Anyone tried Nebula?

[quincyg]

Wondering if anyone not affiliated with the company has any thoughts or experience with Nebula.

Just checking back in on this thread. 30,000 views from a simple question. Crazy.

[Entrainer]

I'm not in anyway affiliated with the company. I love it. I'm almost evangelical about it to my friends. I think the some of the EQs are the best computer based EQs I've heard. The combination of the commercial Neb3, cdsoundmasters retro analog suite, and nebula-programs.com downloads are a fantastic value.

For a total of $150. Great support team. Great small company and customer based support.

It doesn't do everything, and there are some criticisms that I take as valid.

What I love:

Struder Tape I, II, III
Doc Fear EQ
Neve 1073 Pre
Neve 1081 Pre
Neve 1073 EQ
Neve Summing Mixer

Needed Improvements:

Compressor Emulation
Preset Management (there are some things people could consider low-end and want to remove)
CPU Resource Killer

All of these improvements are being addressed by the end of the year, including an advanced envelope sampling engine for compressors.

The interface doesn't look like the original unit, and most EQs allow one band per instance of Nebula. I believe this is being address early next year.

The best thing to me in the involvement of people around the world creating libraries and the potential for an ever expanding palette. It feels like a community.

I don't know if the IR tech leaves artifacts like the Liquid Mix. Someone like Peeder would have the skill to test that.

Sound on Sound did a recent unbiased review. I doubt that Acoustic Audio is throwing much advertising money around, so that may be a good source for you.

[captain caveman]

Exactly what Entrainer said, nothing to add or take away.

[SWAN808]

What Entrainer said also

I think its a great tool with exciting possibilities. Some amazing EQs (really really nice). Takes out digital harshness with Pre-amps and Tapes (and not boomy glassy digital pseudo-tape either)

Im excited about the new compressor emulations coming up.

There is an almost altruistic nature to the community and its good to be a part of (what with companies like Waves around). Also good that the guys are not sitting on the technology for years developing it - then asking huge money for it. Everybody is involved now - even for free (with good support). Its a rare thing these days!

And although they do pop up around here - Ive never seen them spamming really or aggressively selling - and if it has seemed like they are - well - maybe its not so cynical - Nebula really is amazing at what it does when it does it well!

[zaphod]

Originally Posted by quincyg

..Other than the nebula creators who semi spam here in response to threads about best coloring plugs.

Wondering if anyone not affiliated with the company has any thoughts or experience with Nebula.

the only creators who spam in forums are
giancarlo aka zaphod aka zaphod (giancarlo)
francesco aka lippo aka lipilini

we have a single account here and on kvr and on other forums. In general we post only with a proper signature. As general rule we don't spam. We don't open new threads. We never opened a thread here really.
It be confirmed easily by administrators.
ALL other posters (many) are customers OR betatesters. Betatesters for windows version at the moment are just 10 members, and for mac version around 8-9.
They are not affiliated really. We don't pay ANYONE, even moderators in our forums.

About other spammers: we never told anyone "go there and post that". We said "go and post what you think, in the bad and in the good. We'll appreciate even negative statements"
Hope it clarifies our position.

[zaphod]

I forgot: you recognize us easily. We are the ones with a bad english

[Killah_Trakz]

Originally Posted by quincyg

..Other than the nebula creators who semi spam here in response to threads about best coloring plugs.

Wondering if anyone not affiliated with the company has any thoughts or experience with Nebula.

I would do some extra "advertising" too if I believed in my dream! I have it, own it, use it. And I can say thank the music gods that their reverbs are not cheesy sounding. Very full/dark in a good way. Maybe not the best GUI and theirs a few things I wish the could add but the shit just works, thats it and thats all.

[neilwilkes]

I'm very new to the whole Nebula thing, and ,my experiences so far have been a case of "Holy Cow this thing is good".
As an example, we have just finished off a live album where one track is a bit of a ballad compared to the rest (Punk thrashes) and whilst the 5.1 version posed no troubles we just could not get the reverbs right on the vocal in the stereo mix of that blasted ballad.
So I tried one of the Nebula 3 reverbs, and it instantly dropped the vocal into exactly the right place.

