CLA Drums Plugin from Waves: Snare
CLA Drums Plugin from Waves: A Deep Dive into Snare Drum Processing
If you’re a music producer or live sound engineer looking to elevate your drum sound, the CLA Drums Plugin from Waves is an excellent choice. This plugin, crafted with insights from legendary mixing engineer Chris Lord-Alge, offers a range of presets and parameters tailored specifically for drum processing. In this review, we’ll explore how the CLA Drums Plugin enhances a snare drum sound, detailing its features, functionality, and overall performance.
Overview of the CLA Drums Plugin
The CLA Drums Plugin is part of a series from Waves that includes specialized tools for drums, bass, vocals, and more. It is designed to simplify drum mixing by providing easy-to-use presets and straightforward controls. This plugin is particularly useful for those who want high-quality results quickly without needing to dive into every individual setting.
In this review, we’ll focus on using the CLA Drums Plugin to process a snare drum, demonstrating how it can transform raw drum recordings into polished, professional sounds.
Getting Started with the CLA Drums Plugin for Snare Drums
To demonstrate the capabilities of the CLA Drums Plugin, I started with a raw snare drum recording, captured using a snare top microphone. The recording had no additional effects or EQ applied, providing a clean slate to showcase the plugin’s impact.
- Initial Snare Drum Sound: Before applying any plugins, I played back the raw snare drum track. The sound was basic and unprocessed—adequate, but lacking the punch and character often desired in professional mixes.
- Loading the CLA Drums Plugin: Next, I loaded the CLA Drums Plugin onto the snare track in a mono configuration. The Waves interface appeared, allowing me to specify the type of drum I was working with—in this case, a snare drum. The plugin is versatile and can be used on various drum types, including kick, toms, and cymbals.
Exploring the Presets
The CLA Drums Plugin comes equipped with a variety of presets tailored to different drum types and genres. For this demonstration, I focused on presets specifically designed for snare drums.
- Snare Rock One Preset: This preset is tailored for a rock snare drum sound, providing a solid, punchy tone with a good balance of body and attack. After selecting this preset, I played the snare track again, first without the plugin and then with it engaged. The difference was immediately noticeable: the snare sounded fuller, with enhanced presence and clarity.
- Pop One Preset: Switching to the Pop One preset, the snare took on a brighter, more pop-oriented sound. This preset boosts the high frequencies, making the snare cut through the mix more effectively, which is ideal for pop music production.
These presets serve as an excellent starting point, allowing users to achieve a great sound quickly. They are particularly useful in live sound environments where time is limited, and quick adjustments are necessary.
Customizing the Sound: Tone Shaping Controls
While the presets offer a convenient starting point, the CLA Drums Plugin also provides several controls for further customization:
- Bass, Treble, Compression, Reverb, and Gate Sliders: These sliders allow you to adjust the amount of bass, treble, compression, reverb, and gating applied to the snare drum sound.
- Bass: Controls the low frequencies, with options to adjust the upper, lower, and sub frequencies. This allows for precise control over the bass characteristics of the snare.
- Treble: Manages the high frequencies, with settings for “Roof,” “Top,” and “Bite,” which shape the snare’s brightness and attack.
- Compression: Tightens the dynamic range of the snare, adding punch and making the sound more consistent.
- Reverb: Adds spatial effects to the snare, ranging from subtle ambiance to more dramatic reverb tails.
- Gate: Useful for eliminating unwanted bleed from other drum microphones, particularly in live settings. Engaging the gate can clean up the snare sound by reducing high-hat bleed or other extraneous noises.
- Enabling and Disabling Effects: Each effect (bass, treble, compression, reverb, and gate) can be enabled or disabled with a simple click, providing flexibility in crafting the perfect snare sound.
Practical Application: Live and Studio Environments
The CLA Drums Plugin excels in various scenarios, offering utility both in the studio and live environments.
- Studio Mixing: In a studio setting, the plugin provides a quick and effective way to enhance snare sounds without needing extensive manual adjustments. The presets provide a great starting point, while the customizable sliders allow for fine-tuning to match the specific needs of each track.
- Live Mixing: The plugin is also highly effective in live environments. For example, when using a Behringer Wing console and integrating with software like Ableton, the CLA Drums Plugin can be used to process snare drums in real-time. Its intuitive interface and quick preset switching make it ideal for live sound engineers who need to make fast, effective changes on the fly.
Using the Gate Feature to Control Snare Bleed
One of the standout features of the CLA Drums Plugin is its gate function, which is particularly useful when dealing with snare drums in a mix. By enabling the gate and adjusting its threshold, you can reduce or eliminate bleed from other instruments, such as high-hats or cymbals. This is especially valuable in live settings where multiple microphones are in close proximity, and unwanted bleed can muddy the mix.
In this demonstration, I enabled the gate while playing back the snare drum track, adjusting it to reduce the high-hat bleed effectively. The difference was immediately apparent: with the gate engaged, the snare sound was cleaner and more focused, making it easier to achieve a professional mix.
Conclusion: Is the CLA Drums Plugin Worth It for Snare Processing?
The CLA Drums Plugin from Waves is a versatile and powerful tool for anyone looking to improve their snare drum sounds, whether in a live or studio environment. Its range of presets and easy-to-use controls make it accessible to users of all skill levels, while its flexibility allows for extensive customization for those who want more control over their sound.
If you’re looking for a quick, effective way to enhance your snare drum mix and save time without sacrificing quality, the CLA Drums Plugin is a great investment. Its ability to deliver high-quality results with minimal effort makes it a valuable addition to any audio engineer’s toolkit, especially for those working regularly with drum sounds.
