Hydratone...or something else?

[oranges]

I've read about a million (approx.) posts on Hydratone and decided to check it out. I like the sound of it. My question is, does it do anything that can't be achieved via other EQ's like Firium? If you ignore the hype around it, is it as good as everyone says? What made you make your purchase over something else? Please, no answers like 'use your ears' or 'if you can't hear it then you are deaf'! ha ha.

[Ruudman]

For me the trick is the phase option.
No other eq plug on the market can do that.
The convoluted eq types are rather impressive.
I've had some problems with HT in my setup, so I'd be sure to run the demo hard
if I were you.
Pretty cpu-heavy also, have that in mind.
As a coulorful alternative, URS runs cheap and stable.
But no phase setting, which makes it less flexible.

To sum it up:
It is as good or better than the hype tells you, but it's not as stable
as I want it to be.


ruudman

[oranges]

The URS plugs are a bit out of my range at the moment!

[BrianBrian]

Hydratone is a much more colorful EQ than Firium to my ears. As Ruudman said, the frequency-dependant phase shifting feature is unique in the plugin world. After finalizing my EQ settings, playing with the phase knob can yield some outstanding results. Another unique feature it has is the Fire knob, which adds some nice additional color to the track. There is also the "Blast" button, but to be honest I hardly ever use this.

So overall, I would say the best and most unique features, besides the very musical sound, are the phase knob, as well as the fact that you can choose the eq type on a per-band basis. This makes it extremely versatile, as you can use perhaps the API eq for the mids, and at the same time use the ISA110 mode for precise cuts, the 9098 mode for low-mid boosts, etc.

What sealed the deal for me was the fact that I could buy it with their other eq for under $100. I know you don't want to hear this, but you should really A/B it against the Firium on a few different tracks. Compared to most other plugins, even at the full $149 it is still very fairly priced.

Be advised though, the CPU usage is very high! On my system each instance uses 9-10% of my CPU. It is unfortunate that even when you disable bands, no resources are released.

[Circuitt]

What type of system are you using?

[thermos]

If you use a mac the cpu is way better. On my dual 2.0 g5 I get like 55 stereo instance or so. 75+ mono. Not bad.
Firium is probably the most different eq out there compared to hydratone. I for one don't like firium one bit (eqium is more interesting). Hydratone is thicker, and really builds nicely. If you are using 20 hydratones on a session as compared to (x=anything else) you don't get as much fuzzy buildup.

[Circuitt]

yo, thermos... hydra vs. urs, for drum kits...

[RhOdEz]

55 stereo instances of hydratone on 2 ghz dual mac ???
huh thats qute some news for me ,does it work okay in Logic ?
thats much,much better then number of instances on PeeCee ,i would like to hear more details

thanks

[thermos]

Definitely Hydra. I have had a TON of expeience with both, (urs a+N and hydratone). Urs are totally great, way better than most everything else. The N series is great on the lows, lots of push but is just plain papery and weird sounding once you get to 1 k or so. When I was using the urs stuff on drums I usually ended up using the n series for the bottom, and the a series for attenuating the top.
Hydra has a lot more push and punch in the lows as well as the highs, and I find I can mix drums brighter overall and they stay pleasing at more extreme settings.
For fun the other day I tried comparing the urs a series to hydratone api model, for a few VERY small cuts and boosts on an electric bass. I tried to duplicate the settings as close as possible, and the differences were far from subtle. The hydratone one sat more solidly in the mix while the a series was a little fuzzier.

[thermos]

It should work great in logic, my #s are in DP 4.5 which you know is dreadful in the cpu department.

[Circuitt]

word, thanks for the feedback, i been eyeballing hydra for a minute now.

[Chrisac]

Hydratone is the bees knees. I have waited years for an EQ plugin like this. I can deal with the CPU issues because the EQ is so fantastic.

Like others mentioned the secret is in the phase and fire controls. Set up your EQ as you like and then mess with the phase and you will be delighted at the results. It seems to just hit that sweet spot everytime. You can easily use this on teh master buss as well. Its so much more "real' than all those other analog simulation plugs.

The Avalon settings are great for warm highs and the lows and you can use the API or Amek for the punchy mids. Mix them up for many different tones.

Very cool plugin and so worth getting.

Another one thats great is Voxengo Curve EQ. Although its more of a mastering EQ it also has many flavours built in. You would need the Compensation delay plugin as well with this one (I think?). Of the two the Hydra tone is better but in some circumstances Curve EQ would be a better choice. Curve EQ and Hydratone are also a better choice than Firium/Equim imo

[Chrisac]

OH and if there was enough interest I think teh Hydratone people would be up for a group buy. They just did one for mac and was very successfull.

[knekor]

Originally Posted by Chrisac

OH and if there was enough interest I think teh Hydratone people would be up for a group buy. They just did one for mac and was very successfull.

