Get analogue on a budget with Plugins
Every issue of Computer Music comes with our huge suite of VST/AU instruments and effects, including plenty of analogue-style superstars. Here’s where to find those circuit-bending emulations hiding within your huge collection
SUMMING THINGS UP FOR HEAT: SATSON CM
You may have seen Sonimus’ Satson and Britson plugins over the last few pages. These and our own version, Satson CM, were meant to be used per-track and combined on your master bus to subtly suggest the cumulative effects of analogue mixing desk circuitry. They’re designed for subtle, underthe-radar warmth, but we’ve often used a single Satson CM to add extra drive to a signal by pushing up the Gain. Use utility plugins before and after to customise the drive amount, plus in and out levels.
REIGN IT IN WITH DEEMONITOR CM
This simple utility gadget from Dotec-Audio offers a handful of convenient monitoring tools that are designed to help you get a better mix. Among them are three different speaker simulations, including those based on Genelec, Auratone and Yamaha NS-10 monitors. The Auratone simulations are great for imparting a less-than-pristine image to your mixes. You can also use DeeMonitor CM to solo left and right channels.
Going further, this plugin can also act as a mid/side utility – great for ‘monoising’ sounds. When the Mid slider is halfway, the balance is unchanged, but pushing it up favours the stereo (sides) signal, and pushing it down leaves only the mono information (the mid portion of the signal).
AUDIFFEX STA ENHANCER CM
Before computers democratised recording, many would-be engineers turned to the humble four-track cassette Portastudio. These all-in-one recorders crammed four tracks onto 3.81mm of tape. Needless to say, the high-end response was less than stellar! As a result, many a home recording was forced to employ processors like the Aphex Aural Exciter to inject some extra high frequency harmonics into their tracks before committing them to tape. The effect was a slightly distorted, exaggerated high end that (sort of) made up for the signal loss. It’s worth a shot recreating the effect using modern exciters and enhancers, such as the lovely vintage setting to be found on Audified STA Enhancer CM.
ACTING ON IMPULSE
Convolution reverbs are among the most advanced effects processors available. Unlike traditional algorithmic reverbs that employ lots of jiggerypokery with delay lines to simulate acoustic spaces, a convolution reverb makes use of sampled ‘impulse responses’ to model the acoustic response of existing spaces or hardware devices. They needn’t be restricted to reverb – by their nature, convolution processors can emulate any linear effect that can be sampled. As such, they have become a very popular means to gain access to the sound of rare or expensive equipment.
PREAMP PLEASURES
API-style modular effects are all the rage these days, putting a wide variety of reasonably priced high-end studio hardware within reach of the bedroom producer. So familiar have the ‘500 series’ modules become that they’re being issued in virtual form. Case in point: Lindell Audio and their plugin 6X-500 CM, a software recreation of the company’s own hardware preamp and EQ combo. Use it to add some analogue drive to any track. Gorgeous!
As luck would have it, our own Reverberate CM, from LiquidSonics, lets you lob in any impulse you can find (and you can find plenty online). Toss in a response from a favourite vintage preamp, analogue console or tube EQ for some instant vintage voltage.
PULTEC MAGIC
It’s the classic trick that helped make the Pulse Techniques Pultec EQP-1A a legend: simultaneously boosting and cutting the same frequencies. It sounds counterproductive, but because of the shape of the Pultec’s boost and cut curves, they don’t cancel each other out, instead working in tandem to tighten up and emphasise selected frequencies. It’s really special on kick drums. Use our own Program EQ CM to try it for yourself. Another famous Pultec trick? Don’t EQ – just run your signal through that gorgeous tube circuit!
IS THERE AN ECHO IN HERE?
PSP Audioware have long been masters of analogue emulation, and their mastery is on full display in PSP cmDelay. As effective a delay as it may be, it turns out that we can kill the echo and simply drive signals into its tapestyle limiter for some magnificent magnetic magic. Try it and you’ll be amazed at how your tracks spring to life! Mind you, you shouldn’t forget that it’s still an excellent echo box when you need one.
KICKING THE HORNET’S NEST
HoRNet’s Graffio CM is a fantastic Swiss – or rather Italian – Army Knife for distorting your signals in a wide variety of ways, offering bit reduction, saturation, and an exciter in one sleek package. It’s the latter two that’ll arouse your inner retro-fetishist – they can be a bit over-the-top, so a light touch is recommended, but the results will be bursting with vintage vibe. Try it on individual tracks or give a light sprinkling to an entire mix.
THUMP ’N’ PUMP
Ignite VST have provided us with a dynamite dynamics plugin in the form of Vice One. This righteous red rocker is a kitted-out compressor that can help tame wayward dynamics. It also offers a superb analogue-sounding signal path that can be tapped when things are beginning to sound a little too in-the-box. It sounds as expensive as it looks, but lucky you, you get it for free!
INCREASE THE AGGRO!
RP-Distort CM, Tek’it Audio CrossDr CM, Audio Assault’s GrindMachine CM, Mercuriall U530 CM. All of these plugins offer maximum distortion destruction that can be used to simulate everything from overloaded mixer preamps to guitar amps pushed beyond breaking point. But distortion needn’t be restricted to guitar tracks – slap any one of these plugins across your drum mix for incendiary beats, or throw ’em into an insert on your vocal tracks for some throat-shredding 80s Industrial screamfests. Make ol’ Uncle Ohgr proud!
DE-ESS TO IMPRESS
Toneboosters’ Sibalance CM is a sweet de-esser with a few tricks up its sleeves; one of those tricks is a nifty setting for removing the harsh high end in a full mix. This works on overly brash or digital-sounding individual tracks as well. We’re particularly fond of throwing it over the top of brittle drum overheads and ear-piercing analogue drum machines.
THE SOFT PARADE
You probably already know that clipping a signal will cause it to take on the characteristics of a square wave – it flattens the wave during the loudest bits. Soft clipping, on the other hand, creates a less brutal flattening of the wave – the corners are roundedoff, if you will. This commonly occurs when overdriving an analogue circuit and can be pleasant to the ear in small doses. D16 Group’s Frontier limiter offers some lovely analogue soft clipping. If you haven’t tried it, get on it!