Perfect Acoustics on Headphones: Inside the Abbey Road Studio 3 Plugin

[@jaysonj6446]

This plug-in is the truth! If your an engineer/producer/beat-maker or all in one, you will find yourself creating better mixes from the start. You will still need to reference your mixes on your near field monitors but over all this is one plug-in you should have in your collection.

[@GT1981IL]

Was waiting for this since the nx came out! This will be just the first studio im sure

[@TurnerBeatz]

So they try to convince us, you can feel the bass through headphones, just like you can sitting in front of those speakers? Ooooh yeah

[@photicsonar]

I use this software with my Subpac and a calibrated focal spirit Professional and I can tell you I really got the feeling of sitting in a Perfect studio. Especially when you Switch the distance from near to far you get a Perfect Impression of what your Bass Sounds like. If it Is clean or shaking somewhere. Great Plugin👍

[@Chillywillystyle]

Wolfgang Schnermann see I have to be careful with my opinion about this because I don’t have it... I didn’t think this could really be useful... but I am actually more curious. So judging bass is a pain, if this works accurately I could see that being huge and very helpful. How much has this tool helped with your final mix?

[@photicsonar]

@@Chillywillystyle It has helped me a lot in judging the tracks' Volume, depth and panorama position. If you are not lucky enough to have a studio with a good monitoring situation, this is an unbeatable tool; in case you have a good calibrated Headphone, that is a must for the plugin, in my opinion.

[@e.apollis2877]

Abbey Road Live Room Plugin plz!! i just know its coming!

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

Right?!

[@stupidusername38]

im waiting for the update to this plugin when you get up to go to the virtual Abbey Road toilet and enjoy a sit down on the throne oft used by such rock dignitaries as Shakin' Stevens, Bananarama and The Krankies.

[@derekchapman5167]

Fan-dabby-joby!

[@tperry5839]

Nicks Corsair S1 Tips 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@theycallmefilip]

Wouldn't be very surprised if it happened. Waves is really milking the Abbey Road cash cow til the last drop

[@stupidusername38]

@@theycallmefilip yup, I can hear the marketing spin right now, "we captured the classic early reflections of John Lennon dropping the kids at the pool"

[@theycallmefilip]

@@stupidusername38 NOW SUPPORTING OCULUS VR FOR EXTRA IMMERSION! $29.99

[@riddimbangerrecords5428]

This plugin is amazing

[@OverlookeDEnT]

I only see Beyerdynamic DT-990 PRO and DT-880 PRO headphones and the official EQ list. On waves' website it shows those models without the PRO. Are those still part of the list? @6:31 it looks like Mr. Stiles is using the PRO version of the DT-880's?

[@akazicprod]

Wanna know too!

[@OverlookeDEnT]

@@akazicprod according to WAVES customer support the PRO version is good to go for this plugin.

[@ractorjones2428]

I tried it. Its amazing. Are those big speakers up there mastering speakers?

[@HollywoodVirtualAudio]

So you have one of the 12 supported headphones?

[@danielstaff4742]

@@HollywoodVirtualAudio The plugin supports any headphones, the 12 headphones listed in the plugin are just eq correction curves. if you want to correct you headphones its better to use sonarworks with this plugin as it more accurate.

[@Matthew-ez4ze]

I downloaded the trial into Pro Tools 2019.6 and selected the Sennheiser 280 HD headphones that I use for singers. I was impressed! I don't like mixing on headphones, but this plugin does a great job. The Near, Mid, and Far placed monitor function is helpful as it offers different perspectives on mixes. Great product if you want to mix in headphones, I don't get the negative comments.

[@calebovich]

Why would you call something “snake oil” or “gimmick” if you haven’t tried it?

[@Stevo7388]

The headphones need to be calibrated because not all headphones are the same. They have different frequency responses.

[@oranmoked1]

Abbey Road Studio 3 has EQ calibration for some of the most popular pro headphone models

[@Stevo7388]

@@oranmoked1 yea i know but the description says "any headphones".