Moving on.
Had another (again 5.1 mix) proving awkward with BV's (what with everything being so much more exposed in 5.1 it is harder to hide or get away with stuff).
The BAE1073 Pre programme was perfect for the job - instant warmth.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this thing develops. Right now, I have to say it is definitely well worth the money.

[matucha]

I use it mostly for the lexicons. The free version.

[Gordon]

did they ever get CUDA to work?

I've played with the demo and love it, need to pickup the real version.

[quincyg]

"Semi spam" Was an inappropriate phrase. I re-read some of the threads referring to Nebula and I don't see any overt advertising for Nebula. There were a couple of non developer posts which were very gushing that made me wonder if they were affiliated.

I apologize and edited my initial post.

Sounds like answer is that people who are using it love it, which is what I was trying to find out.

[zaphod]

Originally Posted by quincyg

"Semi spam" Was an inappropriate phrase. I re-read some of the threads referring to Nebula and I don't see any overt advertising for Nebula. There were a couple of non developer posts which were very gushing that made me wonder if they were affiliated.

I apologize and edited my initial post.

Sounds like answer is that people who are using it love it, which is what I was trying to find out.

ah ah, no you don't need to apologize. I try to explain better why I answered in that way: we try to be "fair", this is our mission. For example, we have only 800 friends on myspace, but we never asked for a friendship. We don't sign with different names on forums trying to change the opinion in people's mind. For example I had an other account on kvr, an old one, "leban", I didn't use it any more after I signed as "giancarlo".
When someone posts something negative about nebula (really really negative), I go in my forum, open a thread and say: "ehi guys, they speaking about nebula. Comments are not good till now. I'm not interested if you agree or not, but please post there. The whole discussion could be interesting and useful for us. If you agree, it means that we should improve something. If you don't agree, it means that you could explain why he/she is wrong in his statements"! It could appear a bit incredible, but even our betatesters have a great freedom. They could beta-test our product and post negative comments around. We will not revoke grants on our forums. They are good betatesters if they 'test' our products and report bugs or comments. It's not relevant if they have a good opinion or not.

[Neon Heart]

Originally Posted by quincyg

Wondering if anyone not affiliated with the company has any thoughts or experience with Nebula.

Because of the hype I tried it (commercial version) some months ago but didn't really get into it a lot. I wanted to compare it to UAD but somehow didn't manage timewise.
I did have trouble with the installation but I did get absolutely quick and helpful support by the company.

while I was a bit shocked by the CPU meter hitting badly (I've got a quite powerful machine...) I think I should try a bit more before talking about its sonic behaviour.

I hope the interface will be improved though (faders that are not in use for a certain preset should visually be hidden etc...)

I'll comment again after playing around with it some days/weeks.

[Killah_Trakz]

besides the high latency with protools, when used in my other daw host it barely even scratches the surface. and this is on my 1st generation macbook with 1 gig.

[quincyg]

seems like people are putting it on par with the uad stuff...is that a realistic comparison?

i am on osx, so i am waiting to see how an osx version pans out.

[neilwilkes]

Originally Posted by quincyg

seems like people are putting it on par with the uad stuff...is that a realistic comparison?

i am on osx, so i am waiting to see how an osx version pans out.

It's a completely different thing to the UAD. Different process altogether but I suspect the comparisons are being drawn simply because of the magic & power of the N word (Neve, that is).
As far as CUDA goes, I do not know - I have a CUDA capable card, but have not taken the plunge as I don;t really understand it or the risks involved so until I do.....

With Nebula, you really want to go for the commercial version over the free one - this is when you will get access to some seriously tasty User Programmes for it over at Home :: nebula-programs.com - and all slutz here will love what is on offer in that section of the WWW.

[MelodyMan]

Nebula 3 rules. End of story. Essential part of my mixes, especially the tape-emulations, reverbs, preamps and amps.

