Waves Loudness Meter Plug-In Out Now

Waves is now shipping the Waves Loudness Meter (WLM) plugin, an all-in-one cross-platform, multi-format loudness metering software solution.

The WLM provides precision loudness measurement and metering for broadcast, movie trailers, games, packaged media and more. This plug-in will be useful for content creators and post production houses as well as cable head-end facilities. And right now, for a limited time, Waves is offering the WLM for $299 (Native only). The price will eventually go up to $400 MSRP.

According to Waves, the WLM is fully compliant with all current ITU, EBU and ATSC specifications, and offers comprehensive Momentary, Short Term, Long Term and True Peak readouts, plus a unique warning and logging system that keeps track of users’ levels and lets them know when they have exceeded them – or fallen short.

WLM offers foreground, dialog and average loudness measurements, and an intelligent dialog sensor detects and measures speech. The plugin features mono, stereo and 5.1 components.

For more information, visit the WLM product page at www.waves.com.

Waves Unveils Bass Rider Plug-In

Waves has introduced the new Bass Rider plug-in. A companion to the Waves Vocal Rider plug-in (reviewed here), Bass Rider rides bass levels automatically, reportedly without changing the natural sound of the users’ bass.

Optimized especially for the frequency range and envelope characteristics of bass instruments, Bass Rider covers all the “basses”: DI, amplified, acoustic, synth, upright, etc.

A timesaver with dedicated studio and live components, Bass Rider (pricing below) keeps bass levels in check throughout a mix. As Waves describes…

“Unlike a compressor, Bass Rider works note by note, without disturbing their inner dynamics, so they sustain and decay naturally. Best of all, since Bass Rider keeps levels steady with automatic gain adjustment, now users can focus on the feel and flow of their bass, and use compression if desired to add color and character.”

Additional Features:

- Up to 24-bit 192kHz resolution
- Mono and Stereo components
- Supports TDM, RTAS, Audio Suite, VST, AU
- PC- and Mac-compatible

Controls:

- Target Energy Meter shows the energy of the input signal.
- Target Slider sets the desired bass level range and calibrates the Rider Fader “0” position.
- Sensitivity controls the note detector sensitivity.
- Response controls the note detector response.
- Spill controls the amount of spill that the detector should ignore.
- Artifacts controls the note detector’s tolerance to artifacts.
- Max Range sets the upper boundary of the Rider Fader movement.
- Min Range sets the lower boundary of the Rider Fader movement.
- Rider Fader is Bass Rider’s automatic fader control.
- Output trims the vocal output gain, post-auto riding.
- Idle Arrow sets the Rider Fader value when there is no bass activity.
- Effective Range displays the total gain range available for automatic riding.

Waves Bass Rider is now available at a U.S. MSRP of Native $200/TDM $300. Special intro price is Native $99/TDM $149. It is also available at no additional charge to owners of Waves Mercury with current Waves Update Plan coverage.

Click to purchase, download a demo and check the plug-in out in the product video trailer.

For more information, visit  www.waves.com.

Waves Releases Eddie Kramer – Tapes, Tubes & Transistors

The latest bundle release from Waves features the three Eddie Kramers signature plug-ins that redefined analog emulation for mixing in the digital realm: The Kramer Master Tape, the HLS Channel and the PIE Compressor.  All of these excellent plug-ins included in The Eddie Kramer – Tapes, Tubes & Transistors bundle can be yours for Mac or PC in TDM format for $299 MSRP or Native format for $199 MSRP.

Lets see what Waves has to say about these majestic pieces of software:

“Over the course of a production and engineering career that has spanned more than four decades, Eddie Kramer was the man behind the board for the biggest names in music history. His work with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Kiss brought forth music which continues to influence rock musicians and producers to this day. In modeling the Helios console channel, the Pye compressor, and the rare vintage 1/4″ reel-to-reel machine, Waves has recreated three essential elements of the recording chain at Olympic Studios, where Eddie participated in so many historic recordings which are now considered part of the classic rock DNA. Eddie Kramer, the Kramer Master Tape, the HLS Channel, and the PIE Compressor: Together, they truly capture the spirits of a generation.