[@HollywoodVirtualAudio]

@@oranmoked1 , yes but there are only 12 of theme. In theory, your headphones should be flat before adding Studio 3. If in-fact that's what the EQ calibrator does, another way to make your headphones flat is Sonarworks, Reference 4. They support 247 headphone models. Took them years to reach that number.

[@oranmoked1]

Yup, the spatial immersive effect (like sound coming from real speakers) works with ANY headphones, any model. The EQ calibration is a bonus, available for some models.

[@dopesensi]

Hollywood Virtual Audio so add sonarworks and then this plug in after on your master bus ? Won't that decorate the sound a little ?

[@limetones5429]

Wow! I Hope it will be great! I love WAVES plugins.

[@rodrigodesimone9404]

How can I put Abbey Road Studios 3 on the master bus together with Sonarworks Reference 4 to have an acoustic correction of my hearing aids? (AKG k240 mkII)

[@jacobsmith1877]

Rodrigo Desimone use Sonarworks before this to correct your headphones

[@rodrigodesimone9404]

@@jacobsmith1877 Thanks you very much!!!!

[@WARDISWARD]

Did they also model the beatles ?

[@DavidKfilmmaker]

Can it be used effectively for film post work/theaters?

[@lauschendelippen-thiskanal1070]

Hello, I have the Bayerndynamik DT 770 Pro (250 OHM) Can i take the DT 880 250Ohm in the presettings or it is possible, that in the future is planing a update for the dt770 pro? ?

[@lexluthor9705]

It is really more immersive with the head tracker. It works really well!

[@citadelo5ricks]

What's "the wold"?

[@lacikollar64]

I can feel the difference especially in Bass for sure with headphones alone I could get confused not so sure, so yeah this software is not a joke

[@bitriplex]

ESL here. I learnt what snake oil means thanks to this vst. I will try the trial. Is the ATM50x headphones supported?

[@leandrosilva6414]

Please make a calibration for the Sennheiser HD-25! Its one of the most used headphones in the world and its very handy for travel!

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

For the Sennheiser eh350 too!

[@backspin6698]

This sounds like snakeoil to me. Love the Abbey road reverbs, but this?!?

[@TerenceKearns]

what about the concept of trying things out. Get a demo, if you don't think it contributes anything to your workflow, don't buy it.

[@missepicmandy]

headphones only?

[@simplelawnservices3883]

So le me get this straight. This is solely for referencing your mixes correct? Like an "A - B" kind of thing?

[@waves]

That is correct.

[@cgonzt5636]

Nice idea interesting.. anybody bought? How was it? But my HP is just Sony MDR 7506, is that ok?

[@theycallmefilip]

Holy mother of gimmicks... This actually exists. So let's see if I understand. You place this thing last in your main bus chain so you can emulate the way your project would sound like inside Studio 3. It's pretty straight-forward, but I'm missing the "why" of the situation. Some use case scenarios would enlighten me a bit.

[@oranmoked1]

Main use cases: 1. If you need to mix on headphones (because you don’t happen to be in a great acoustically treated room, or you’re traveling, or you need to turn the volume down at night etc) - you can use this plugin to better predict how your headphone mix will translate to speakers. 2. Even if you have a good room, it’s another good reference to check your mix on, to help it translate well to as many playback environments.

[@theycallmefilip]

@@oranmoked1 Look, I do FOH mixing a lot. It's always a royal pain to set up the PA to sound as transparent as possible using SMAART and reference mics. So color me skeptical when they say it works with everything. I wouldn't trust my mix to a translation of an emulation of processing of my audio. There's just waaay too much room for error. And here's an unpopular opinion: in 2019 you either listen on a crappy mono phone speaker or on headphones. You don't even need the 15" studio behemoths you're praising.

[@Gw49172]

And you did not include the hd650..

[@Gw49172]

@@matrixate How does it make sense?

[@samgarrone4048]

@@matrixate What headphones would you recommend for mixing?

