Opinions on Nebula3...is it worth it? [Archive] (2024)

Bevosss

01-11-2008, 08:05 PM

I've read so many differing opinions on this, I thought I'd ask the Reaper userbase their experience on it.

I'm specifically interested in how it fares as a tape sim (and vs say Am-Track or PSP Vintage Warmer), and also the APe preset as well (is that code for API?) Are any of these in the free release to try, and if so what's the actual preset name?

CPU doesn't really bother me, I'm on a quad now so I'll just render as new take when necessary.

It's still 80Euros for a little while longer with their Sampler, so it's a good time to decide. Cheers for any replies.

Resonance

01-11-2008, 08:36 PM

I'm kind of torn as to what to say... I'll explain why.

I've been using Nebula 3 since it came out. I like the plug. Most of the presets are really subtle, so it's not like smashing something with Vintage Warmer, but they definitely add a certain polish.

The tapes are good (as such), but they'll never BE tape. They have tape 'characteristics' - some of them are subtle, and some are really over the top as to be unusable unless you're looking for a special effect. However some of them do impart a nice gelling effect to tracks processed with them.

I tend to just play with the Tape and Mic Pre presets. Again, as with the tapes the quality varies a fair bit. High end presets (like the API - sorry Bevo, can't think of the name offhand) you'd expect would sound great but personally I don't think they do. Now, there are some amazing presets that come from more unlikely sources (like Behringer gear if you can believe it) that really do sound analog-ish and colorful.

It's a plug-in that you really need to spend time with. If you're into experimenting with subtle color shades for hours on end, then you'll love it. For $80 you can't go wrong. The technology is still in it's infancy, but it's fun to mess around with. And I'm looking forward to sampling my EL-8 Distressors with their new sampler thingy.

The development guys are super nice and friendly. It's just a shame that the website is such a travesty. The forum is a little unclear, and the d/l section is cryptic beyond belief.

I don't know if any of this makes sense - I feel a little skewiff at the moment. Sorry, it's been a long week, man... I can track down the name of that API preset if you want.

Bevosss

01-11-2008, 08:55 PM

Yeah I'm having mixed results too...surprisingly the FruitJoy EQ sounds really good for a quick EQ, whereas the comps they have seem really subtle.

Reso, if you could post the names of the better sounding tape sims and pres, that would be invaluable...cheers.

So you think the free download at 330MB is all you get? Or is their something else I need to download?

The price isn't too bad if I can use it, but that's what I'm trying to find out. :)

Resonance

01-11-2008, 09:05 PM

I've never played with the free version so I don't know - I assume 330MB is all you're gonna get with it. My Nebula 3 library folder is 7.34GB so it's kinda hard to compare the two.

I've gotta log off my net partition and boot into my DAW to find the preset names, so give me a few minutes.

Be back in a bit...

Resonance

01-11-2008, 09:44 PM

Ok. By far the best tapes are:

Sonnie Weather (VERY subtle)
Strudel A81 I
Strudel A81 II
Strudel A81 III
Color Tape
Tape 5042 I (Portico samples)
Tape 5042 II (Portico samples)

I would go out on a limb and say the three Strudels and the Color Tape are the VERY best.

Mic Pres I'm partial to:

Calculator 1061 - it softens transient material up very nicely (things feel mushy with it - I like it for acoustic guitars and some percussion that come across too sharp and harsh). This is one of my favourites actually.

4KG To Heaven
StateOfLogic I
StateOfLogic II
MAC vlz panner - all the different incarnations of the panner presets are good - it's interesting to compare panning in the DAW and panning with this preset instead... you'll have to draw your own conclusions though.
NIV Summing Amp

A complete preset list is here in PDF form:
http://asseca.com/downloads/NebulaPresetsDoc.zip

and here on the forum:
http://www.acusticaudio.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=426&highlight=api+512

And that API preset is called 512 Park Avenue.

Hope that helps a little. I would honestly recommend it if you've got some spare cash laying about - you might as well jump in while the price is right and start playing around with it. If the price is a little steep at the present moment, then hold off.

It's not a make or break plug-in (in my opinion). It's more of an artist's brush that can do some nice things if you're patient and dig in.

