Nebula

[Krank]

I figure its time for an updated evaluation thread here.

For me, it's a very promising tool so far - I've come to replace as many ordinary plug-ins as CPU allows.

Pros:

- Fidelity (has to be experienced)
- Versatility (almost everything in one plug; pres, comps, EQs, reverbs, etc.)
- Amazing value (€20 for Nebula2, which uses the same engine as Nebula3 and provides access to the entire library, €80 for Nebula3 is still extremely cheap)
- Support (friendly staff, quick to help and very open to suggestions)

Cons:
- CPU (a dozen or so EQs will bring a Core2Duo to its knees)
- Irregular presets (many are duds, dynamics tend to distort very easily)
- Windows only (yeah, well)

[Empty Planet]

All in all, it's pretty remarkable, methinks.

But it is, for all intents and purposes, an fx sampler, and therein lies its greatest "flaw" as well -- it's only as good as the sample patch you've pulled up.

A great number of the presets in Nebula are, as you stated and IMHO as well, less than stellar. True, one can remove them if one removes the properly named files from the proper folders, and it's also true that this will improve as more and more users sample better and better gear. But the fact remains that many of the patches one can currently pull up are underwhelming.

On the other hand, the dozen or so patches that work for me really do something special, and in some cases with a quality that I've yet to see matched in plugin form. This, for me, makes all my quibbles about lesser patches pale a bit in insignificance. This plugin can really have astonishing quality with the right patch in the right situation.

I was a low-level beta tester for them, and I was HAPPY to contribute the full price for Nebula3 (over and above their protests!) because I truly, actually believe in the technology they're pioneering. I really think they're on to something.


Cheers.

[Arksun]

You forgot to add to the pro's list:

Constantly expanding set of presets with more and more hi-end gear being sampled.

Amazing plugin, just keeps getting better and better!

[lordnielson]

you may wanna check this out.

I don't think that I've ever (flavour-of-the-month-syndrome taken into consideration) heard a Vst verb sound as good.

[DaveC]

I think that Nebula is a very nice concept,
especially within an audio-editor.
You can process/render a signal within a program like Sound Forge
as many times as you like.
It, however, takes a little basic experience, but the results are
astonishing!
Still not analog, but what do you expect?

[david1103]

i would agree with mr empty planet... some of the presets are amazing! some of them don't even work...

the ones that are amazing are FAR better than any plugin on the market, they sound somehow 'real' rather than the plastic of most plugins... somehow 'analogue'. you need to hear it to understand! its not just some new plugin, it really is a whole new level of sound quality in the world of plugins.

perhaps we can talk about the great presets... mr planet, which ones are you using?

i very much like the vintage eq, vintage phaser (when it works, depending on program material), ssl eq, the new hispasonic reverbs, vintage plate, analogue channel... the list goes on, there are just so many to choose from. I intend to delete all the ones what won't get used, saves time thinking about them!

i suggest anyone who doesn't 'risk' £20 to try this needs serious help

[lordnielson]

What's the difference between the 20 and the 80 Euro version ?
(apart from 60 Euros)

[Empty Planet]

Hey David,

I probably just use what everybody else does. There are various eq flavors that are really quite nice, I probably use it more for eqs than anything else. Sometimes the 747 compressor -- though of course the attack and release can controls are hardly what you would call sensitive -- can add a punch that nothing else quite can, but it's highly track dependent. Occasionally I've found some of the other compressors quite impressive, but it's hit and miss, the Nebula compressors aren't predictable enough for me to consider them "workhorse" tools. A tiny bit of the Vitalizer effect is pretty remarkable sometimes.

I haven't found a real use for the Analogue Channel type settings, but maybe I haven't found the proper method to realize such a subtle effect in the context of a mix. How do you wind up using the thing?


Cheers.

[mOjO FET]

Here are a couple of examples


After all these discussions I had to post these because I think they sound so good.

Michael

[philipc]

Its very early days and this plugin is already a world beater in many respects. Some of the presets aren't amazing but thats due to what they were sampling was not too amazing. Some others are however astonishing and I think before too long the preset list will be a wishlist of all the top equipment in the world pretty much.

I, however, am most looking forward to the release of the Sampler so I can make my own experimental presets. There are so so many things that could be sampled. Basically anything that will pass acoustic, vibrational or electrical energy :D

[Krank]

Maybe we could make a list here of unusable presets. I can't remember off the top of my head, but there are quite a few.

