They asked for it... || Wavegrove HCL Varis

[@Wavegrove]

Appreciate you taking a look at the plugin Wytse! Loved your pure reactions to playing with the parameters! Variable ratio compressors amazing tools in controlling levels without overtly changing the original sound, although you can get some VCA style action from the plugin if you use the BUS release. The dark squishy sound you got while driving the gain reduction at fast settings is a staple of the original hardware unit, and I modeled it with great care, as it was one of TTLangen's favourite sounds! "Dark hi-fi". As some have said, much of the units tonal signature is actually behind the Vari Gain parameter, and I struggled if I wanted the default setting for it to be 0% or 60%. On the other hand some people don't want a plugin to change the sound unless they've touched a control, and on the other some people want instant tone-boxes. You can of course change it to load at the setting you want by replacing the default preset. The calibration on the top right is also an important part of how the plugin responds, as it correlates to the approximate LUFS level you want the 0-point dBfs of the compressor's threshold to be, ie. if your material is at -18dBFS and you set the calibration to -14, a threshold of -4dB would already start to get some compression action going on. If you don't need it, don't buy it! If you need it, buy it! Well put 😂 Manual can be found here: drive.google.com/file/d/1m8qKcW5PfsWviJydrufsM0u-wjhL2oj6/view

[@weltenraunen]

I tried the plugin the day before the review came out and quickly discovered that you can do wonders with the calibration. This plugin sounds extremely good and I've already started saving money to get it. In a bundle with Islander, of course. Great job, Wavegrove!

[@oleksandrpozniak]

Btw the original HW varis compressors are/were made in Kyiv back in the day. Back in the day the company even had U47 mic clone and several HW units including 4 channel tube DI

[@paavoilves5416]

"Think for yourself" Thanks Wytse, I'll do as you say!

[@nathanielcade947]

This "review" was a miss. The manual clearly denotes what the controls are and how they funtion in relation to each other. Please take the time to read, not just look at the product manual. Otherwise why even bother "reviewing" a product. I have no affiliation with Wavegrove or anyone there to my knowledge. Just someone who appreciates "honest and accurate" information. I tried the HCL-Islander followed by the HCL-Varis on a sub-mix buss with very good results on three different sessions. My starting point were these presets: Gentle Dual-Mono Sculpt preset for the Islander, Factory Default for the Varis. Adjusted timing & settings for each mix, level matched & compared. Then went back to normal output for a final pre-Mastering listen. Don't know why you say "don't buy" unless you have some kinf of bias towards Wavegrove. Their free plugin almost through me off (bias), but I decided to give their retail plugins a try. Glad I did. A definite recommend for me. Happy tracking!

[@spicewiczmusic]

this is formula of the channel, exploring plugins :) personally i much prefer when he doesn't know the plugin - this represents what's going on in my mind when exploring new plugin. so i can see if plugin is easy to use or not. and he didn't say don't buy this because its bad, he actually said it is very good on subtle settings. he said - don't buy another plugin you dont need ;) important difference

[@nathanielcade947]

@@spicewiczmusic I also like to just load a plugin & see what it can do and if it makes sense to me. Never had a problem using HCL plugins without reading the manual. The manual gives clarity to each section & how they work inside the plugin. Also explains the labeled text. Something he would have discovered if he had actually "read" the manual instead of just glancing at it. By repeated stressing "you really don't need it", isn't he suggesting not to buy it? Starting at 0:45 he gives us a clew into how he thinks when making content. Not so unbiased after all.

[@raphlasne]

This comp sounds very nice indeed! 'm very found of the interface, very clean and precise.

[@SilentGloves]

The hardware Varis from Handcrafted Labs is extremely well-renowned in the ME community. Two of the most common units I see in racks are the HCL Varis, and the HCL Thermos Mastering EQ. I'm really excited to hear your thoughts on this plug.

[@hcl8836]

Interesting … I didn’t know i was making Plug-ins 😂

[@SilentGloves]

@@hcl8836 Wait, are you saying you didn't authorize this plugin clone?

[@jamesgrant3343]

My guess is the hard bypass is post volume, which is maybe why there were no actual audible changes happening when setting attack or release? Even with the VU meters swinging wildly, no changes…

[@Whiteseastudio]

The hard bypass is off almost the whole time -> read the manual or try it yourself...

[@southpaw3473]

Should the Hard Bypass have been on during the test?

[@foki_official]

That's what I was looking at. Was the comp even active? 🤷‍♂️

[@doftpunk101]

@@foki_official I noticed changes when parameters were tweaked. Things got softer and phatter. But I also noticed that.

[@ramspencer5492]

It was active. You can hear it working... Not sure he used the drive though

[@Whiteseastudio]

Yes! If the light is on, it's active, and when it's off, it's bypassed. I've just checked and verified this.