Bevosss

01-11-2008, 10:05 PM

Resonance

01-11-2008, 10:15 PM

csholtmeier

01-12-2008, 01:55 PM

I've demoed both Nebula3Free and the version of Nebula3 that came with an issue of Computer Music magazine.

Didn't really do it for me.

I ended up going with URS's Console Strip Pro and couldn't be happier. Far more useful, and not as expensive as the MSRP would lead you to believe. Some vendors are selling it as low as $475.

The input stage stuff is subtle but very usable.

Apparently the new John Ralston album was mixed almost entirely with CSPro, and I think it's one of the best new releases I've heard in quite a while.

susbemol

01-12-2008, 02:34 PM

Resonance

01-12-2008, 02:41 PM

The problem is, the real magic happens when you chain 6 or 7 Nebulas together... and unfortunately it takes a pretty hefty machine to do that - and the latency incurred is impractical in a regular studio situation.

Like I said, it's more for mucking about with at the moment. But it can sound fantastic.

The URS Classic Console Strip Pro looks pretty tasty though!

csholtmeier

01-12-2008, 02:47 PM

Resonance, could you demo CSPro and report back?

I'd like to hear some opinions from someone who has experience with the full version of Nebula with all the tapes.

Resonance

01-12-2008, 06:48 PM

Resonance, could you demo CSPro and report back?

I'd like to hear some opinions from someone who has experience with the full version of Nebula with all the tapes.
I don't have an iLok man, or I would... :(

PitchSlap

01-13-2008, 06:18 PM

I tried the free demo, and wasn't blown away, but I think the technology has great potential.

I might go for version 2 which has the same library as V3 but is only 30 euro.

If the sampling technology lives up to its potential, I think it could be great for even sampling plugins. I know a few of the users have sampled a few of the UAD plugins but I don't know how they sound compared to the originals.

irmak

01-13-2008, 06:27 PM

Jae.Thomas

01-13-2008, 07:45 PM

it has the worst gui in the past 10 years of audiosoftware.

I loaded it up, and shut it right down after attempting to use the irritating piece of crap it is.

I dont care how good the sounds are, imo they cant be good enough to justify such a crap interface.

please, no hurt feelings, this is all I M O

Bevosss

01-14-2008, 12:32 AM

Jae.Thomas

01-14-2008, 12:38 AM

So far, I think the reverbs are the best I've tried...just beautiful, I've replaced the 'vocal magic' impulse I was using (which is pretty nice also). It's a big cpu hit, but hey it's Reaper, it's easy to render once you've tweaked it.

WHERE is this vocal magic of which thine speaketh?

Bevosss

01-14-2008, 01:01 AM

WHERE is this vocal magic of which thine speaketh?

http://stash.reaper.fm/oldsb/55881/Reverb%20impulses%20from%20the%20Reaper-forum.zip

Jae.Thomas

01-14-2008, 01:59 PM

http://stash.reaper.fm/oldsb/55881/Reverb%20impulses%20from%20the%20Reaper-forum.zip

yay! sorry for the derail.

Bevosss

01-14-2008, 05:45 PM

Well this is weird...Nebula3 Reverb running the program Vocal III chews up around 0.25% cpu on my Quad (normal not econo mode too).

Whereas ReaVerb running the Vocal Magic impulse chews 0.60%...and I think the Neb3 one is a bit better as well.

Not such a hog in that instance anyway... :)

bmanic

01-15-2008, 10:58 AM

Nebula core engine is highly optimized. Seriously, the Nebula programs are number crunching an INCREDIBLE amount of data, hence the CPU usage.

- bManic

Bevosss

01-15-2008, 12:00 PM

Nebula core engine is highly optimized. Seriously, the Nebula programs are number crunching an INCREDIBLE amount of data, hence the CPU usage.

Oh for sure. I wanted to point out I'd found a low cpu use for it, surprisingly a (awesome!) reverb. I mean, 0.25%! Most of the programs are much higher than that.

There's a bit of a glitch when re-enabling the plugin (shift-clicking the insert or checking it's box) that I don't get in Ableton Live...I wonder why? Maybe it's a preference setting, I'm not sure.

