Massey Plugins

[Watershed]

Anyone here tried out the Massey plugs?
http://www.masseyplugins.com/

I'm mainly interested in "Tapehead"

[PSN Big Al]

Tapehead is awesome Watershed!

Download the free version and throw it on some drums
to start with. Have fun!

While you're at it, download ALL of Steven's plugz. I think
they're all great. And for the $69 upgrade price on each
($89 for the L2007) they're really affordable too.

[Contessa]

I use them all the time. Especially the CT4 compressor. Very smooth, yet doesn't degrade the sound. The L2007 is a great L2 replacement and is great for sending out demos unmastered. The tapehead does one amazing trick for me. I'm not a fan of putting it on every track to make it sound like tape. That's a Charlie trick. I put it on guitars (mostly leads and octaves) that are too bright. Tapehead focuses the energy in a lower frequency in an amazing way. I guess if the vocal was too bright you can use it there too. It's also a very good distortion box when you just need a little. I haven't tried his stomp box yet. His EQ is really nice but not very versatile. You can't go wrong with the prices or his demo policies. Buy 'em up.

http://womb.mixerman.net/image.php?u=558&dateline=1167731560&type=profile

[seagate]

I use them all the time.

And we thought you don't like plug-ins...

:lol:

[Watershed]

How about on the master fader?
I like the way Charles uses the AC1, but I'm just not ready to shell out for McDSP at this stage.

[Brendo]

And we thought you don't like plug-ins...

:lol:

That's the Contessa, not the Princess. Geez, dude!

[seagate]

That's the Contessa, not the Princess. Geez, dude!

Bet they have the same IP

[Tim Armstrong]

Bet they have the same IP

Heck, betcha they have the same johnson!

:icon_eek:

Cheers, Tim

[roundbadge]

Buy them all.they're great..
less than 400 clams for the whole bundle..no Brainer
Tape head and the new distortion pedal plug also rule for parallel buss stuff too
hopefully another thorn in Wave's side:lol:

[Watershed]

I bought Tape Head.

Will eventually get the others too. Just gotta get some finances happening :Coolio:

[GeeWhoLeeo]

well, i tried tapehead. and it's VERY cool.
i really like the bright mode:it seems to put a kind of sheer to tracks.
:Thumbsup:

[6x2]

Tape head's absolutely great, but for master bus it's a bit too muddy. I have used it on the master, but it needs some EQ compensation in the high mids. Anyway, it's more like a cool slight distortion thing than a 'real' tape emulator (like duy or the phoenix).

Try it on everything, it'll work on many things. And on rhodes piano it's unbeatable.

The compressor is cool, it's actually worked for me in the master bus... Smooth, not very aggressive.

The new distortion seems cool, I've only played with it so far.

The EQ seems cool, though I've not used it much.

The limiter is cool.

They're all great plugins and dirt cheap so get them now if you haven't yet.

6x2

[GeeWhoLeeo]

Tape head's absolutely great, but for master bus it's a bit too muddy. I have used it on the master, but it needs some EQ compensation in the high mids. Anyway, it's more like a cool slight distortion thing than a 'real' tape emulator (like duy or the phoenix).



agreed, infact i found the name a bit misleading.
did you try it with the bright mode? that seems to give more openess to the sound!

[Watershed]

I'm really liking the medium bright setting on the registered version.

[GeeWhoLeeo]

I'm really liking the medium bright setting on the registered version.
you mean there are different settings of the bright mode in the registered version?
guess i have to buy that then!

[6x2]

Yeah, many times I find the medium bright setting best, but the thing is that the bright switch affects only the very top end... 10k or so. I often find that with Tape head I lose some 3-6k that may need compensating, or may not. It's good for taking out hi-mid harshness, but for an entire mix... It's a bit much.

Anyway, nice to see you here again, Gee-Whoo-Lee-Ooo!

:very happy:

6x2

[Skwaidu]

Yeah, I haven't tried T-H on the 2 buss because I *think* I wouldn't like it... It's essentially a "softening" type distortion box, after all! Why would I want softening on the master? (I'm talking about the same hi-mid shit that 6x2 discussed, among other things)

That being said, they indeed are great processors and I use them a lot these days! ;)

[Watershed]

Points taken, thanks guys.

Just bought the limiter too.

[volthause]

Dammit! I want these in VST or DX!

[6x2]

Yeah, I haven't tried T-H on the 2 buss because I *think* I wouldn't like it... It's essentially a "softening" type distortion box, after all! Why would I want softening on the master? (I'm talking about the same hi-mid shit that 6x2 discussed, among other things)

That being said, they indeed are great processors and I use them a lot these days! ;)

Well, at least if you do use it on the master you have to compensate for the loss, which is kinda silly... It can work on the 2 buss, I have used it with good results - you just have to find your way around it the hi-mids.

6x2

[recall]

. It can work on the 2 buss, I have used it with good results - you just have to find your way around it the hi-mids.

6x2

Seconded. I have used it on a few mixes and have been really please with the thickness it added to mainly programmed tracks.

Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't for $59 its a steal as are all the others.

I never have session that i don't use some of his plugs

[weedywet]

Does the licensed version have Bypass?