[@theonenonlybass]

"μ" is a unit pronounced like "meow"(miu) (cuz its a varimu comp)..it was a witty touch i liked that

[@Lolwutdesu9000]

Meow is pronounced "mee-ow". Miu is pronounced "me-you".

[@theonenonlybass]

@@Lolwutdesu9000 i know.. i jus couldn't resist not typing out meow 😭😂

[@Kunibert_Knatter]

I *saw* the VU-meter dangling, but I did not *hear* no nothing.

[@DaftyBoi412]

Tr and Pt means triode and pentode I would imagin.

[@Vt-gm3pz]

great sounding compressor 👍

[@teddym2808]

You didn't even touch the sidechain HP. What was that?

[@peterladan5208]

Thanks for a good review. Is it me or does the hit come in late in your second audio piece?

[@peterladan5208]

I mean hit

[@peterladan5208]

It seems that KZbin does not like the word hi-hat

[@Scarleaver]

Tr and Pt.....Triode and Pentode? xD

[@nathanielcade947]

Triode and Pentode.

[@Todzuum]

I think it means Triode and Pentode.

[@Whiteseastudio]

Makes sense, but also, a pentode vari-mu???

[@hviewstudio]

I don't comment offend .... But I've learned so much from you.....If I ever come into money I will send you rewards .... At the moment its tuff...But thank U for the help you give us......God bless

[@DaveRave23]

Hard Bypass on almost the whole time, is this a snake oil review, rather than a snake oil plugin ?

[@Whiteseastudio]

It's off almost the whole time -> read the manual or try it yourself...

[@Wavegrove]

Lights on -> device on. I'm pretty sure this is how people usually do it! Of course on the hardware it might be more clear, as you are actually pressing the button. And remember that learning how it operates takes about as much time as writing this comment.

[@DaveRave23]

Thanks, good to get your collective feedback. I couldn’t see this in the manual, maybe I missed that.

[@GrandmasterKnox]

I don't know, man... I just hate the ergonomics in their plugins. This one seems a little better, but I just hate how you still need to "calibrate" to get any meaningful compression out of it. When I used Islander, I felt like I was going from knob to knob to knob to knob. It's a pain in the ass. It's not hard to find a good compressor these days, so if it's going to take longer to get where I want, I'd rather use something else.

[@Mansardian]

I guess that's part of emulating hardware as closely as you can. It is not a made-up plugin. I prefer when emulations stay as close as possible to the real deal. I'm also a fan of stepped controls. May sound weird to you, but coming from the analog world this is what I am used to.

[@Wavegrove]

I don't see how giving you the option of calibrating the plugin to any LUFS you want is bad. If you want, you can open the plugin for the first time, set the calibration to -18dB and then save a new default preset, and you're set for life. The hardware device has trim pots on the front for exactly this.

[@GrandmasterKnox]

@@Wavegrove Fair enough. Even though I don't like doing that, I have done that for a few plugins, so I won't cry over it. I'm still not a fan of the interface, but I'm sure other people don't mind it as much as I do. Still appreciate both this and Islander's existence, as it's fairly priced and doesn't include intrusive DRM. I'd rather have people supporting this over ilok home-calling plugins. Have a good one.

[@GrandmasterKnox]

@@Mansardian Is this an attempt at being condescending? Real question. I won't bother with the "emulations being as close as possible", as I have no intention of going back and forth on how that's kinda bullshit once you realize they took the liberty of improving over the hardware when you compare them side-by-side. I just find the "may sound weird to you" part kinda funny, seeing as how I also prefer stepped controls (I don't mix with "half dbs" or random number frequencies) and how that's really nothing special at all. Coming from an SSL guy.

[@paavoilves5416]

@@Mansardian Me too, I absolutely love stepped controls! Partly because I mainly use my mousewheel to tweak knobs on plugins.

[@giannispan8129]

Which DAW do you recommend for recording, mixing midi electronic drums and mixing with a backing track? Cubase or Logic pro?

[@uncle-ed]

I normally enjoy your videos but this one, not so much. Reading the manual for this plugin is necessary.

[@stoopidvideoz]

Cool music, what's it called?

[@marfaxa]

sandstorm.

[@stoopidvideoz]

@@marfaxa Thanks! I love new music.

[@jorisboulet8137]

Sweet groovin demo track , love it

[@leckel1996]

You missed the vari gain parameter 😢 That’s where the tube goodness comes from

[@bennthirteen3701]

He just cares about yt algorithm these days, sad but understandable

[@mthomas1091]

@@bennthirteen3701you do seem very sad…..tomorrow too (is my guess).

[@cortical1]

@@bennthirteen3701 Impugning motives is not only rude, it's irrational here. Wytse has done so much to help people for free over the past many years.