Yeeehaw! Group buy!! I'd sure like to be in on that

[oranges]

Thanks for all the replies. Im on PC at the moment so it looks like I'll be freezing a lot of tracks! Been messing around with the plugins and am seeing a use for all of them. A group buy would be none too shabby!

[pendejo]

Incidentally, I think this illustrates one major advantage of the Mac platform. It's currently a lot cheaper and easier to develop DSP code for the Mac/Altivec than PC/SSE.

[oranges]

Why is that exactly?

[Chrisac]

Originally Posted by knekor

Yeeehaw! Group buy!! I'd sure like to be in on that

Dont forget to go over to their website and mention GROUP BUY FOR PC. I think the one they recently did worked out that the plugins were around 50%-60% off the usual price so you could get Hydra Tone and Valve Tone for the price of....or even less than the price of Valvetone on its own


+ If I may say...I think a company like this deserves all the support. Their really cool guys always on their forum answering questions. Its good to see a developer interacting closely with their users and their plugin is ace.


I dont work for them although it may sound like that

http://www.tritonedigital.com/

[pendejo]

Originally Posted by oranges

Why is that exactly?

Well, it is my understanding that Hydratone uses Altivec on the Mac but does not have the equivalent SSE implementation in the PC version.

There's a DSP library layered on top of Altivec that's easy to use. All the tools you need to develop an AU plug-in on the Mac are free. On the PC, with SSE, you pretty much have to resort to low level assembly/intrinsics as far as I know, and that's time consuming. And you have to buy all the tools.

[oranges]

Originally Posted by pendejo

Well, it is my understanding that Hydratone uses Altivec on the Mac but does not have the equivalent SSE implementation in the PC version.

There's a DSP library layered on top of Altivec that's easy to use. All the tools you need to develop an AU plug-in on the Mac are free. On the PC, with SSE, you pretty much have to resort to low level assembly/intrinsics as far as I know, and that's time consuming. And you have to buy all the tools.

aah, the joys of PCs eh? Well, I bit the bullet. My installation is getting built as we speak. No more beeps for me..... Tried it over the 2buss earlier today. Wow!

[Teddy Gee]

Oranges-

On the stereo bus kills does it not?? That is where I generally use Hydra also, tho' it is about the best thing available for drum tracks also IMO. I have Equim, PSP Master Q, UAD Pultec/Pultec Pro, Digital Performers MasterWorks EQ,..........all good tools, but none that compare to HT.

What hasn't been mentioned here (or at least I didn't see it) is don't pass up the chance to bundle your HydraTone with Valvetone. ValveTone is easier on the CPU, and though not nearly so versatile, it is extremely musical and can be just the thing on a vocal or to thicken a guitar track. You should demo that at the Tritone site as well.

Stephen

[mig27]

I was sceptical after all those web rumours, but spenidng 30 minutes with the demos completely sold me.
As a matter of fact I immediately started using the plugins on a mix, not caring about the short demo beeps - go figure.

Both Hdratone and Valvetone sound gorgeous.
Bundle ordered.
End of commercial break.

My 2 cents.


Michael

[oranges]

Got my installer(s) today... needless to say I wont be posting for a while. I can see the last few projects getting re-EQed. Valvetone? Yes indeed sir....yes, indeed....

[JeffSanders]

Hydratone is a beauty! When a plugin gets this much hype, I want to dislike it. But I no longer use my Voxengo or Sonalksis eq's. Just Hydratone and the UAD-1 Pultec. The occasional Cambridge if the CPU gets tight.

[thermos]

When I got valvetone, I stopped using the uad pultec too.

[Tom Sigmond]

Guy's,


Anyone here who has compared Hydratone with the much more expensive but unreal good Sony Oxford plugin?
Its a bit hard to compare causse the Oxford is very clean (and linear) and the HT absolutely not but its al about how good it cuts and boosts in the first place without those nasty artifacts.

Anyone?


grtz. Tom

[thermos]

I am personally not a fan of the oxford...........It sounds artifacty to me anyway especially 5k+ range. I used it a bunch recently after a good 4 years of hype and was like "thats it?" Not as smooth as I thought it would be. Thats with the gml option.

[ISedlacek]

HydraTone plus Voxengo EQs cover all my plugin EQ needs. Even to such an extent that on my recent CD there was no place and reason to use my Millennia EQ at all ... Cannot wait for AngelTone

[Ruudman]

No bashing of the product, coz it sounds amazing for a plug;
I just wish I could have a crash free session with it.
What's wrong with my system



ruudman

[mig27]

I have to chime with all the other promotional trolls I'm afraid.
These plugs absof***inglutely rule.

Even in comparison with my cherished vintage Neumann and Siemens modules, they didn't stink.

Bye bye Waves.
Bye bye less than stellar outboard eqs.

[End of promotional break]


Michael