• Kramer Master Tape – Developed in association with Eddie Kramer, the Kramer Master Tape plugin is modeled on a rare vintage 1/4″ reel-to-reel machine. With adjustable tape speed, bias, flux, wow & flutter, and noise parameters, the Kramer Master Tape provides comprehensive control over the contours of your sound. And to top it off, we’ve added a flexible slap & feedback delay, ideal for rock, dance, dub, you name it. For recording, mixing, mastering, and more, bring the richness and warmth of real tape saturation to your DAW with the Kramer Master Tape plugin. It’s the reel deal.
• HLS Channel – Developed in association with legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer, the HLS Channel was meticulously modeled on a Helios mixing console just like the one he used in historic sessions at London’s acclaimed Olympic Studios. (In fact, we actually managed to get our hands on the Helios from the Rolling Stones mobile truck, which was used on a slew of classic recordings during the early ‘70s.) In addition to modeling the Helios EQs with their sweet saturation, high-end presence, and fat low-frequency boost, we even modeled the unique behavior, coloration, and drive of the console’s preamps. To top it all off, the HLS Channel features a precision-modeled VU meter that recreates the sensitivity, ballistic behavior, look and feel of the original.
• PIE Compressor – Developed in association with legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer, the PIE Compressor was precision-modeled on a vintage Pye compressor like the ones he used in historic sessions at London’s acclaimed Olympic Studios. A mainstay in esteemed British studios throughout the classic rock era, the original Pye processors are considered by many to be among of the best buss compressors of all time. The Waves PIE plugin features a meticulously modeled VU meter with superfast refresh rates that recreates the accuracy, sensitivity, and ballistic behavior of a physical analog meter.”

Waves Announces H-EQ Hybrid EQ

Waves has announced the release of its new H-EQ. Highly versatile, ergonomically advanced, and we expect quite musical as well for mixing and mastering, it is available now for $149 TDM and $99 Native.

Waves explains their newest addition thusly:

“H-EQ is a uniquely powerful hybrid equalizer, featuring vintage and modern EQ inspired by the finest British and American consoles; seven different filter types per band, including a newly-developed, one-of-a-kind asymmetrical bell filter; an intuitive keyboard graphic that lets you choose frequencies by clicking on notes; an exclusive MS Mode so you can apply different EQ to Mid and Side content; and a flexible real-time frequency spectrum analyzer with multiple display options.

Features

• Seven filter types per band: US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern, Digital 1 and Digital 2

• Newly-developed asymmetrical bell filter

• Exclusive MS matrix mode: Apply different EQ to Mid and Side content

• Keyboard graphic: Choose frequencies by clicking on notes

• Real-time frequency spectrum analyzer

Controls

• Input Fader controls the signal input level.

• EQ Modes Stereo/Linked, Dual/Unlinked, MS Mode

• EQ Filters: HP, LF, LMF, MF, HMF, HF, LP

• Analog Type toggles between analog characteristic types.

• Analog Level controls the level of the combined noise and hum.

• THD Level controls the level of harmonic distortion added to the signal

• Keyboard lets you choose frequencies by clicking on notes.

• Analyzer presents a real-time graphical display of your input signal, output signal or both, as well as the EQ curve.

• Analyzer In displays the input signal, post-input fader.

• Analyzer Out displays the output signal, post-output fader.

• L/M turns on the display of the left side only in Stereo mode, or the M in M/S mode.

• R/S turns on the display of the right side only in Stereo mode, or the S in M/S mode.

• Freeze stops the frequency graph.

• Peak Hold stops the frequency graph at its highest peak point.

• Analyzer Scale displays the energy level measured by the analyzer.