[@gutterg0d]

@@cortical1 A rough calculation based on the screenshot from the islander video suggests he makes around 1000 euros per month. While it's not an earth shattering amount (and it's obviously perfectly fine), it's not "helping people for free" either.

[@cortical1]

@@gutterg0d He has helped myself and several others I know in this community who have contacted him directly for absolutely no fee for his time and expertise. Claiming that all he cares about is the algorithm is not consistent with the empirical facts about his behavior.

[@dizmix]

Dana Carvey, come get ya boy.

[@mycosys]

You dont know the letter mu? really?

[@lofimat3856]

Is this the Best of te new best comp eva?

[@fel8308]

Wait is that music for a persona game? :o Do sound like music from the persona games

[@kniferideaudio]

Sounds way too pillowy for me. I have the islander and it can sound pretty good, but it takes a lot of fidgeting to get it sounding right. My issue with the Wavegrove plugs is the terrible layout with tiny little virtual screw knobs and tiny switches. sucks to look at it. I can usually get the same result from other comp plugins and faster with less blind twiddling.

[@steph1918]

'Koeketoeter'? 🤣

[@mixbygygyondbeat1295]

Wow cool not bad though

[@colourbasscolourbassweapon2135]

we all do tbh no cap even the dubstep guys 1:36

[@KS1771]

Do you know how to use a Compressor ? Madness ...

[@Griuofficial]

Thanks for the review

[@gooshie3]

Oh,...........................................................................................another compressor................

[@hirnzircus]

We listen to you because you have a very trustworthy attitude. I hope we are not mistaken. 😄

[@AMPProf]

SIR I would have No plugins! Actually a White sea studio starte vst would be cool

[@Projacked1]

Wanne koeketoetert zeg! 😅

[@behtashmiri1283]

I think u were not into doing this review 😅

[@nathanielcade947]

My sentiments as well.

[@user-tioldjg]

I really want to see your Grandchild review!

[@Whiteseastudio]

When I have one that keeps working 😜👍🏻

[@RayTheProducer]

Ok, so this was just a whine-fest. Someone had to say it. These are nice compressors, why break their balls if they asked you for a review? Isn’t that why you became a KZbinr? 🙄

[@beehype46and2]

Comment for da algorithm Streak count: 246

[@EdPettersen]

Not everyone is listening to you. I've been tuning you out since you told people they don't need mastering and can do it themselves. I stop by to see if there's a new plugin out and then go check it out for myself. Cheers.

[@inkrot]

There are literally hundreds of songs going viral and making charts while being "mastered" by the artists themselves. Mastering from professional engineers are important for labels and artists trying to reach as many people as possible.... but tbh these days indie artists are so well informed that a lot of a the time a limiter is all that was needed!

[@EdPettersen]

@inkrot Perhaps, but it doesn't mean it's the best solution. Or a good one.

[@Ilove1073s]

A few examples : Loveless has been mixed by the artsist and is one of the best albums of all time, Mike Dean mixes and masters himself and has worked on, again the best albums of all time. I really doubt that a different mixer/mastering engineer would have made those records more relevant in music history. And some others will rely on a specific mixing, mastering engineer like, I don't Greg Calbi because off his genius, it's fine too, we're all super different so you can't blame that guy for saying that, just keep an open mind and experiment ❤

[@EdPettersen]

@@Ilove1073s Fair enough, but the examples you give are expert, super-trained ,experienced professionals with great ears. YMMV.

[@inkrot]

@@EdPettersen Now this isn't us disagreeing with the notion of needing a mastering engineer. Those that have the ear for it can do amazing things to improve a mix where as an artist would probably be "blind" to. I just think the lines have been blurred a lot since the early 2010's thanks to the EDM wave that brought us a ton of bedroom composers.

[@MACRONOne]

The nationalist sentiment and complete(geo) political ignorance associated with the developer put me off using it at all. Luckily there are a crew of clever 'witches' around that allowed me to bypass the demo crap leading to the conclusion, after trying it, I don't need it.

[@thejacevekexperience]

Nationalist sentiment. Maga? Right wing?

[@johnisrael5183]

Well it sounds like they would have been better off just giving away a full 30 fully functional trial.....then at leaste people could "find" a use for it in their set up....Just an Idea...LOL

[@YuzimaPhilip]

You mean pro-Ukraine, anti-Russia invading their own country sentiment. What are you smoking?

[@SomeoneCalledRob]

Their 'nationalist sentiment' as you put it, is spot on. And the compressor sounds good - even this 'review' couldn't detract from that.

[@Ilove1073s]

U guys name start by Macron and Israel 😂 like wtf, ok whatever. We are artists, we have to express ourselves and our opinions, I don't know if this plugin is the most clever way to do it, but just see that as an artistic statement that has a lot of meaning for some people ♥️