Recording Engineer. Recording tips. Mixing Tips.

Evgeny Klukin is the leading hardware developer of Waves Audio Ltd. - world’s leading supplier of software-based audio signal processing tools.

Hello, Evgeny. Please, tell us about Waves Audio and your work for the company.

Evgeny Klukin: Waves Audio has 15 year history. It’s one of the first companies that paid attention to the possibilities of the sound digital processing…. It was a time of weak DAWs based on MAC. Everything started at Tel-Aviv kitchen (Does it remind you about anything?). Two young talented people - Meir Shashua and Gilad Keren - realized some possibilities, that computer gives in the music sphere. And the idea occurred in their minds - it’s possible to write programs, getting money and joy. Thus the Waves Audio became one of the first developer of what we call “Plug-in” now.

In some time it was clear that programs are good but hardware is better or to be more exact good programs need good hardware. So here I came. That time the company hadn’t even a screwdriver.  Now Waves R&D office is 120 people, including the department which deals in hardware. I’ve been working at this department for 10 years and I’m a leading engineer.

Let’s start with questions from young engineers:

"What are advantages and drawbacks of sound processing with the help of software plug-ins in comparison with the processing by hardware devices?"

In my opinion these are absolutely different worlds. We can’t compare them. Digital processing gives us practically unlimited opportunities. Much of hardware nowadays contains similar software. Many modern devices have DSP. I think we can compare them with computer’s plug-ins. As I understand the previous question was about analog hardware.

I think it was about digital devices.

We can’t compare software and analog hardware. They are different things. And if you mean hardware’s soft it is better in such systems because it processes only sound and nothing else. So recourses are spent only to perform main tasks. And it’s a great plus.

"Is there any difference between algorithms of Waves plug-ins for Native and TDM platforms?"

No.
You can do checking, called cancellation. Take two platforms (TDM and Native), the same plug-in with the same preset, pass through the same information then overlap in any wave editor one over the other inverted. You’ll get something about -130 dB. It means that the signals are identical.

Hypothetical question. You’ve bought a holiday to a desert island to work in solitude because you are to pass very urgent task. You’ve got a notebook and possibility to order only three Waves plug-ins. What three plug-ins will you take with you?
We are interested only in you personal thoughts.
And finally here  goes  a provocative question: What single plug-in from any other manufacturer would you take to the island?

Waves – L3, EQ and a compressor from SSL bundle. With other plug-ins it’s difficult to say. Everything depends on the task you should fulfill. Oh! I think I know – it’s VocAlign.

When will Waves plug-ins work with the same quality as hardware do? Is it possible in fact?

Never. The reason was mentioned above. When a digital hardware device is designed it processes ONLY sound and doesn’t perform any other actions. Operating system of the computer fulfills 1000 other tasks not connected with processing. In such situation the main task is to decide what is more important.
Developers of digital hardware either don’t have such limitations or  they’ve got less limitations or they can pass them. It’s more difficult to do with the operating system.

While working on your products do you make use of any hardware analogues? If yes, say which ones.

Yes, for example Waves Guitar Bundle is all made on the base of real amplifiers and guitar effects.

What new plug-ins is Waves planning to launch for TDM platform? Are you planning to launch multilane enhancer?

I can’t give you exact answer on this question. Because the information you ask about is confidential. All the news about products is on our web-site. I can’t provide you with more information on this question, unfortunately.

Is there any difference between the sample rate of 44.1 kHz and 96 kHz when working with audio? Will 96 kHz be of better quality?

Sure. 96 is better but 192 even much better. The higher the sampling rate the more information about the signal we get as a result we lose less. For example, there is Noise Shaping. It directly depends on what rate we sample the signal. And many other algorithms work better at the rate of 96 and higher kHz.

What future for sound recoding do you see?  What will happen in you opinion to software, digital hardware and analog devices?

I’m pleased that analog devices return more often. Digital stuff will stay as technologies will improve and computer power will increase. Perhaps, it will be some kind of symbiosis of old analog apparatus with modern digital ones.

Something like digital controllers for analog consoles?

If you wish but I didn’t mean that. Along with digital processing the old Pultec is used or any similar device that can be applied in modern conditions.
A good example of such alliance is MaxxBCL. It’s the latest device launched by Waves. It doesn’t have any semiconductor before ADC just passive elements and the transformer on input and output.

Can these devices exist only as emulation? Like it happens to BombFactory production or to Universal Audio UAD?

No way. It’s impossible to copy work of tubes and semiconductors for 100%. You can come close but not 100%. Let physics do its work and math will do its. They don’t interfere with one another.

A question arises? Is it really worth it, if 99% of music audience won’t hear the difference between the real device and its emulation?

It’s a question of marketing. Judging by experience 90 people of 100 prefer real device to its emulation even if the difference between them 1%. Do you still read paper books? It happens because you can hold them or turn over pages. The same thing is with devices as you can wind handles.

Or may be to develop a controller for plug-ins?

It’s not the same any way. It’s on the level of subconsciousness. But now the generation of «pluginers» is growing. May be they will change something in 25 years.

But the audience will never know and hear on what thing the record is made - on SSL or in Sonar. What are these devices for?

For those who use these devices. Audience doesn’t care how music is made. It either likes it or not. According to the practice people who use these devices prefer hardware.

Name three main components of record studio starting with the most essential one.

A microphone + preamplifier, ADC, computer.

But in a wider sense. For example, people-place-equipment?

People should be creative, place should be spacious, equipment should be the best one.

Thanks for interesting conversation, Evgeny. I think after reading this material our readers will get food for thought and our blog viewers will have topics for discussion.

Thank you.