• EQ Scale displays the EQ curve being applied to the signal.

• Band Markers allow you to manipulate the EQ bands using the band markers.

• Output fader controls signal output level.

• Phase flips the phase of the signal by 180 degrees.

• Trim displays the maximum peak level of the output signal and its distance from 0 dBFS.”

Waves Releases Signature Series Bass & Drum Collection

Waves recently announced their Signature Series Bass & Drum Collection which consists of the go-to FX chains of some of the worlds most well known mixers: Eddie Kramer, Chris Lord-Alge, Jack Joseph Puig and Tony Maserati.

Each legendary mixer has contributed at least one plug-in for drum and bass processing with their reasoning of what they typically try to achieve in a good starting point for each instrument.  So there we have it – the plug-ins are not meant to be the one and only plug-in on your drum or bass track, but they serve as an excellent starting point!  Well played fellow mixers. Well played.

The collection consists of nine total plug-ins, each with varying characteristics and is available for $400 MSRP or $80 each.  For more detailed information on these new digital processors, visit Waves home page.  For now, check out what Waves has to say about their new addition:

“Introducing Waves Signature Series Bass & Drums Collection, with nine custom processing chains created in collaboration with Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Nickelback, Creed, Daughtry, All American Rejects, Sum 41, Foo Fighters), Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Kiss, David Bowie, Peter Frampton), Jack Joseph Puig (John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Snow Patrol, Counting Crows, Jellyfish, Goo Goo Dolls) and Tony Maserati (Tupac Shakur, Notorious BIG, Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, Jason Mraz, Colby Caillet).

“Over their years of experience, producing and mixing the world’s most successful recording artists, each has developed an extensive personal palette of processing techniques, which are encapsulated in their Signature Series plugins. These are their go-to bass and drum chains; now they can be yours.”

Waves Introduces MPX Master Tape Plug-In

Waves is once again making waves with their newly announced tape emulation plug-in – MPX Master Tape. The plug-in was developed in association with Eddie Kramer and is modeled after a vintage 1/4” reel to reel Ampex 350/351.  The plug-in will provide your mix with typical features such as tape saturation, speed and bias – but MPX Master has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

The tape emulation plug-in from (Waves) is available now with the TDM version going for $300 MSRP and the Native version for $200 MSRP.

Waves has this to say about their new addition:

Features

•    Modeled on the Ampex 350/351 1/4″ reel-to-reel
•    Adjustable tape speed, bias, flux, wow & flutter
•    Slap & feedback delay
•    Up to 24bit 96kHz resolution
•    Mono and Stereo components
•    Supports TDM, RTAS, Audio Suite, VST, AU
•    PC and Mac compatible

Controls
•    SPEED selects the simulated tape speed.
•    MONITOR selects the monitoring mode.
•    BIAS controls the level of the ultrasonic bias signal.
•    VU METER displays input or output level.
•    VU CALIBRATION controls the VU meter headroom calibration.
•    DELAY TIME controls the time of the tape delay effect, with settings for 7.5 ips (266 milliseconds) and 15 ips (133 ms).
•    DELAY TYPE toggles between delay modes.
•    FEEDBACK controls the amount of the delayed output signal.
•    LOWPASS controls the LP cutoff frequency on the delay path.
•    RECORD LEVEL controls the input level.
•    LINK I/O links Record and Playback Levels controls.
•    PLAYBACK LEVEL controls the total signal output level.
•    FLUX controls the level of simulated magnetic radiation emitted from the record head.
•    WOW & FLUTTER controls the speed and gain modulations and fluctuations.
•    NOISE controls the level of added modeled noise but not noise modulations and signal additive noise.

Waves Announces New Mic Emulation Plug-ins: The King’s Microphones

Waves has announced The King’s Microphones plug-in set.  The King’s Microphones feature emulations from three one-of-a-kind microphones that were handmade for three very majestic persons: Queen Elizabeth, King George V and King George VI.