[@bigchat1232]

Wow!! So much negativity on this plugin. Has anyone tried it to substantiate that it's shit? Most of Waves Plugins I have used are very good so on reputation I would assume that this plugin does what it says on the tin. Whether it will mean the mixes translate can only be verified from actual use but to me this sounds like a decent plugin. Best to try the demo first

[@HollywoodVirtualAudio]

The idea that Waves would release this with only 12 pairs of headphones supported is unfortunate.The surround aspect is nice and appears to work well but I'm not hearing things as I should because my Shure 1540's didn't make the cut. Can't calibrate with Sonarworks in surround because it's stereo only. I'm going to spend some time with this in stereo.

[@bigchat1232]

@@HollywoodVirtualAudio after checking the specs my headphones don't make the cut either. I have Yamaha MT8 headphones. For them not to be included as well as other top headphones used by studio engineers unfortunately even I as a Waves Plugin fan can't really back them on this product. Without even trying them I'm giving it 1 star out of 5 for not adding more headphones to the list of calibrated eq for different headphones

[@HollywoodVirtualAudio]

@@bigchat1232 I'm going to try this in stereo with Sonarworks in front of it and see what happens. When Sonarworks first came out they only calibrated a hand full of headphones. Now some years later they calibrate 280. (Waves has removed the original list of 12 headphones from their website.)

[@duppykitoon]

People will actually buy this. Amazing.

[@johngiblin259]

5.03 .."you kinda have to make these judgements over speakers --and that is what this plug-in allows you to do,. but over headphones" hello?.. ??-what a f'n prat!

[@latenzcy]

not worth it if not all headphones are caliberated like audio technica 50mx

[@thekaratesuit]

so when you're done mixing... do you bounce with this plug-in on? or do you bypass it and then bounce? 🤔

[@chrishall8458]

Bypass

[@oranmoked1]

Bypass before you mix down.

[@thelinkofperfectioncharity9469]

If you don't Bypass, Your Mix would sound like a Room Mike Recording

[@gidiyongidi17]

Its a reference plugin dude correct with this plugin that's all u become a world no 1 sound engineer !!! -)

[@ractorjones2428]

Now make it for the VIVE (VR).

[@mongobeni4992]

I buyed old chinese closed back headphones for 10 bucks, and the bass & overall frequency response is pretty close to my studio monitors jbl lsr, and way better than my new semi-open back average-pro mixing headphones. Can't know why!

[@ljosdreki]

I only have one question. Is it possible to record the outcome of this? I mean could you put this on a stereo bus?

[@Mic1904]

Since it's a plugin, I see no reason why you couldn't use it in any capacity that you'd use any other plugin, so yes. That thought did cross my own mind (e.g. an 'in the room' effect).

[@rt.hinkel]

I don’t see why you would, but it’s certainly possible. Ideally this plugin would be turned off or bypassed when rendering the final mix, similar to other reference tools or corrective EQing.

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

@@rt.hinkel you can, as a creative and very different stereo effect processor.

[@CS-xi9dz]

Oh, c'mon. Do we really need this? Does the virtual assistant come on an external HD?

[@robertnatiello3814]

why not show or link to a simple mix production - use case rather than all these youtube walk throughs but no real use case demo? lots of folks are confused.

[@RichShumaker]

VR version Please

[@이지훈-m4j9w]

I want DT770 pro!!! please!!!

[@DavidRosario69]

A reboot of the Focusrite VRM?

[@HollywoodVirtualAudio]

Exactly what I thought just couldn't recall the name. The surround aspect is nice and appears to work well but I'm not hearing things as I should because my Shure 1540's are not yet supported. Can't calibrate with Sonarworks in surround because it's stereo only.

[@YASIR.K]

hope I can get one. 😍

[@HollywoodVirtualAudio]

I'll let you know Yasir.

[@YASIR.K]

Hollywood Virtual Audio Thanks.

[@HollywoodVirtualAudio]

The world is getting smaller my friend... Talk to you soon.

