The Tony Maserati Collection features six application-specific audio plug-ins, created by Waves in collaboration with multi-Platinum mixing engineer Tony Maserati:

• Maserati GTi: The gigantic guitars of The Rapture, Rob Thomas, and Bowie.
• Maserati VX1: The smooth vocal sound of Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, and beyond.
• Maserati DRM: The slamming drums of Black Eyed Peas, Usher, and Christina Aguilera.
• Maserati HMX: The high energy sparkle of The Pussycat Dolls, Britney, and Mariah.
• Maserati B72: The massive bass of Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Mary J.
• Maserati ACG: The crisp, clean acoustic guitar sound of Jason Mraz and k.d. lang.

Tony Maserati on the GTi Guitar Toner: 'The GTi was created with all the different guitar players I've admired in mind. I tried to find settings that would be a starting place for getting their sound, from the 'Clean' in-your-face sound of, say, Elliott Smith to the wide chorus-y spread of The Police's Andy Summers using the 'Clean Chorus' setting. On the 'Heavy' setting, a bit of level and EQ help your already crunched guitar sound scream through any thick instrumentation you've got. 'Thick Rhythm' lets you to subtly or substantially make your rhythm guitar sound livelier; it also works great on Wurlis and Horns. The 'Soft Flange' setting is just that; it adds interesting and subtly audible filtering to legato notes or sustained electric guitars. My intention was to make these effects usable in a wide variety of applications. The wild and crazy FX are out there; you already got 'em if you need 'em!'

Tony Maserati on the VX1 Vocal Enhancer: 'The VX1 is a compact package for full vocal control, whether you need to squeeze the most emotion out subtle performance or engulf it in a room with a full band production. This plug-in has all the processing you need for Vocals. Contour 1 will give you a studio or small venue room; Contour 2 is a larger chamber with reflective pre-delays, most suited for slow ballads; and Contour 3 is set up for quicker tempo songs with a very small room and matching pre-delay.'

Tony Maserati on the DRM Drum Slammer: 'The DRM was designed to help the excitement of percussive transients get heard through mixes which are thick with instrumentation and vocals. Whether on programmed or live drums, DRM is a great starting point for your mix.'

Tony Maserati on the B72 Bass Phattener: 'The B72 actually has two distinct starting places. I've worked on a large variety of music for my artists, and there's never just one sound or one preset. Try the 'DI' setting on your electric or acoustic bass and you'll see how you can enhance the roundness, while keeping it lively throughout the song. The 'Synth' setting opens up a different door, with thickness, stereo spread, and harmonic flavor. It'll fill the speakers like an old Prophet.'

Tony Maserati on the ACG Acoustic Guitar Designer: 'The ACG is a comprehensive tool to help gain ultimate control and energy boost from a variety of acoustic guitar types. The 'ACG 1' setting allows you to maximize level and sculpt your top and bottom. 'ACG 2' setting has more built-in compression for bringing out the subtleties in a live performance. Both have appropriate room settings available to be dialed in at varying levels.'

Tony Maserati on the HMX Harmonics Generator: 'In 'Modal' mode, the HMX will make your piano wide, with just the right amount of chorus effect, to give it life on a vocal demo, or raise your Wurlitzer's presence, for some ethereal magic. 'Bounce' mode will add a bit of reverb and delay, to create energy and movement for a sensitive ballad or live-ness to a funky full-band setting.'

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In this free tutorial, brought to you with the support of Waves, you will learn how to use the Waves Maserati VX1 Vocal Enhancer Plug-in. Tony Maserati worked with Waves to produce a number of Maserati Signature Series plug-ins. In the coming weeks, we'll look at those as well.

The Maserati VX1 plug-in is an interesting tool that features 3 contour settings, each with a unique saturation characteristic and ambience. This is a great plug-in for adding a grit to a vocal and focus but be warned.. this plug-in can clip quite easily as you'll hear in this video. Waves recommend that the Input dial should be set so that the indicator level light shows yellow but I recommend the VX1 should be set to just touch green, especially if you are mixing a dynamic vocal similar to the performance in this video.

Visit the Waves website for more information about the VX1 plug-in.