[spinedoc]

Get the doc fear eq program. Its now my master bus eq "air" over all others. Fantastic

[KingDiamond]

I think it sounds good but the interface is lacking. I'm a programmer and I think the plugin is made more from a programmer's perspective than a user's perspective. If the plugin had a better interface and better file handling then I think it would develop a much bigger userbase.

[Farshad]

Originally Posted by Gordon

did they ever get CUDA to work?

I've played with the demo and love it, need to pickup the real version.

It works hear. I use it for the Reverbs only because of the delay. But the whole idea of using the current powerful GPUs (even the modest ones) is great in DAW computers.

A lot of stuff the Nebual does are great. As other posters mentioned, EQs, some tapes and pres are wonderful.

And Giancarlo is a great guy to deal with. HAve been available for help a few times I needed it.

Highly recommended.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by Farshad

It works hear. I use it for the Reverbs only because of the delay. But the whole idea of using the current powerful GPUs (even the modest ones) is great in DAW computers.

A lot of stuff the Nebual does are great. As other posters mentioned, EQs, some tapes and pres are wonderful.

And Giancarlo is a great guy to deal with. HAve been available for help a few times I needed it.

Highly recommended.

I think I just got a boner, what kind of Nvidia card do you have and what kind of performance can you get out of it. What can I see from an 8800GT?

[scruffydog]

tried it...tried to use it but it seemed too intensive for my CPU quite often..........(edited 'moan' by scruffydog!)

[SWAN808]

well I certainly wouldnt advise using lots of Nebula instances if you are up against a tight deadline or do types of music that would not gain much from that extra 20% quality because - yes there is a little more hassle. However for me who produces a dance track maybe every month - Im more prepared when mixing to bounce down each track with 3/4 instances of Nebula each for the quality advances and sound. You only get one band of EQ per instance - but what a band! I look at it like how I would if I had to send a signal OTB for some hardware processing. And the sound is comparable.

[Arksun]

Originally Posted by scruffydog

tried it...pain in the arse ... semi pro product and unstable..waste of time.
and precious money

Considering the insane amount of included fx (and growing number for FREE) I'd hardly call Nebula a waste of precious money!.

Though I do totally understand why some people consider it a pain. In terms of the GUI (though thats being changed) and its overal visual responsiveness it can seem rather sluggish. Plus it can be a CPU destroyer unless you're on at least a fast quad core. This I agree with.

...however, for a plugin thats very much a community based ongoing development, the sound quality alone that this thing can deliver still amazes me.

Some of the reverbs, eqs and preamps sound simply wonderful. I'm very much looking forward to the next version which will sample Compressors better, but even with the existing compressors, the 747 preset still puts a big grin on my face in the way that it seems to enlarge the soundstage. Something that's been limited to pure analogue gear.

It's really only a matter of time before Nebula reaches a stage that it can very accurately replicate any outboard gear in all their harmonically distorted glory :)

[scruffydog]

true...definately one to watch for the future...but it bugged me how seriously over weight the plug in is and ...well...pretty difficult to just grab and use....

[Farshad]

Originally Posted by Arksun

It's really only a matter of time before Nebula reaches a stage that it can very accurately replicate any outboard gear in all their harmonically distorted glory :)

Agreed. Personally I prefer it over UAD stuff (specially the 1073). I have a quad core and can run several instances of Nebula with no problem. My limitation is Ram sometimes (have 4 gig right now).