[@zaharishtonov]

This is one of those plug-ins that I'll never put again on my monitoring buss ever again! I have downloaded the demo today and here are my findings: - Immediately noticed the narrowing of the imaging which pretty much became the deal breaker right there! All the panning got squashed and unrealistic compared to what I have left in a recently finished and submitted mix. I have tried all three profiles of monitors - Nearfields, Mid and Mains. They all do it with almost no difference. - The Nearfields and the Mains (or they called it "Far") introduce a certain amount of bass boost to your mix which will become a problem when mixing by making you do actually the wrong mix decisions and have less bass in your mix since you hear more of it during mixing. It was more expressed while using the Far/Main monitors. Also due to the imaging skewing the low end seems to be scooped up just more towards the center field. I've also actually lost my depth that should be perceived normally. - I have been monitoring through my AKG K712 Pro Reference Headphones, all calibrated for the given task. I understand they are uncommon due to the higher price tag so I was not surprised they are not listed in the EQ section. However after trying the different EQ profiles, they made little to no difference to me sonically. There were some perceived changes but not by a lot. I am using a professional calibration software for my headphones running on my monitoring buss at all times and I know how much difference a corrected EQ curve can do. Overall, I am disappointed that Waves did not deliver this time despite all the effort I am sure they put in this product. A plug-in of this sort is supposed to affect your listening experience, not destroy it. Not trying to be harsh, but honest to my findings. Maybe a future update could fix the imaging issues that totally ruin the functionality of this plug-in.

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

Guy didn't do the homework, now he doesn't understand the plugin, sounds like he doesn't even know in what part of the signal path it goes. Those are precisely the things that make this plugin useful!

[@zaharishtonov]

Andrei Martinez Agras - Where else would you put it?

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

@@zaharishtonov read the manual.

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

@UChXEkqVY4Ka8Xe4harxcW8A what is not nice at all is to bash a product that has a lot of potential and might help a lot of people expand their monitoring options because you don't want to read the manual or because you expect the plugin to sound like the room you are used to or simply because you don't care for the people involved in the research and development of new products. You know what is not nice? Trying to push your narrative citing a "pro mixer" from LA and then editing your comment just because you might risk loosing clients or worst, maybe, just maybe because that was a lie. Have the courage to learn the manual, ask for help, contact tech support and try the plugin for more than one day and then don't buy it if you don't like it and write something that actually might help people who potentially have no need for this plugin like you supposedly are. Then, everybody will shut up and thank you for expressing something of value even though that might dissuade some of us from getting what is probably a great tool.

[@zaharishtonov]

@@AmagrasMUSIC - You did not answer my question! Instead you are giving me this whole rant... So, I am going to ask you again: What do you think I am doing differently than what the manual says? Where does the plug-in go? If you can answer that, there might be a conversation here.

[@andrewooleongwei3543]

everybody knows that there is no 100% flat headphones response out there & how does this plugins makes my headphones sound like abbey road studios?? the headphone profile was so limited how will this plugins makes my headphones sound flat & sound like abbey road studios when i was using the headphones that don't have the profile in the plugins?

[@rickblackers88]

It's been very helpful to start the mix via ABS3 then checking the mix in the monitors (by passing the plugin).Mu mixing room lies in the lo end stuff so with ARS3 i can take better eq decisions and a better balance of bass instruments.It's strange and almost hard to believe but it works really well if you use it from scratch before eq or compression.To put it in a finished mix is senseless.

[@raphexe]

I believe you're supposed to use it at the very last spot in your chain

[@JimijaymesProductions]

Abbey road studio 3 where Pink Floyd recorded Wish You Were Here, and then they ripped it apart and rebuilt it so it now has nothing to do with Wish You Were Here.....Name dropping at its finest Waves.

[@oranmoked1]

Pink Floyd mixed their work in the new (current) incarnation of Studio 3 in the late 80s.

