Waves is having another "blowout" sale - How does Kramer Tape compare to others?

Discussion in 'Software' started by Cav Emp, Sep 29, 2016.

  1. Cav Emp

    Cav Emp Audiosexual

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    I know I could demo it, or download the cracked verison or whatever. I'm asking for opinions. I'm at work right now and won't be home for several hours, and I'd like to know what everyone thinks of Kramer Tape.

    I already have Satin, and frankly I couldn't be happier with it. But at $50 for Kramer tape (which is normally $250 or something crazy) I'm giving it a good hard look. At the very least, I could probably sell it for 2-3 times what I pay for it if I got it in this sale.

    They have deals on their compressors too. The LA2A and LA3A and DBX emu's. And again, I own the u-he counterpart, whom I feel just makes superior plugins. But I haven't demoed the waves stuff in a good while and my ears have improved since. Plus lots of you guys have better ears than me. My gear lust is nagging me and I'm looking for someone to talk me into, or out of, buying some crap I don't need


    oh and here's the link to the sale
    http://www.waves.com/specials?utm_s...st-view|paging:currentPage=0|paging:number=20




    And if anyone actually buys something from them and is feeling charitable, you can use my referral link. It'll deduct 10% from your purchase and credit the same amount to my waves account. I almost hate to add this in because I loathe salesmen and I don't want to come off like a shill. But you know... I have a gear addiction :hillbilly:
    http://refer.waves.com/emHpb
     
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  3. thantrax

    thantrax Audiosexual

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    Damn, too late. Just ordered a Grado sr60. :)
     
  4. Cav Emp

    Cav Emp Audiosexual

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    Tbh it'll probably serve you better than Waves plug-ins

    I hate to be like this, but I just don't feel drawn to Waves. Them and Native Instruments. I know lots of people love them both, but I'd pick izotope, u-he, fabfilter, image-line, klanghelm, cytomic, etc etc etc before either of those guys.
     
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  5. sisyphus

    sisyphus Rock Star

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    Hey CavEmp, I am no expert on this, and nor have I done a comprehensive shootout or anything, but my opinion is this..:

    If you already have the U-he Satin, you should be covered... I think the u-he is more cpu intensive probably, but imho, better... Kramer tape is fine (the few times I have used it), but what you have is better.... of course if it doesn't rock your boat, or you could flip it for 2-3x, i would consider that... but i don't think i would spend money on both unless u-he was crushing my cpu.... just my .02..!

    peace! hope you are well..
     
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  6. Medrewb

    Medrewb Platinum Record

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    I think the cla compressors are real nice if you can buy (the are my go to compressors). Kramer tape..not that necessary but with that price..I am having a second thought :).

    I care less about dbx comp
     
  7. The Kramer Master Tape is very, very good, but it is a one horse town. It does a superb emulation of 1/4 inch, but that's it. Satin does way many more things. KMT is very very level sensitive - strict EBU -18dB on the input side, but when you find the sweet spot it adds a kiss of gold that Satin just doesn't, in my opinion. It depends what you want and what you like, it's a mastering side plug rather than a 2-bus or channel plug, again in my opinion.

    I kept the KMT, I pulled Satin (along with all uhe stuff for the same reason I pulled all Tone 2, the cracks are more trouble than the software's worth). A very honorable mention should also be made of the Tonebooster emu, which is like a few bucks.
     
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  8. Von_Steyr

    Von_Steyr Guest

    Take the Kramer Tape and run, bro.
    Its one of their top plugins.
     
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  9. Cav Emp

    Cav Emp Audiosexual

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    i trust your opinion... inexplicably :rofl:
    Thanks for the advice bro.

    I'm quite sure I could. I see Kramer and J37 on the GS classifieds all the time selling for as much as $175.
    Satin is most def not crushing my cpu. I was mostly just intrigued by the price tag tbh. I try to live by the rule of limiting your options so as to not smother creativity, but it's hard to have too many options for saturation. It's more of a sound quality thing and less of a creative one (although Satin has innumerable creative uses, especially from the compander module)
     
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  10. Satin is great. Save up your money for my Christmas present. December is just 'round the corner.
     
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  11. Von_Steyr

    Von_Steyr Guest

    I could give you an in depth review of why its good stuff.I will just say that i use it as much as satin if not more.
     
  12. Rogelio

    Rogelio Member

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    Well it´s a good emulation but I prefer Satin over KMT, in terms of CPU and sound.
     
  13. Wurlie Rocker

    Wurlie Rocker Producer

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    BTW Waves intros Abbey Road Vinyl today, "a precise model of Abbey Road Studios’ vinyl cutting and mastering gear, offering the vintage warmth of vinyl records played on classic turntables and needles".
     
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  14. ed-enam

    ed-enam Rock Star

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    If I were to choose just one plugin out of my three favourites: SSL compressor, NLS and Kramer, I would go for Kramer. Cav, grab it man. It is one of their best.
     
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  15. Cav Emp

    Cav Emp Audiosexual

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    No need to go in depth. I was being a jackass for lulz but I do trust your opinions. If you say it's good, it's good. For $50 I guess I'll pony up and get it tomorrow when I get paid.
     
  16. Cav Emp

    Cav Emp Audiosexual

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    Will do. You said you wanted the Cymatics bundle right? And some Vengeance samples?
     
  17. Cav Emp

    Cav Emp Audiosexual

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    Now that you mention ranking them, how does it stack up to J37? I've heard people talk about J37 being as good or better, and it seems to be more full-featured and more expensive.

    Not that any of this matters, because Kramer is what's on sale and I'm not going to spend $250-300 on another tape emu when I have Satin (and presumably Kramer Tape soon), but your post has piqued my curiosity.


    Post script - excuse the triple post. As the good man @statik once said notably, I haz the dumbz
     
  18. It depends what you want. I don't use the J37 at all, because I don't particularly want my music to sound like it was recorded on a well run-in 60s transport running indifferently made 60s thick oxide glued on a thick carrier. Some people do. It works best I think with acoustic material. The thing I like about the Kramer is that it is a distillation of what good tape sound like, whereas the J37 is acoustic archeology. But hey it's what you want and what you like, right?

    Beware the gold rush. Oh I must have the new SnarfBlat because its new and its a SnarfBlat. The only people making money in a goldrush are the people selling shovels.
     
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  19. Mind you, the SnarfBlat has been my secret weapon and is on every single channel both on the way in as well during mix time on the way out. It just adds that certain "je ne said quoi" that is reminiscent of all our greatest and loved albums from the analog heyday of the sixties, seventies and eighties. Just running a mix through my monitors people have thought that they even smelled that old-time and specific scent of hot tubes after gear has been running for a couple of hours. I highly recommend them and couldn't work without them. They are expensive as plug-ins go, but if they were cheap they wouldn't be nearly as great as they are. Massenberg, Vig, Albini and Kendrick Lemar all swear by them, even Massenberg!. If they aren't available over on the sister site you can hit me up and I'll send you a link from my personal stash. Love.
     
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  20. Cav Emp

    Cav Emp Audiosexual

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    Thought so. Well you know I can't say no to you...
     
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