Originally Posted by lordnielson

What's the difference between the 20 and the 80 Euro version ?
(apart from 60 Euros)

So far, only the interface, although this is quite a value in itself, as the old interface is awkward to maneuver. By buying Nebula 3 you also get access to future improvements, as Nebula 2 is a closed case.

[mOjO FET]

I think every preset is usable it just depends on what you want to use it and how far you are willing to go creatively.

Maybe we could do a list with presets that work well on certain things or categories and don't on others.

Michael

[lordnielson]

Originally Posted by Krank

Maybe we could make a list here of unusable presets. I can't remember off the top of my head, but there are quite a few.



So far, only the interface, although this is quite a value in itself, as the old interface is awkward to maneuver. By buying Nebula 3 you also get access to future improvements, as Nebula 2 is a closed case.

So you get the 5-6 gig library with Nebula 2 ?

[Krank]

Originally Posted by lordnielson

So you get the 5-6 gig library with Nebula 2 ?

Yes, so far the library is the same for both.

[True North]

Just when you think you have enough CPU power someone comes along and foks it all up for you

This thing is an absolute PIG on resources. The technology is great but it is perhaps just a little too far ahead of its time. The gui is still not ideal but it is useable. I do agree that this plug in is extremely cheap for what you are getting.

They need to work on a better solution for the EQ patches. Controlling one EQ band per patch is not how I want to work. If I wanted to have access to a four band EQ I would need to run four instances of some of the patches tutt That is not how I want to work.

Compressors, Reverb and Tape plugs are good and useable but it is hard for me to dedicate up to 12% of my Dual - Dual Cores resources towards one plug instance. Maybe in a few years when we all 16+ cores and a DAW that can properly manage that kind of power, this plug will become more of a reality.

Until then this plug will get very sparing use by me personally.

[mOjO FET]

Next year we'll see the rise of the Octocores which should be sufficient CPU power for this kinda processing (We already had reported 40 instances of Nebula on a quadcore).

For now I'm fine with my dual core mixing one track at a time with 6 to 8 instances at the highest quality and then just bouncing. And for that sound I'd even do it with half the power.

Michael

[Kyle Ashley]

I was surprised by just inserting the Mackie VLZ panner at its imaging compared to the internal Samplitude pan. The interface is still klunky in some ways, and I get some crackling and popping on some presets, but I do like the verbs. The tape sims show promise as well.

Back to the panner as I insert that a bit...I wish it would snap or detent back to center. It's pretty fiddly trying to get the slider quickly back to 0.

[mOjO FET]

Originally Posted by Kyle Ashley

Back to the panner as I insert that a bit...I wish it would snap or detent back to center. It's pretty fiddly trying to get the slider quickly back to 0.

Press ctrl while clicking left. It centers all sliders in Nebula.


And yeah the panner is great. It really gives you the sound that makes it come "out of" your speaker.

Michael

[Kyle Ashley]

Thanks for the tip!!

[Krank]

le bump

[marcan]

Nobody noticed phase issue with the verbs? It's particularly obvious when it's used as send fx...

[zaphod]

verbs are without pre-delay at all. The amount of predelay should be inserted using a different plug-in or adding delay from the host (almost every host has such control), a tipical reverb amount is around 80 milliseconds, but it's better if you tune with the host tempo. We'll add the pre-delay control as soon as possible!

[Krank]

A couple of months have passed since I started this thread, and the library has been expanded.

Updated opinions? To me, the EQ presets definately remain Nebula's strongest asset.

[Cadde]

Originally Posted by zaphod

We'll add the pre-delay control as soon as possible!

Nice to hear ! thumbsup

cadde

[zephonic]

I downloaded the free Nebula and Aquavox from their website and have been using them for a few days now. The sound is pleasantly 'analog', and definitely worth checking it out. I really like how they make stuff sound classy with little effort.

Problem is, opening instances within Cubase 4.5.2 makes the system (Intel iMac) somewhat unstable. Example: with a few instances open I can not save during playback. If I do, crackles pop up, and the only way to get rid of them is to exit and restart Cubase.

I suspect it has something to do with delay compensation, because when inserted on a track, switching between 'dry' and 'processed' produces strange artifacts that are all time-related. And this at 1024 samples!

Still, if the full version is bomb-proof and reliable, I think their asking price is an absolute bargain.

[rolo95]

What are the good presets
so i delete the crappy ones..