[@JimijaymesProductions]

@@oranmoked1 yes particularly note was delicate sound of thunder which was one of the first albums done there after it was redone but in the intro they talked about wish you were here. They should of just said 'pink floyd mixed here or something'

[@pvampman]

I'll try it when it's on sale for $29 but what about my 2k$ monitors about about 3k$ worth of bass traps and all that work i did to tune my room? SMH!

[@SaveManWoman]

Waves has found new way to market for ____________.

[@positivityfunction]

It works well.

[@e.apollis2877]

so we doing it wrong all the time???

[@gidiyongidi17]

No its a scientific calibration with studio room Thats y, Abbey road is a professional studio, so its next step in mixing to all home studio musicians! Thn check with compressor (Attack&release) for this plugin!!! Thn u should be knw dont forget mixing with half volume from ur sound card.

[@battleofwills7189]

Looks and sounds like a great idea, but I don't have headphones. There's a pair of Sennheiser's or beyerdynamic's that I've got my eye on.

[@guyg.8192]

Please release IOS version 🙋🏻‍♂️ auv3 support

[@yellowPINEAPPLE1]

S N A K E O I L

[@guitarmon100]

Can someone explain why you wouldn't want to keep it on during exporting if it improves the sound so much? Does it simply not translate to speaker systems? If so, how can you trust it to be a reliable portrait of what your music will sound like on those other systems? Won't your exported mix sound quite different than what you were listening to in "Abbey Road Studio 3 Control Room"?

[@SjimDeKat]

It’s basically a simulation of what your music would sound like in that studio, specifically for headphones. Imagine you leaving the plugin on, and then playing the export in your car for example. You would play a simulation for headphones of a studio in your car, which isn’t the goal. Because the left and right signals never collide on headphones, it’s impossible to predict how they would “clash” together on any type speakers. Many frequencies can create issues or build up when colliding, so that’s the main thing this plugin does. Emulate what would happen in a perfect studio room with high end speakers, to simulate the feeling of reliable speakers/room. I don’t have an acoustic treated space with expensive speakers, which in my case makes a plugin like this heaven. I really get a chance to hear mistakes I otherwise wouldn’t hear. My main tip for this would be to use it together with regular headphone mixing/producing. The switch in between sounds will make you reconsider stuff you otherwise won’t, and give you a fresh view of your work while switching. With the head tracker I feel my ears don’t fatigue as fast either, as there is movement in volume, which otherwise is very consistent on regular headphone mixing, causing my ears to get tired faster. (I feel like with constantly hearing the same positioning like we do with headphones, my ears adjust to it, which is not something we want while mixing. I try to compare it to looking stationary at a bright light for a while, it leaves a spot on your sight. I think the same goes for hearing something consistently. With subtly moving those “spots” don’t appear as fast) It’s a matter of giving this a shot IF you don’t have a reliable room and/or high end speakers. Get used to the sound of the abbey road studio and try to find a way to implement it into your workflow. In my opinion it’s never a bad thing to hear your own work in several spaces. That we live in a time where we can get a pretty close simulation of an insanely expensive studio is a blessing by itself!

[@aemaury]

this is a disney world ride, not a mixing tool.

[@niniomigrania_]

I don't want it, I need it

[@raphexe]

everybody in the comments is bitching like idiots, I bet not even half tried the plug-in in an honest, unbiased way. you're all bitching because you want to justify how much you paid for your gear, and reassure yourself that it was worth it lol. I have expensive gear too, but I'm still curious about this plug in. I tried it for a week, i like it very much. It's nice to have a "room" to work with when you're on headphones. The mix I made with it translated very well on other systems, simple as that. only one con so far = the plugin introduces some latency.

[@DefDiffMusicTV]

dope

[@Unknown93]

280 PRO niiiiicee o/

[@richardaling5278]

Listen up owners of the AKG K714 like me: There are just a few choices for headphones, a great disappointment. There is the AKG K704 listed but don't choose that, choose 'none'. I tried to match as close as i could with my own nearfieldmonitors (Kali lp6) Most of the settings carry way too much boomy low-end. The default sounds so much more like a room and above all: the low-end is right:) Great plugin for A-B-C. Oh, and those midfieldmonitors? I would sell them right away!