Waves has this to say about their new offering, available now for MSRP: $99.

Used exclusively by the royal family for speeches on momentous occasions, each of these three priceless microphones dating back to the 1920s and 1930s was tailored and tuned especially for its specific user: King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth.

Beautifully designed and decorated with gold, silver, and chrome adornments bearing the royal coats of arms, each is a one-of-a-kind aesthetic masterpiece with its own distinctive sonic character. The King’s Microphones plugin offers stunningly accurate recreations of the originals’ unique frequency responses, with three proximity settings for each.

Discovered deep within the vaults of EMI outside London by Peter Cobbin, senior recording engineer at Abbey Road Studios, the microphones were used to record music and dialogue for the film, the first time they had been used by anyone outside the royal family.

Cobbin, who worked closely with Waves on the development of the plugin, commented, “It was exciting to know we had the very microphone used by King George VI, the central character of this film, and I thought how appropriate and inspiring it would be to have the microphones present at our recording sessions. The royal microphones are works of highly-skilled craftsmanship.”

Review: Waves OneKnob Series Plug-Ins by Zach McNees

Any engineer who’s had the privilege of working in a beautiful, spacious recording studio with a huge mixing console and loads of expensive outboard gear has inevitably at one time or another heard the following sentence from an artist or musician new to the facility: “So, do you really know what ALL those knobs do?”

Being an engineer meant that yes, you did know how to work all those knobs, dials and faders and you looked good doing it because it showed just how technically minded you were!

Most of the time, however, engineers don’t look for the most technically complex way to make something sound great. They’re looking for the best sound and the easiest solution so no one else in the room has to wait as they patch, dial and tweak their way to the desired result.

In this spirit, Waves has done away with the complexities and complications that bog down so many plug-ins with endless possibilities, parameters and variables. The solution? OneKnob. Waves has created a bundle of seven plug-ins, each of which do one task and do it well while being extremely easy to use.

TECH SPECS: The Waves OneKnob Series is available as a native plug-in supporting RTAS, Audio Suite, VST and AU format for PC or MAC.  Mono and stereo components and support for up to 24bit/96khz resolution are standard (two of the units go up to 192khz). The plug-in comes standard in Waves flagship Mercury Bundle and is also available a la carte for $320.

WHAT IT DOES: The OneKnob series is comprised of seven units that serve a wide range of sonic enhancements to your tracks with one simple adjustment knob – Brighter, Driver, Phatter, Filter, Louder, Pressure and Wetter.

THE INTERFACE: As simple as it gets!  Beautiful design that is slightly reminiscent of the classic Moogerfooger style units with one simple knob. Two of the units (Filter and Pressure) also have a selector switch for a few variations on their sound. They really are that simple!  Seven plug-ins, seven knobs.

IN USE: One of the most interesting things about this bundle is that each plug-in isn’t simply designed to increase or decrease the amount of one parameter the more you turn the knob. It’s clear that the algorithm in certain units is changing and evolving at each step of the dial creating a different sound than one normal knob would allow. I got the chance to use these plug-ins on a couple of mixes for songwriters with full bands. The OneKnob came in handy on many different occasions across a great deal of instrumentation and voices. Let’s take a look at these units individually and see what they have to offer…

BRIGHTER

Brighter focuses on the top end of the EQ spectrum, simply making your tracks brighter! Waves refers to this unit as “an intelligent treble booster that adds brightness from the midrange on up.” The unique feature of this plug-in is that the further up the dial I go, the sound doesn’t simply get brighter and brighter. The first few notches 0-4 have a reasonable amount of high mid range and the higher up the dial I go, the less mid range is boosted and the more top end “air” type sound is present.

If Brighter had a display like the Waves Renaissance EQ you would notice that turning the knob up did not just increase the amount of brightness but also drove the notch further up the frequency spectrum. This intelligent design allows the entire range of the knob to be useful making “Brighter” one of the most unique EQ’s I’ve ever used.

