROLS ...................................................8
3.1 INTERFACE.....................................................................................................8
3.2 CONTROLS.....................................................................................................9
3.3 WAVESYSTEM TOOLBAR...............................................................................10
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
2
Chapter 1 – Introduction
1.1 Welcome
Thank you for choosing Waves! In order to get the most out of your new Waves plugin,
please take a moment to read this user guide.
To install software and manage your licenses, you need to have a free Waves account.
Sign up at www.waves.com. With a Waves account you can keep track of your products,
renew your Waves Update Plan, participate in bonus programs, and keep up to date
with important information.
We suggest that you become familiar with the Waves Support pages: www.waves.com/
support. There are technical articles about installation, troubleshooting, specifications,
and more. Plus, you’ll find company contact information and Waves Support news.
1.2 Product Overview
When it was originally introduced in the mid-1970s, the Aphex Aural Exciter® brought
its distinctive sound to select sessions by leading recording artists, traveling from studio
to studio as an exclusive (and expensive) rental unit.
A true groundbreaker, the original Aural Exciter was highly regarded for its ability to
increase and enhance presence, brightness, and detail on vocal tracks and masters
alike. It was even credited as a "session player" on popular albums by the likes of
Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor.
Modeled on one of only a few tube-powered units ever made, the new Waves Aphex
Vintage Aural Exciter plugin delivers all the unique character of the rare original
hardware unit, with all the advantages of software.
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
3
1.3 Concepts and Terminology
While the original 402 Aural Exciter unit we modeled has only one mix mode, the
Vintage Aural Exciter plugin has two. Here’s how that came about:
When we originally modeled the unit
send/return modes, we realized that each mode had its own
, replicating its sound in both insert and aux
unique sound. This is
primarily because the phase relation between the direct sound and the AX sound is
reversed, and the signal that the AX is mixed with is a pure direct, while the device’s BP
(bypassed) signal includes its own phase response which, while not fully inverted, does
affect the sound of the mix.
Producer/engineer Val Garay, one of the high-pro
original Aural Exciter, listened to the plugin prot
file users who helped popularize the
otype and confirmed that the sound of
our software corresponds perfectly with the hardware unit. However, he also told us that
he always used the device in a send/return auxiliary setup in AX mode. Val’s aux
send/return setup delivers “the sound” that is forever etched on hit records of the late
‘70s and early ‘80s. Since today’s users may prefer to insert the plugin directly on a
track, we wanted to make this send/return sound available in insert mode. We decided to
provide both sounds in insert mode for the user’s convenience, by introducing an
additional MIX mode. This is what we call MIX1 mode.
MI
X2 mode is based on the sound of the original hardware unit’s MIX mode, as an
insert. While it may be “over the top” for a mastering task, it m
ay be just the thing for a
vocal track that needs enhancement or presence that cannot be achieved using EQ.
Due to the processor’s unique phase behavior, modulations in frequency response may
occur at certain AX MIX settings in MIX2 mode. At AX MIX settings of 1 to 4.5, the effect
is very subtle; settings of 4.5 to 7.2 result in a frequency dip; settings from 7.2 to 10 bring
about a pretty, not subtle sound.
To recap:
• MIX1, as an insert, recre
ates the hardware unit’s AX
• MIX2, as an insert, recreates the hardware unit’s MI
• AX mode is designed to be used for send/return
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
4
mode send/return sound.
X mode insert sound.
auxiliary setups.
Signal Path
BP
AX
MIX1
MIX2
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
5
1.4 Components
The Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter® consists of two components:
Aphex
Aphex Stere
Mono
o
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
6
Chapter 2 – Quick Start Guide
There are two primary ways to use the Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter plugin:
1. As an insert on the tr
2. As a send
MIX2
MIX1/
o
/return effect on an aux track, using
Insert the Vintage Aural Exciter on your track.
ack, using MIX1 or MI
X2 modes.
AX
mode.
o Set to MIX1 or MIX2 mode.
o Adjust the AX
MIX knob to blend the desired amount of effect
with your dry
signal.
Adjust input
o
and output levels as necessary.
AX
o Insert the Vintage Aural Exciter on an aux bus, and route a ‘send’ to that
o Set to AX mode.
o Adjust the ‘send’ to blen
o Adjust input
and output levels on the Aural Exciter plugin as
d the desire
d amount of effect with your dry signal.
necessary.
bus.
Please note:
recommend
Since input
experim
enti
levels have a significant impact on the sound of the plugin, we
ng in order to find your optimal input settings.
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
7
Chapter 3 – Interface and Controls
3.1 Interface
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
8
3.2 Controls
VU Meter with clip indicator displays input or output level in dBVU
Clip LED lights up when levels exceed 0 dBFS. Click to reset.
VU Calibration controls VU meter headroom calibration.
Range
24 – 8dB (16dB)
Default
18 dB of headroom (0 dBVU = -18 dBFS)
Please note: The VU Calibration control is represented by the small screw-head below
the VU meter display. It does not have a visible label and, for most users, the default
setting of 18 dB headroom should be the best choice. On the Stereo component, use the
screw located on the left to calibrate both meters.
MODE selects the processing mode.
Range: BP, MIX1, MIX2, AX
• BP = Bypass (Please note: BP does not function as a pure bypass; the plugin
models the original hardware’s BP mode behavior.)
• MIX1, as an insert, recreates the hardware unit’s AX mode send/return sound.
• MIX2, as an insert, recreates the hardware unit’s MIX mode insert sound.
• AX mode is designed to be used for send/return auxiliary setups.
Default: MIX1
METER selects VU meter view options.
Range: Input / Output / AX
Default: Out
INPUT controls input gain.
Range: -18dB to +18db
Default: 0dB
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
9
AX MIX controls the amount of AX (aural excitement) added to the original
signal. (Functional in Mix mode only.)
Range: 0 to 10
Default: 7.87
OUTPUT controls output gain.
Range: -18dB to +18db
Default: 0dB
NOISE controls the level of the modeled analog noise.
Range: Off / -48dB to 0 (0 = original HW)
Default: Orig.
MAINS c
ontrols analog characteristics caused by hum, based on the power
supplies of the original units.
Range: Off / 50Hz / 60Hz
Default: 50Hz
3.3 WavSystem Toolbar
Use the bar at the top of the plugin to save and load presets, compare settings,
undo and redo steps, and resize the plugin. To learn more, click the icon at the
upper-right corner of the window and open the WaveSystem Guide.
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter®
User Guide
10
Loading...