Waves build new Greg Wells’ ToneCentric plug-in
Yes, that’s right: here’s yet another Waves plug-in featuring Greg Wells. In the same way Greg Wells’ VoiceCentric plug-in was a ‘one-knob’ style plug-in, ToneCentric also sports the big dial. Is this release an exercise in shameless marketing, or is there something truly unique on offer here?
Waves Greg Wells ToneCentric Plugin
As you may know by now, I don’t typically favour ‘one-knob‘ style plug-ins, specifically the ones that offer multiple processes running under the GUI. I have less of an issue when it’s a simple task or single process that can be controlled at a level the user defines. For example, there are several saturation based plug-ins of this kind which do make sense to me. After all, who can have enough colours of saturation in their plug-in palette?
ToneCentric could easily be classified as a saturation plug-in, but it appears that isn’t exactly what Waves and Greg Wells have tried to present here. Yes, it does simulate classic valve and tape sounds, and if pushed I gather there is a specific colour of saturation you can expect. However, I feel in the videos below Greg is trying to explain that ToneCentric is geared towards the “depth of field” that analogue equipment can generate. I really like this concept and often use plug-ins like State’s Virtual Channel to generate some analogue depth when faced with mixing in-the-box.
I haven’t had time to try out ToneCentric for myself yet, but as far as one-knob plug-ins go I think there is some real promise here. When we think about analogue and saturation effects from different plug-in manufacturers, I think we all naturally badge a certain flavour of sound with that brand. Waves, however, have started expanding what I would typically consider ‘their sound’ to be some more recent releases. I suspect this plug-in will continue this expansion. I also really appreciate that Greg has made an effort to retain the clarity in the HF, rather than it just being a general wash.
More Information
This plug-in can be downloaded and trialled in the usual Waves manner, via the Waves Central app. They currently have a special introductory offer running of 59 USD if you decide to buy it, after which it will become 129 USD. In today’s market of plug-ins, particularly of the ‘one-knob’ kind, 59 USD seems reasonable but 129 USD feels steep. Visit the ToneCentric webpage on Waves’ website for more information and system requirements.
Video
Here are two videos from the Waves Audio YouTube channel, about the new ToneCentric plug-in. The first is really just a teaser, but the second goes into much more detail. Greg talks about his concept for the plug-in and demonstrates many examples of how you might use the plug-in.
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