Working on a new single by Boston artist Rebecca Muir, I was impressed to find just how different the sound of a finger-picked acoustic guitar was at each range on the “Brighter” dial. The first few notches bring out the high midrange tones of the instrument with just slight amounts of top end.  As I continue turning up, the high midrange is dampened and replaced with the airy sound that really brings out the strings. On a close-miked cello, the subtle features of Brighter are even more apparent.

With very little high midrange qualities to the cello, Brighter is almost unperceivable from 0-5 and only begins to show itself after 5 on the dial where the very top end of the bow sound begins to take shape. Very impressed with Brighter.

DRIVER

Driver encompasses everything from light grit to full-on heavy distortion depending on how far you go up the dial. Like Brighter, Driver is a plug-in that is constantly evolving. On clean lead electric guitar licks, Driver does an excellent job of adding subtle amounts of overdrive to the sound with a sound very natural to the amp itself. One downside here is that Driver does tend to filter out a lot of top end, softening the sound a great deal the more you increase the processing. A good workaround for this is to use Driver as a parallel bus and sneak in the dirty stuff with your original sound.

There are a wide range of uses for Driver from simple guitar and bass DI sounds for demos and scratch tracks to an excellent array of effects for quick and dirty lo-fi sounds on vocals, drums, piano and anything else you can imagine.

PHATTER

…is described as “Brighter’s heavier set brother” but is one of the simpler plug-ins in this bundle. Phatter simply increases the low end and warmth to the sound it’s inserted on. The frequency range is somewhere around 100Hz and doesn’t seem to change much based on how high you turn up. I will note that the subtlety here — as with all the plug-ins in this bundle — is appreciated. Depending on how thin your sound is, it is conceivable that the very top notches of Phatter would still be a possibility unlike some units where the very top limits are completely stratospheric and unusable.

Phatter is particularly helpful on a top snare mic to increase the perceived warmth and low end of the sound easily and without too many problems. On a mix for Ukulele sensation Julia Nunes, Phatter was the perfect quick solution to beef up the kick drum on our drummer’s kit.  Electric guitar, piano and virtually any other instrument recorded too thin can benefit from Phatter. While not as complex as some of the other plug-ins in the bundle, Phatter is a quick and easy solution for tracks and instruments that need a boost in low end and warmth.

FILTER

Filter is a low pass filter knob with a twist. The interface features a resonance button which defaults to “Moderate” and can also be set to “High,” “Extreme,” or “None.” With no resonance, Filter is simply a very quick and easy low pass filter that’s useful on kick drum, bass DI and any other instrument sources where you want to focus the low end in your mix.

The resonance features allow Filter to act more as an effect for DJ’s and electronic musicians on synths and loops and could easily be seen as a great live tool. Out of the seven units here, Filter saw the least amount of action in my mixes but did prove quite useful on an inside kick drum mic to pull the snap out of the sound extremely quickly.

LOUDER

Louder is a dynamics processor that uses low-level compression and automatic makeup to increase the RMS on tracks with weak levels by up to 24dB. This is an excellent tool for quickly leveling out a 2nd mic used on a guitar that’s noticeably lower or quickly boosting tracks without having to crank the fader or search around for a trim plug-in.

As simple as this sounds, Louder really does do an excellent job at increasing perceived loudness without any noticeable saturation or unwanted side effects. This is a fantastic tool that will prove extremely helpful to both experienced mixers and novice musicians needing to give their demo tracks a boost.

PRESSURE

Pressure is by far my favorite unit in the bundle. Pressure is essentially an easy-to-use parallel compression and sonic enhancement plug-in. Along with the single knob is an input switch allowing to pad or boost the signal to the compressor which defaults to the unity position. Slap this baby across your drum bus and you will hear the difference almost immediately!