[PSN Big Al]

Does the licensed version have Bypass?

Yes it does.

[Santiago]

Another vote for Tape Head, I use the demo and it works great.
I like to use it on the master. I wonder if theirs any huge diference between Digi's Tape Reel :Confused:

[jbr]

Q1 Is there any reason to use TapeHead on a track that also has AC1? or AC2 for that matter?

Q2 Do sampled drum sounds(V-Drums) benefit from AC1 and/or Tapehead?

[PSN Big Al]

Q1 Is there any reason to use TapeHead on a track that also has AC1? or AC2 for that matter?

TapeHead and AC1 are two different animals. So, yes you might
want both if you want both the sound of a particular console and
the sound of recording to tape.

AC2 is in the same family as TapeHead. If you use them both
together and it sounds good, BINGO! Lot's of wild distortion
possibilities with them together like that.

I think you'll find TapeHead a little more aggressive than AC2.


Q2 Do sampled drum sounds(V-Drums) benefit from AC1 and/or Tapehead?

Absolutely. Somtimes more or less depending on the quality
of the sample.


.

[Charles Dye]

A1 I would say yes to AC1 (cuz it emu's solid-state saturation), but probably no to AC2 (cuz it emu's tape saturation just like TapeHead does).

A2 I'd say yes sampled drums could benefit from adding some solid-state (AC1) or tape saturation (TapeHead or AC2), but obviously this really is something you'd have to try + see if it sounds good on your drum samples.

[Watershed]

I hear Steve's working on a Tape Delay.
Sounds very interesting.

[jbr]

Thanks for the info BA & CD. Appreciated.

I'll give it a try.

[Skwaidu]

Btw & FWIW, I think of Tape-Head as mild solid state-ish distortion. It definitely doesn't sound like tape to me as it doesn't really compress... (But it doesn't sound bad, mind you)

IMHO, DaD Tape seems to act much more like real tape.

[Watershed]

Steve has added a "To Do" list for the upcoming Tape Delay plug here (http://www.smassey.com).
He'll be crossing the items off as he does them, so it should be interesting to follow.

[Brendo]

Just bought TapeHead!

[Brendo]

And I'm having issues - I installed it, forgetting to uninstall the demo... now I've got a plugin that won't bypass... but has the "middle" position on the 3 way switch enabled, and session saving etc.

[Molly's Lips]

When you purchase the plug-in, it should automatically un-install the demo. Mine did. You might have to re-open any previous instances of the plug that you already had in a session to get it to work right.

[Watershed]

Uninstall all instances and then reinstall the full version.

[David Aurora]

these plugs are fucking great. i havent bought them yet, been too broke so im still on the demos, but next decent booking im buying AT LEAST the tape and limiter, but if i have the spare cash ill buy the whole set cause theyre all kickass.

mixing my record at the moment and tape is getting used on average on 3 tracks per song

[Brendo]

Trashing prefs fixed it.

Dekko - only 3 tracks per song??? Shit, I've been putting it on way more!

[Skwaidu]

A little note to D-Command users: The Massey vt3 now maps to one EQ page per my request... The mid band has been mapped to lo-mids so its now a tad illogical to D-Control users, sry about that! :D

Anyway, definitely great support I'd say! And it's an Universal Binary now too. :Coolio:

[David Aurora]

Trashing prefs fixed it.

Dekko - only 3 tracks per song??? Shit, I've been putting it on way more!

haha thats a lot of tape sim man!!! i havent really found too many uses for it. great on snare, great on overheads. can be perfect for bass if its lacking in the mid department like a couple of my tracks were (whoops.). made me wanna vomit on certain things like kick drums, not bad at adding punch to strummy acoustics but i wouldnt default to it if i want shimmer.

i guess for me i like it for clarifying mid range, but im not a fan if i want much definition in the lows or highs. which is good, if it worked on everything id be scared. what are you liking it on? p.s. wheres the love? i left you a comment on myspace and you leave me hanging! :lol:

[Brendo]

haha thats a lot of tape sim man!!! i havent really found too many uses for it. great on snare, great on overheads. can be perfect for bass if its lacking in the mid department like a couple of my tracks were (whoops.). made me wanna vomit on certain things like kick drums, not bad at adding punch to strummy acoustics but i wouldnt default to it if i want shimmer.

i guess for me i like it for clarifying mid range, but im not a fan if i want much definition in the lows or highs. which is good, if it worked on everything id be scared. what are you liking it on? p.s. wheres the love? i left you a comment on myspace and you leave me hanging! :lol:

you left me a comment on myspace? oh man. i need to check that shit more often.

i've been using it on some bass tracks, guitar busses, snare drums, some vocals... i basically try it on whatever i feel like and if i hate it, it goes, if i like it, it stays. if later on i feel there's a problem with a track, first thing to go is tapehead - if the problem gets worse i put it back on...

[KEN1]

I bought Tapehead yesterday and WOW.......it sound's fantastic.I threw it own some brittle gtr tracks and they came alive nicely.Tried it on my vox bus and it just smoothed everything out to where now the vox seem right in the pocket with the rest of the instruments.This mix session just started so let's see how many times I use this thing.Great product!