[davidperetz]

since most of our perception of what's good and bad in sound comes from experience and comparisons against another piece of gear, it is a long standing tragedy that the usual computer studio user believes he has good tools to work with.

although gear is not what makes a great technician, Great. you can stretch and fight for a year with a mix and yet even if you are a pro - you will never achieve more than average result's if you don't have the right tools.

if you, like me, wondered for years, why is it that your mixes sound overly bright but still don't have that soft shining glow, or why cant the bass be b-a-d-a-s-s, and how to remove the mid-mud but still retain some body.
and if you ever wondered why you follow the path of the Great technicians adding 1.5k there and cutting 400Hz there and all you get is an evil lean and mean sound instead of a golden sound, well now i know the answer.

the truth is that 99% of digital eq are really bad for your sound. all the boost's and cut's you do and and tweak your mix into perfection simply makes thing worse and harder.
I had them all. from rags to riches, Colorful, Surgical, Pure phase, tainted Phase (most of them) emulation, innovation, you work with them because that what you have but...
something is missing.
Eventually you either get use to enormous tweaking and surgical wars, and you fool yourself that having three EQ plugins on a single channel can be a good thing, or you start testing analog EQ and you find that a simple Mackie will do far better than most digital EQ.
in the end you figure out that all that Digital eq wars is like trying to make a toast in a microwave oven - it will never be crispy or warm, it just resembles that. and in a very very bad way.
But you really don't know how bad is, bad.

only after i bought the Nebula and downloaded the EQ presets from the Nebula-Programs website, i understood how bad is, bad. only when you work with the Nebula you understand why all the pro's go about - "well all the kik need's a little boost at 60 Hz, a little dip in 400Hz and add a little top a 4-5K"
I did that so many time in digital but it never felt right or crispy. and then you do that with the Nebula and you go: OMG - so that what they were talking about all this years...
That's Where the magic is - Harmonic Distortion

without it (i.e. digital eq ) your just writing on water. that why so many albums were mixed with the 1073 or 550 simple eq and sounded great. try that with the UAD Neevana or URS A-series and you only achieve Mediocre results at best.
only now i as open those digital EQ's i worked with so many years i can clearly hear how Bad those tools they and how bad is what they do to your sound - the Phase shift, the mid-mud, the treble shreds, etc. etc.
Only after the Nebula you understand that the "character" they add is at best nothing more than a tourist souvenir rather than being there yourself. it may sound convincing in solo. and you can even believe that that's the "Spirit of Neve, API, etc... etc.." and in the end your right, it's only a spirit - not a body there.

So you can say that the Nebula is a problematic plugin - sure the GUI is weird (although you get use to it really quick), sure the CPU start screaming and shouting with only a few instances, Sure t takes time to adjust to the concept of one Nebula instance for each band of the EQ - but in the end when it come's to EQ (and tapes and pre's and panner - yes even Panning get's a new dimension here) The Nebla is pure Magic.

I too wasn't that impressed with the free Nebula - only when i got the real one with the commercial library and the amazing API 550, 1073 & above all the truly wonderful "Doc. Fear" samples from the Nebula-Program site that i understood what an amazing tool is the nebula.

so you may think i work for them (i don't although i will buy there shares immediately) or that I'm a New-b or a hobbyist in the sound world (I'm not - i do that for living and i produced/engineered more than 50 albums ) or I'm hallucinating things, and i really don't care.
because in the end, I like every other Nebula owner out there knows the real secret - we have the best tool in the digital world to do music with, and you, simply don't.

come join the future.

good day

[Arksun]

I still haven't grabbed this new Doc Fear eq for Nebula yet, how does it compare to the BAE1073?

I absolutely love the BAE1073 lo 3S preset.

[SWAN808]

Originally Posted by davidperetz

since most of our perception of what's good and bad in sound comes from experience and comparisons against another piece of gear, it is a long standing tragedy that the usual computer studio user believes he has good tools to work with.

although gear is not what makes a great technician, Great. you can starch and fight a year with a mix and yet even if you are a pro - you will never achieve more than average result's if you don't have the right tools.

if you, like me, wondered for years, why is it that your mixes sound overly bright but still don't have that soft shining glow, or why cant the bass be b-a-d-a-s-s, and how to remove the mid-mud but still retain some body.

Wow great post!

This is similar to how I have been feeling

[zaphod]

Originally Posted by scruffydog

unstable..

this is not true any more. Starting from version 1.3.180 we don't have more known issues (reported in our forums). Only pay attention to load reverbs and time-varying effects in "nebula reverb"