The extremely fast attack and release compressor sound gives Pressure the ability to add huge depth and explosiveness to drums and especially room mics even in small rooms. Electric guitars and rock piano sound fuller and richer with small amounts of Pressure treatment.

Unlike a lot of the other plug-ins in this bundle, Pressure really isn’t very subtle. A little goes a long way with this OneKnob unless you’re in “Pad” mode. Although useful on an instrument’s main insert or bus, Pressure can also be of great use as a parallel bus mixed in with dry signal to allow for more control over  the sound.

WETTER

Wetter is the Waves OneKnob version of a reverb and ambience plug-in. The manual explains that “different points on the scale are optimized for different source materials.” In essence, the more you increase the Wetter knob the more reverb and ambience your source material is soaked in. 

One surprising aspect of Wetter is that the first few notches from 0-3 actually seem to be a slight delay effect of a ¼ note triplet pattern with slight feedback. The more you increase Wetter, the less delay and more straight reverb appears in the signal.

I also noticed that the delay pattern is specifically effected by the tempo of your DAW session giving you a more pronounced, longer delay effect at lower tempos and a shorter, snappier delay at faster tempos. On the whole, Wetter works well at adding space and vibe to acoustic guitars, vocals and almost any instrument in need of ambience.

I do feel that, in general, the reverb feels a little too shiny with too much top end, which tends to give the sound source a less natural and more obviously effected reverb sound. It would be helpful to have a switch here for top end roll off or a multi-switch allowing for a few different general ambience algorithms such as “Short,” “Medium,” “Long,” etc.

TO BE CRITICAL: Certain plug-ins such as Pressure, Driver and Filter can often overload the output if the source material is too hot. An output trim switch would be helpful on these units as this is something that I’ve found myself adding below the plug-in to reduce the output gain before the fader.

WRAPPING UP: I was really impressed by the sounds I was able to achieve with these plug-ins and the speed at which I was able to do it. Some engineers consider bundles like this cheating. I consider them simple solutions to simple problems.

The OneKnob Series is incredibly easy to use, of course, but it’s the quality of the sound that is so indicative of the Waves brand. It’s very clear when you open up one of these units and begin experimenting that a great deal of thought and care went into designing each plug-in. In some ways I feel that Waves really hasn’t given these plug-ins their due credit by calling them “One Knob,” as a number of the units are doing very complex things to the sound that changes based on where you’ve set the knob.

And what’s most commendable is the fact that the OneKnob series is a set of plug-ins that can be useful to both complete novices and seasoned professionals achieving great results at a price that everyone can afford.

Zach McNees is a Brooklyn-based producer/engineer/mixer and live recordist who’s worked with Bjork, Rob Thomas, The Gregory Brothers, Pixies, Liars and Alice Cooper. Get in touch with Zach via www.zachmcnees.com.

Session Buzz: Who’s Recording In & Around NYC — A Monthly Report

GREATER NYC AREA: Both through the grapevine and straight from the source(s), we’ve been hearing about a number of different recording projects going on in studios throughout the NYC area. The following is but a sampling of recent sessions, and works in progress…a snapshot of what’s going on around town:

Germano Studios has been going non-stop in 2011, between multiple months of lock-out sessions with Lady Gaga, and sessions with a host of other major artists.

Gaga and crew have been working out of both Germano Studio 1 and Studio 2, recording and mixing her upcoming album, Born This Way – due out May 23 – and the title track lead single, released in February.

Also – as previously reported – T-Pain was also at Germano Studios, recording vocals in Studio 2 with Levar “LV” Coppin producing and Javier Valverde engineering. And producer Steve Jordan and engineer Dave O’Donnell were in tracking basics with Kelly Clarkson and writing/recording with Keith Richards.

