> Step by step
1. Getting started with NoiseAsh SpeakerSim CM
1 To install SpeakerSim CM on your computer, run the PC or Mac installer found on this month’s FileSilo or the print issue’s DVD. The plugin comes in VST and AAX formats for PC, and VST, AU and AAX formats for Mac. Once installed, call up a fresh instance of SpeakerSim CM on a channel in your DAW.
2 The central section is where you flip through the plugin’s different speaker emulations – click one of the buttons to select a model. The currently selected model populates the centre window. Choose from four models: Megaphone, Vintage Phone, Walkie Talkie and Old Radio In Room.
3 Let’s break down SpeakerSim CM’s signal flow in a bit more detail. Telephone and speaker effects go hand in hand with heavy-handed equalisation and filtering, which is why you’ll note that the incoming signal first hits an EQ section. Turn the EQ on and off with the header’s power button. 4 The EQ section comprises low- and high-pass analogue-style filters – set their frequencies by dragging the outer two knobs. Raise or lower the second and fourth knobs to dial in fixed low- and highshelf boosts or cuts (+/- 10dB). Finally, the centre knob controls a fixed midrange peak: turn anticlockwise to cut, and clockwise to boost (+/- 10dB). 5 The signal passes into an under-thehood stage that NoiseAsh describe as “a combination of slight distortion and LA-2A-style optical limiter with fast attack and release times, to reduce peaks and add slight distortion”. To push signal harder into this stage, crank up the leftmost Input knob, then back off the right-hand Output knob to compensate. 6 Signal then passes into the main
Output Simulator, which is where the speaker-modelling magic starts to happen. It’s a combination of custom EQ curve and “fast-efficiency convolution reverb engine”. This processed output signal can be blended with the unprocessed input signal via the Dry/Wet mix slider. 7 Most consumer-level speakers, telephones and radios consist of only one speaker driver, which is why we associate their lo-fi sound with mono audio. Handily, then, SpeakerSim CM features Mono/Stereo buttons, allowing you to flip the plugin’s output to mono for pseudo-realistic speaker effects. 8 Click the top-centre bar to open the Preset Browser. This is where you can browse the factory presets via the menus, plus add your own custom banks and presets. Hit a preset’s star icon to favourite it.