Saturation/Distortion is the basic pillar that plays one of the most important roles in sound designing, mixing, and mastering. Wavesfactory Spectre is a multiband saturated plugin that changed the concept and way of approach to sound shaping.
This blog post will delve into its features, functionalities, and practical applications, providing valuable insights for anyone looking to improve their audio production.
What is Wavesfactory Spectre?
Wavesfactory Spectre is a tool for sound shaping. It combines the properties of a parametric equalizer with those of a harmonic enhancer/ Exciter.
In terms of appearance, this plugin looks like a parametric EQ, but unlike the parametric equalizer plugins that are just used to cut or boost the frequencies, this plugin has a totally different function. It adds harmonic content to the sound and tries to enrich the audio signal by adding depth and character to it.
Now, let me tell you what the word “Spectre” means. Actually, the word spectre refers to the plugin’s ability to produce the “phantom” harmonics that were not present in the original recording.
This plugin is designed to emulate the sound texture of classic analog recording hardware with the help of its various saturation algorithms. The plugin offers ten high-quality saturation models, which include:
- Tube
- Warm Tube
- Solid
- Tape
- Diode
- Class B
- Bit Reduction
- Digital
- Rectify
- Half Rectify
Key Features of Spectre
Multi-Band Enhancer: This plugin offers only the five parallel boost-only parametric bands, allowing users to effectively target specific frequency ranges. Each band can be customized for gain, frequency, and Q factor.
Saturation Algorithms: The plugin includes ten different saturation algorithms, which are listed in the above section. This allows users to achieve different tonal colors and textures.
Oversampling Options: This plugin also offers oversampling. With 4x and 16x oversampling modes available, it ensures pristine audio quality with minimal aliasing, even if the user tends to use aggressive settings.
Different Processing Modes: This plugin offers different processing modes. It allows the Users to process mono or stereo signals and choose between left/right or mid/side processing modes. This flexibility allows for precise control over how the enhancement is applied.
User-Friendly Interface: Wavesfactory Spectre offers a user-friendly interface. This plugin’s graphical display mimics a traditional parametric EQ layout, making it friendly for users familiar with EQ workflows. This design simplifies the process of adjusting parameters while providing visual feedback on how each filter affects the audio signal.
How Does Spectre Work?
This plugin works by analyzing the audio signal. The first step of its analysis is to determine the volume difference between the input and output signal using the inbuilt parametric EQ.
After that, the user has to pull up EQ-like bands, which total 5 in number. When the user pulls one or more, the plugin will apply saturation to the area under that band.
This is the simple working of this plugin.
Wavesfactory Spectre Review
This review reflects my personal opinion and experience with the plugin. I have purchased the plugin myself and have no affiliation with the company. I have not received any compensation or free products for this review. My opinions are entirely my own, and they may differ from yours. The content of this review is intended to provide information and assistance to potential users.
I tested this plugin for a long time, and here is my honest review of its pros and cons. First, I will list its pros.
Pros:
- In this plugin, the EQ functionality is enhanced with harmonics. In this way, this plugin can be used for creative sound design, which the traditional EQ plugins can’t.
- 10 saturation models are present in this plugin. In this way, users can apply different flavored saturation to the sound to have unique textures.
- The interface of the plugin is very simple. It looks like a traditional EQ, which makes it easy to navigate and use.
- Mid/Side options are also available in this plugin. In this user can also add saturation to the stereo signal of the mix to achieve unique texture.
Cons:
- One notable drawback of this plugin is the lack of input/output metering or monitoring capabilities. This absence can make it hard to gauge how much enhancement is being applied visually.
- While mid/side processing is available, you can only process mid or side at a time, not both simultaneously. This is a serious limitation that may require additional instances of the plugin in some cases.
- While using this plugin, I clearly realized that the Tape saturation algorithm does not accurately replicate the brightness typically associated with high-quality tape machines. Instead, it leans more towards a cassette-like sound, which may not suit all applications.