Meanwhile in the Brill Building, KMA Music has been going strong, with Beyoncé locked out Studios A and B for writing, recording and mixing sessions for her new album with an array of producers – The-Dream, Switch, Robert “Shea” Taylor, Jeff Bhasker – and engineers, including Swivel, Pat Thrall, Serge Nudel. Mya also booked out KMA for tracking and mixing sessions with producer Chuck Harmony and engineer Ben Chang. And Joe Jonas tracked and mixed material for his new solo project with Danja producing and Marcella Araica engineering. Lil Wayne was at KMA for a late-night vocal session as well.

In Brooklyn, producer/engineer Tim O’Heir has been holed up in his “Golden Ear” studio in the Music Garage in Williamsburg mixing the upcoming Austin TV double album epic. Austin TV, according to O’Heir, is “an instrumental group from Mexico City who compare themselves to Mogwai but with more ‘theatre.’

“The tracks were produced by Meme from Cafe Tacuba in Mexico and they FTP’d the Pro Tools sessions to me here in NY. It’s been a trip as these pieces are 100% math rock. The trick for them, and myself, was to get them as musical sounding as possible. (I think that was accomplished.)

The tracks were mixed in the box, summed through a Dangerous D-Box. Waves and Sound Toys as well as a few Digi plug-ins brought the whole thing to life.”

Nearby at The Bunker in East Williamsburg, Aaron Nevezie tracked and mixed the debut album by the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra. This is an 11-piece traditional salsa band tracked live, playing fresh arrangements of indie-rock songs by LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, Spoon and more. Nevezie also produced new releases for local Brooklyn bands Des Roar, and Crinkles, and mixed Peoples Champs.

The Bunker is also excited to have added a 1969 Steinway M grand piano and a new pair of vintage RCA ribbon mics to the studio.

And down in the financial district, Engine Room Audio has been popping with projects up in its SSL 4064G+ equipped penthouse tracking/mixing room, including G-Unit’s Tony Yayo and Waka Flocka tracking a new single with engineer Drew Fisher. Sean Kingston and Trav also mixed a new single at Engine Room, with engineer Sam Jacquet. Indie rock band Lowry just wrapped mixing on their new full-length album for Engine Room Recordings, with Mark Christensen producing and Fisher engineering. And “indie-pop-on-Mozart quintet” Wakey! Wakey! has been in recording for an upcoming Engine Room Recordings compilation.

Down in his mastering suite, Christensen’s been working on a new OK Go! live album, mixed by Dave Fridmann, as well as a new album by The Color Bars. Christensen also recently mastered the new Ryan Leslie single, “Glory,” and a new record by Cheryl Englehard.

Inside another popular NYC mastering haunt, The Lodge, mastering engineers Emily Lazar, Joe LaPorta, Sarah Register, and Heba Kadry have been busy with releases by Serg Tankian and Shirley Manson, Against Me!, The Naked and Famous, and Chris Taylor’s newest production work on Blood Orange’s upcoming 7″. (Lazar and LaPorta also mastered Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light!)

Other albums recently mastered by The Lodge crew: Tune-yards’ w h o k i l l, Fucked Up’s  David Comes To Life, Ford & Lopatin’s Channel Pressure, Cold Cave’s Cherish The Light Years, EMA’s Past Life Martyred Saints, Liturgy, Xray Eyeballs, Eternal Tapestry/Sun Araw, White Hills and more.

Back uptown at Area 51 NYC… singer Vita Chambers was working on a new release for Universal Motown with producers CJ, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, and Henry “Skem” Kaprali engineering, assisted by John Lurie. Also for Universal Motown, Gail Scott was in session working with producer Kenneth “Soundz” Coby and Michelle Figueroa engineering. French house DJ/producer David Guetta was at Area 51 co-producing new material with CJ, and engineer Dan Smith, for Guetta’s own Gum Productions.

Area 51 also installed new Augspurger mains in the North Room. Says Area 51 co-owner/manager Tony Drootin: “We purchased the dual 15” cabinets and subs that used to reside in Studio D at Sony Studios. We replaced all the components, added a new crossover, and tweaked the system to our room.” He also reports that Area 51 is now configured for drum tracking out of the South Room, and has added some new mics and outboard gear to its arsenal.

