OK, I keep hearing that Acustica plugins are really great. When I demoed them a few years ago they were so unstable/slow/sluggish in both WaveLab and REAPER that I couldn’t even tell how they sounded.
Against my better judgment, I’m trying them again and they seem a little better but there are a few things that make me unable to use them today. I know @PG1 mentioned being in touch with Acustica and maybe other users are too. I just do not have the bandwidth right now to get these issues fixed so I can use them so I thought I’d make this post in case anybody cares to get them working proper in WaveLab. Right now I don’t have the time/motivation to do it.
First of all, whoever named the plugins didn’t think it over very well. See attached. How are we supposed to really know what these are?
I just tried a render using IVORYST and as a test I turned the gain way down in the plugin. Notice in the attached screen shot of the rendered audio that the audio fades down to the correct level over the course of 40 milliseconds or so. This would be bad for rendering certain types of files and tells me the first moments of the rendered audio do not get processed correctly by the Acustica plugin.
When inserting some of the Ivory plugins during playback, I heard a LOUD snap as the plugin loads. Not good.
I want to like these plugins but they seem very janky.
Here’s a screen shot of the plugin/settings used, the rendered result, and the terrible way the plugins were named.
Hi Justin
Im the same as you , i want to like the plugins and have been watching them closely for the last few years but they just sem to be to hit and miss and volatile for me to want to try on my system .
Just for reference , here is the list of sampled gear which the Acustica plugins are based on . https://justpaste.it/AcusticaAudioAcquaMasterList
I’m glad I’m the only one. So far, from what I’ve seen and heard, they are not worth the headache induced by installing them, figuring them out, testing stability etc.
I wanted to give them another fair chance but so far, I’m ready to delete them again.
Yep , i hear you , the "closing on exit " has finally been resolved with Cubase but like you they are just to volatile which is a shame as they are incredibly good sounding but way to heavy on my old processor to want to try
Im being using acustica for long long time in many projects in cubase and wavelab, (tip: use VST3)
I did couple visits to their headquarters in Lodi for workshops, they are great people and with a very hitech and useful plugin, but yes, need some adaptations on workflow sometimes. There are many things involved to have a very good experience using it. (multiple ssd drives, correct CPU, etc)
And as you perceived very well, they have they own way to name things, it´s like they have their own parallel world, and some people don´t like, normal.
As a Acustica betatester for more then 5 years I can offer any help you need about having a better experience with them.
Hi
The only support i’ve ever seen from AA is to uninstall and reinastall a purge the stage which to me fragments your OS and a chance of making other things more volatile to want to use
Well, the way the plugins are named hurt my head and were so unclear, it took 3 or 4 tries to find the basic Mastering EQ.
Due to this, I noticed that when inserting an Acustica as a Clip FX in a 96k montage, a short but loud burst of noise would occur as the plugin inserts. Can you ask them to find a way to prevent this?
Can you ask them about the rendering issue during the first 40 milliseconds of the render as shown in my image?
I’m sure they are nice folks that mean well, but the overall experience, even the downloading from Box.com and installing seemed kind of amateurish and not professional.
I’m sure their modeling is good, but they need help on the presentation side of things.
Yes, but the Aquarius app itself still comes from Box and took awhile to find on the website:
I am just using the trials now but when playing a 96k montage, inserting a few of the Ivory modules as Clip FX caused a loud and unpleasant noise burst. No other plugins were inserted yet.
Thanks. This is a voluntary thread for those who like or want to use Acustica plugins.
So far, my 2nd chance at giving them a fair shot, they are not suitable for work in my workflow and opinion. I’ll check back later to see if these issues are fixed but I do not have time to report this to Acustica and test again.
i know they don´t match many peoples workflow, because that they released some lighter plugins for a broader use, like those plugins released in partnership with Luca Pretolesi, Dave Pensado and Greg Wells: Diamond, El Rey, etc…
Good to know. I don’t need Zero Latency. I just need reliable rendering in the Audio Montage as Clip FX and so far, I don’t see that or feel comfortable using them on a real project.
I’ve been on and off with them for years but it all comes down to what I can trust when I’m with a client or on a tight deadline. The plugs do sound great, but lose out to other brands due to varied stability. The install and activation process is also not the best.
