In the Auxiliary Mode, the Ax Mix knob is disabled. Waves have emulated each usage method and provided multiple mix modes to get the characterful sounds in a convenient insert workflow.

This model is based on a tube-based exciter, which means the sound of the same unit used as a send and as an insert differs in character. Adding only a touch of excitement using this plugin and boosting the air with a conventional EQ adds a pleasant sheen to the audio without it sounding tiring. However, too much of anything is a bad thing, and this exciter is no different.

Turning up the Input adds more drive and character to the sound, and the AX Mix essentially mixes the distorted sound to your audio.

We enjoy the sound of it on vocals and strings in particular. The plugin also adds some character to your audio as the original hardware used to. This exciter adds clarity and sparkle to any audio you feed into it. Waves Aphex Aural Exciter (Great For Mixing & Mastering)Īs the name suggests, Waves Aphex Aural Exciter is modeled after the very first design by Aphex themselves, renowned for its use on many classic hits. The 7 Best Exciter Plugins 2023 For Mixing & Mastering 1. Nevertheless, it is enough to understand that while the fundamental function of both exciters and saturators is the same, the difference lies in what frequency range they primarily affect. This means that you might even find a saturator that sounds more like a high-frequency exciter than a general saturation plugin. Nowadays, many saturation plugins will have some sort of emulation going on - some emulate the character of a certain mix console, while some emulate vintage EQs. However, this isn’t quite the end of the difference, especially with modern plugins. The biggest difference is that the exciter plugin targets a specific frequency range, whereas a saturator most often affects the entire frequency spectrum as a whole. What’s The Difference Between Exciter & Saturation Plugin? Instead, it will focus on enhancing clarity for the main body of the vocals. So, if you used such an exciter on the vocals to generate high frequencies and set the analyzer to focus on middle frequencies, the exciter will ignore sibilance.

Some modern exciters have been built to intelligently generate harmonics based on the target frequencies you select for analysis. Similarly, there are also exciters made for adding low-frequency harmonics to make the audio sound fuller. The most common exciter plugins are the high-frequency exciters, which add harmonics at frequencies generally higher than 3kHz.Įxciters have been used to lend clarity to audio by using calculated distortion to generate high-frequency harmonics. AudioThing Type A (Vintage Enhancer) What Is An Exciter Plugin?Īn exciter plugin is an effect plugin that adds harmonic distortion to a targeted frequency range to add more spectral content to the audio.

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