Nearby at Avatar Studios, the city’s most famous “Studio A” hosted… a duet by Tony Bennett and Sheryl Crow, produced by Phil Ramone, and engineered by Dae Bennett; Elvis Costello recording a song for an upcoming film with engineer Kevin Killen; and James McCartney recording new material with David Kahne producing and Roy Hendrickson engineering. Meanwhile in Studio C, Steve Reich / So Percussion recorded with producer Judith Sherman and engineer John Kilgore.

At Threshold Recording Studios NYC… singer/songwriter Alana Kessler worked on her new single “The Best Thing” with producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Sklarsky; composer / PBS producer Tim Janis prepared for his upcoming annual Christmas show at Carnegie Hall with Alexa Ray Joel; and Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke was back as part of the Road Recovery Performance Workshops Program.

And finally, Stratosphere Sound hosted New Jersey indie rockers The Static Jacks for a month, recording their debut full-length in Studio A with producer/engineer Chris Shaw. R&B legend Aaron Neville also recorded vocals at Stratosphere recently with Geoff Sanoff in Studio A.

And Amanda Ghost, producer Dave McCracken and engineer Andros Rodriguez – long-term clients in Studio B – have been working with female rapper KFlay, singers Sky Ferreira and Murray James, as well as John Legend.

And we know there’s so much more going on out there! If you’d like to be featured in “Session Buzz,” please submit your studio news to submissions@sonicscoop.com.

Waves Unveils OneKnob Plug-ins

Waves Audio announces the new OneKnob series, a set of seven plug-ins, each providing a particular effect controlled by a single knob.

OneKnob plug-ins feature Waves’ audio processes coupled with their simplest interfaces to date, delivering quick results and solutions for studio and live sound work. As Waves puts it: “Hooked up to a hardware controller, mixing has never been this fast — or this much fun.”

OneKnob plug-ins can be used in the control room, the DJ booth, or when mixing a live show — whenever users don’t feel like tweaking loads of parameters, and want to stay focused on the music and simply dial up some great-sounding effects.

The series includes OneKnob Brighter, OneKnob Phatter, OneKnob Filter, OneKnob Pressure, OneKnob Louder, OneKnob Driver and OneKnob Wetter. Waves describes them as the following:

OneKnob Brighter: An intelligent treble booster that adds brightness from the mid-high range on up, Brighter is perfect for brightening up a track or making it cut through the mix.

OneKnob Phatter: Phatter is a bass booster that provides a quick way to add bottom, weight and body to bass, keys, kick drums and vocals alike, to thicken them in the mix.

OneKnob Filter: From the mixing room to the DJ booth, Filter is a powerful sweepable filter with switchable Resonance modes, perfect for full mixes, loops, analog synths and more.

OneKnob Pressure: From light, parallel-style compression to pumping and squashing, Pressure is a versatile dynamics processor, ideal for percussive sources like loops and drum busses.

OneKnob Louder: Using a combination of peak limiting and low-level compression with automatic makeup, Louder effectively makes tracks louder, increasing RMS by up to 24 dB.

OneKnob Driver: Inspired by famous guitar overdrive pedals, Driver is capable of everything from light overdrive to full-on distortion. But it’s not just for guitars; it sounds great as an effect for vocals, piano, synths, drums, bass and more.

OneKnob Wetter: From short, bright ambiences that are felt more than heard, to longer, darker spaces, Wetter adds instant depth to any track, creating the perfect atmosphere.

The OneKnob series is Native only and available as a bundle for $400 (MSRP) or as single plugins for $80 (MSRP) each. OneKnob Series SoundGrid includes six plugins (Louder, Pressure, Phatter, Brighter, Driver, Filter) and is available for $600 (MSRP).

For more information, visit www.waves.com.

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