A campus of North Point Ministries, Woodstock City Church uses Waves SoundGrid Technology, Waves Tracks Live, and Waves Plugins
Brandon Thompson, Production Director at Woodstock, Georgia-based Woodstock City Church (formerly Watermarke Church), a campus of North Point Ministries, has chosen to use Waves SoundGrid® Technology, Waves Tracks Live, and Waves Plugins.
Thompson notes, “We are currently running the Waves MultiRack on our DiGiCo SD9 with the Waves Live bundle, Waves Studio Classics Collection, Waves Jack Joseph Puig Signature Series, Analog Legends, WavesCLA Classic Compressors, Waves C6 Multiband Compressor, Waves EMI TG12345 Channel Strip, Wavesdbx160® Compressor/Limiter, and Waves H-Reverb -- all running on a SoundGrid Server One. Additionally, we are running Waves Tracks Live as our preferred recording and playback solution.
The DiGiGrid MGB has been super-useful to use with virtual soundcheck duties for our DiGiCo SD9. Utilizing the MGB for 64 channels of MADI audio, we copy all incoming stage rack audio to the MGB. Then we track the rehearsal to Waves Tracks Live running on a Mac Mini, and using the ‘Listen to Copied Audio’ function on our SD9, and listen back to all tracked audio right after the band has finished. We spend a few hours working on mixes, adding in Waves plugins via SoundGrid, and then bounce out of the SD9 to an mp3 recorder, which is then posted online for the band to listen to.
This process has been a phenomenal help in building mixes that translate to performance time and has really helped the band hone in on their performance in context of the mix. It has also helped the musicians trust that what they are playing is translating to the room.”
He continues, “My absolute must-have plugins are the C6 Multiband Compressor, the H-Comp Hybrid Compressor, and the new H-Reverb. The C6 compressor is so useful for fixing level-dependent equalization and is my go-to for vocals, bass, loops, keys, and recording matrix output. For live use, the C6 has no equal. The H-Comp has become my go-to for drums -- especially snare compression. I set the gain reduction to compress no more than -6 dB (the red zone), mix in at around 60% for parallel compression, and I am good to go.
The H-Reverb is my newest addition. This is an amazing plugin that is full of great presets. I've been using it directly on my snare channel using the dry/wet control to set the balance. The sounds that I'm getting using the H-Reverb can't be accomplished with any other plugin that I've found!
I'd also like to mention that I've really been digging the SSL G-Channel recently. It has been getting used on more and more sources. I've found that completely turning off any channel processing on the console, and relying instead on the SSL Channel for everything, has added a sonic consistency to my mix that is amazing. The EQ section is really killer, and the gate and comp section just work with very little fuss.”
About Waves Audio Ltd.:
Waves is the world’s leading developer of audio DSP solutions for the professional, broadcast, and consumer electronics audio markets. Since its start in the early '90s with the introduction of the Q10 equalizer plugin, Waves has gone on to develop a comprehensive line of over 200 audio plugins, including industry standards like the L1 and L2 Ultramaximizers, popular vintage console models, and innovative mixing tools like Vocal Rider and the Artist Signature Series.
For its accomplishments, Waves received a Technical GRAMMY® Award in 2011, and the Q10 was selected as an inductee into the TECnology Hall of Fame. Waves technologies are now used to improve sound quality in virtually every sector of the audio market, from recording, mixing, mastering and post-production to broadcast, live sound, and consumer electronics.
Waves has over 20 years of expertise in the development of psychoacoustic signal processing algorithms that leverage knowledge of human auditory perception to radically improve perceived sound quality. Waves’ award-winning processors are utilized to improve sound quality in the creation of hit records, major motion pictures, and top-selling video games worldwide. Waves offers computer software and hardware-plus-software solutions for the professional and broadcast markets.
The company’s WavesLive division is a market leader in all live sound sectors, spearheading the development of solutions for all live platforms. Under its Maxx brand, Waves offers semiconductor and licensable algorithms for consumer electronics applications. Waves Maxx technologies dramatically enhance audio performance and are used by industry leaders such as Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, LG, Oppo, JVC, Denon and many others.