[@henrikhansson1]

Hmm... Why would I want my headphones to sound like a room? I mean, I'm using headphones to get rid of all the room acoustics....

[@GrahamPrior]

Henrik Hansson all your rooms acoustics

[@henrikhansson1]

@@GrahamPrior ?

[@battleofwills7189]

@@henrikhansson1 - He means that you are trying to eliminate your own studios acoustics. With this plugin, you would be replacing your room with Abbey Road.

[@henrikhansson1]

Battle of Wills Yes, and WHY would I want that? So gimmicky...

[@battleofwills7189]

@@henrikhansson1 - Yes, it may very well be a gimmick. I don't have headphones to give it a demo.

[@TheVenusProjectInfo]

"any pair of headphones" haha

[@derekchapman5167]

Given that almost no headphones/monitors have a completely flat frequency response, the same joke could be made about mixing traditionally on any headphones or any speakers.

[@TheVenusProjectInfo]

@@derekchapman5167 this software is emulating the frequency response of a particular array of speakers in a particular room so having headphone calibration options for specific headphones is different to using any headphones

[@JEKm_]

1:28 que grande messi con el cafecito

[@drobert340]

ese es pratto jaja

[@keepmovinent7679]

Now this is over doing it waves ....😑..seriously

[@Nimbus849]

Is the restroom gonna be included? Lol

[@TiagoNugentComposer]

i dont think you guys know how headphones work

[@vikashpianoman]

Cool.. #vikashpianoman

[@joechill772]

If you put a stereo recorder in front of your pair of monitors, it will sound like if you are in front of those monitors. That’s the basic idea. Now, add like a lots of sound engineering formulas, lots of programming, and we get what this plugin does. 🤔🤔🤔

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

No, stereo doesn't work for this.

[@marcv2290]

i download it now....am corious...l... also its very weird that they name pink floyd but they recorded they album long bevore the studio built new in the 80s ^^

[@oranmoked1]

Pink Floyd also mixed in Studio 3 in the late 80’s, after the control room was renovated to its current state. Mirek Stiles describes that a few minutes into this video: Pink Floyd were the very first clients who used Studio 3 in its current incarnation.

[@skipstream2]

Is it April Fool's day? Come on, what's the actual point? You can't change the physical properties of your headphones to sound like the far field monitors there. Really pointless imo.

[@loloderxd]

The Plug ins sounds awful. My headphones cost like 1.000 €. Sorry, but I want my money back.

[@Alejoblocks]

WHAT ???

[@johncuba1612]

SNAKE OIL !

[@inc06nito]

SNAKE OIL

[@inc06nito]

Agree.

[@inc06nito]

If you wan't abbey road sound, this is not the plugin for it since it's not going to impart that avbey road thingy in the mix. Instead it will. Make you commit wrong mixing decisions

[@mohitrahaman]

OMG

[@blancodeplomo]

Hahaha

[@keysbythenumbers]

So emulating acoustics and then forcing them on the end users headphones for a perfect phony mix environment. Seriously...! They might as well be picture s of cardboard boxes so I can think the sound is coming from that. Then at least I came be blown away that such crap is producing amazing sound. Great, now how much mixing for a paid client will happen at Abbey Roads using this.....what's that, "Oh yeah". NONE!

[@kingech_B15]

wow lolz

[@NewVine]

So irresponsible. Shame on you guys. If you respected your own industry, you’d rather sell lemonade than fall from grace this far to make a buck.

[@nickangel6596]

Wahahahahahahahaha!

[@jimbeam4694]

Yea no thanks...

[@SuperSaiyanScandinavian]

this video should have way more dislikes given that it's snake oil and actually makes your mix sound like trash

[@adissabovic]

More confusion? Great! 🤓 Utter nonsense...😂😂😂😂😂

[@documentingordinarythoughts]

Nope