[KEN1]

Bought the CT-4 comp today and am very impressed.Steve Massey is amazing! Waves and most of all the other plugin manufacturers should be ashamed of themselves for raping their customers.Massey will be HUGE..........mark my words!!!!!!!!!!!!:Thumbsup: :Thumbsup: :Thumbsup:

[6x2]

Yes, they're great plugs.

Will Massey be huge?

Hopefully not. That'd change everything.

Hopefully the plugs get even more popular but the operation would be grassroot, as it is now.

I don't know what Massey's ambitions are but I somehow doubt he wants to be bigger than Waves.

6x2

[Watershed]

I hope he keeps going along just as he is, but makes squillions along the way :grin:

[Cary Chilton]

I haven't had my DAW long, but thanks to Gearslutz and DUC members recommendations, the Massey suite were the first plugs I bought. I haven't vt-3 too much yet, on some guitar tracks. Tapehead is great on synth and DI inst, snare and cymbals. The compressor is for parallel compression on the kick. The distortion plug is awesome on synths! L2007 is great for demos.

[Ruudman]

I have to join the choir; Massey's plugs are great!
I especially enjoy CT4, VT3 and THC. Thumbs up for an easy layout. I'd like text entry and scroll function for each plug, though.


Ruudman

[bassntreble]

I guess I'm the only one not crazy about tapehead. Tapehead and CT4 are OK but I think the same results can be achieved with the stock digiplugs. It'll take you a little longer but it's doable.

I Like L2007 though.Light on CPU and sounds good enough. Stack 3 of em' on the master bus and use realllllyyyyy lightly.

I'm considering the CT4 though, another color for 60 bucks.

[Sounds Expensive]

:Surprised: I guess I'm the only one not crazy about tapehead. Tapehead and CT4 are OK but I think the same results can be achieved with the stock digiplugs. It'll take you a little longer but it's doable.

Really?! How?

[bassntreble]

:Surprised:

Really?! How?

With lots of patience....After reading this post last night, I gave it a shot and got reeeaaalll close to tapehead's sound with the stock DynIII and 7bandEQIII. I'll try to link some if they seem worthy but suffice to say, it's close. IMHO, tapehead sounds like a comp with a moderately fast attack and a release that is either non-linear or like a variable auto-release(amplitude dependent or something like that). it took about 15 min. of tweaking though and I only tried it on one source. There's always room in the toolbox tho'.

CT-4 is next on the list.

[Skwaidu]

With lots of patience....After reading this post last night, I gave it a shot and got reeeaaalll close to tapehead's sound with the stock DynIII and 7bandEQIII. I'll try to link some if they seem worthy but suffice to say, it's close. IMHO, tapehead sounds like a comp with a moderately fast attack and a release that is either non-linear or like a variable auto-release(amplitude dependent or something like that). it took about 15 min. of tweaking though and I only tried it on one source. There's always room in the toolbox tho'.

CT-4 is next on the list.

Hunh. I thought that I already posted a response in this thread.... ??? Maybe it's just me. Hmm... :Uh oh:

Anyway, I wanted to say that IMHO you won't be getting anything close to Tape-Head(which is all about mild distorion and saturation) by anything in the stock Digirack setup(no saturation plug-ins, folks!)... Though Lo-Fi from the Digidesign D-Fi bundle can do a Tape-Headish sound on it's very first 0.1 "saturation" and "distortion" settings but it ain't the same, usually lo-fi is way more drastic... I don't really think of the Tape-Head as a compressor myself, though it can be used as an EQ-ish effect, yes.

As for CT4, I like both the Digirack compressor and Massey CT4 but for wildly different applications and IMHO I cannot get the Digirack(either of them) to sound like CT4 nor do I want it to! Also IMHO, the "cleanness" of the CT4 is unachievable by the Digirack compressors...

Bogus, I say to the tone controllers. :Roll eyes:

And anyway, why would you want to do something with "lots of patience" if the instantly "good" product costs as little as the Massey stuff? With their pricing I'd buy them even if I only wanted to use them on my every 20th mix... Which is not the case, mind you. They are essential tools IMHO.

[bassntreble]

And anyway, why would you want to do something with "lots of patience" if the instantly "good" product costs as little as the Massey stuff?

Because i can.

Why do people jump off bridges tethered to a big rubber band?


I'm not saying the plugs are good or bad, I'm just doing a clinical exercise. I remember the bad old days when owing a mackie 8-buss was 'cool' if you had a project studio, not that i ever owned one. i did have 2 ghosts at one time though...but i digress.

The point is, for whatever reason I'm not getting tape head in the near future (ok the reason is I'm getting married in 2 months...money's tight), so i would at least like to know, for my own ego's sake, that I can come close to reproducing the sound. There i said it, it's all about me...flame away.:Thumbdown:

I'll tell you though, the reproduction is very close. there's a bit of clarity in the low end i can't seem to match and can't justify spending the time on, especially when there are deadlines to meet.

anywho, let me have my selfish moment, please?:lol:

[Brendo]

Ok.... I just bought the L2007 limiter... because I was using the demo so much.