Sam C

01-15-2008, 01:17 PM

it has the worst gui in the past 10 years of audiosoftware.

I loaded it up, and shut it right down after attempting to use the irritating piece of crap it is.

I dont care how good the sounds are, imo they cant be good enough to justify such a crap interface.

please, no hurt feelings, this is all I M O

people used to say this about reaper.............

Bevosss

01-15-2008, 01:20 PM

Whoops, big mistake! I'm actually getting much less cpu usage than that today, here's a comparison from 1 track on my quad:

Nebula3Reverb: 0.10%

Reaverbate: 0.31%

ReaVerb: 0.61%

Verbiage: 0.71%

if you leave it just sitting there, the cpu usage climbs quite high to around 5% for some reason...but while playing and for a while after, it's ultra-low, quite surprising given it's reputation as a hog.

And more to the point, it sounds great! Smooooth...

Sam C

01-15-2008, 01:38 PM

bmanic

01-15-2008, 04:08 PM

people used to say this about reaper.............

But reaper never was that bad though. I agree with Jason. The GUI has a lot of problems, one of them being that there are countless amounts of parameters. It's a GUI that is largerly inspired by a Kurzweil Kxxx series synthesizer! And it has an equal amount of parameters, if not more. Which is, of course, not sane.

Then again, Nebula2/3 is just a proof of concept and having the GUI as it is creates a natural selection among users. People who are intrigued by the technology will not really care about the GUI and still explore the possibilities whereas people who want to make music and not bother with workflow issues will avoid Nebula. This is a pretty good compromise at the moment (and seems to be made on purpose as well.. not sure about it though).

Cheers!
bManic

sebas777

01-15-2008, 04:18 PM

I'm another Nebula fan. The GUI is a bit weird (it could be simpler and less "80s"), but after spending a few minutes I learned how to use it, and some of the programs have really outstanding quality, matching or exceeding that of new Waves emulations.

Another amazing plugin is the VST amp simulator by BTE Audio.

Back to Nebula - could anyone post mp3 demos of tape emulations available in the full version ?

Bevosss

01-15-2008, 04:24 PM

I don't think it looks bad actually, I'm quite used to it now:

http://stash.reaper.fm/oldsb/18381/Nebula3-Reverb-Acustica-Audio.jpg

But here's what Giancarlo had to say about it today:

We are going to implement a simpler interface, though. Our idea is really simple. You open nebula and you have a simpler interface. But you could switch to "expert mode"

Sam C

01-15-2008, 04:29 PM

But reaper never was that bad though.

Cheers!
bManic

I remember someone coming to this site and his comment was almost an exact quote of Jasons, except he was directing it at reaper. I thought it was an odd reason not to check it out. But, he never did,

I also agree that GUI's can have a big influence on users. If Neb was open all the time I might be frustrated too. But like anything you try it gets easier to manuever and easier to tolerate.

To the topic though Neb 3 is really a great plug and the cutting edge of technology.......to me!

Bevosss

01-15-2008, 04:54 PM

To the topic though Neb 3 is really a great plug and the cutting edge of technology.......to me!

Even just for the verbs if nothing else!

I mean, a verb that uses the same low-cpu as Reagate and sounds the equal or better of most available plugins/impulses...and can only get better...it's a no-brainer for me.

Btw, here's the comparison between neb2 and neb3:

Anyone here know the difference between Nebula2 and Nebula3? Is it presets, or more? I think I read you can put Nebula3 on 2 computers, but Nebula2 you only get a licence for 1. I'm asking since Neb2 is much cheaper, and I can't seem to find that out searching their site. :)

Nebula2 and Nebula3 share the same libraries
Nebula3 has more editing features (for example the "renaming" feature) and a better workflow

Nebula3 users have got Nat2, which is the sampling application.
Nebula2 users will have Nat2 light, a cut-down of the sampling application.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
But the main difference between them is this one:

Nebula2 runs user libraries using 32 bits internal processing
Nebula3 runs user libraries using 64 bits internal processing

Both Nebula2 and Nebula3 run commercial libraries using 64 bits internal processing

Giancarlo even gave me a 3rd serial to run Reamote with....awesome customer service right there!