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Rob Papen RP-EQ

By
Bryan
-

Rob Papen is one of the greats in virtual synth production. Countless EDM, pop, hiphop, and even rock tracks feature his digital fingerprints. After creating last year’s RAW soft synth, he saw useful parts in the plugin that could work as a standalone plugin. What we get is RP-EQ.

Virtual instrument and effects plug-in developer Rob Papen Soundware is proud to announce availability of RP-EQ — expanding EQ essentials from its all-the-rage RAW soft synth, specialising in ‘distorted’ sounds specifically suited to EDM (electronic dance music) production and beyond, to create an essential EQ effects plug-in for Mac (32- and 64-bit, AAX, AU, and VST for Mac OS X 10.6 or higher) and PC (32- and 64-bit, AAX and VST for Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10) with inventive graphics control at its instinctive heart suited to tweaking anything in hitherto unseen ways with a natural and sweet sound well worth its attractive asking price — as of September 28…
Whether used in a corrective or creative capacity, EQ (or equalisation) — adjusting the levels of frequency response of an audio signal — has long since been seen as an essential extension to the art of recording, mixing, and mastering. Indeed, in the wonderful world of virtual music production an almost unlimited choice of EQ plug-ins are available to the discerning user… from those purporting to perfectly emulate expensive, well-known, and often hard-to-source hardware classics to those that are already part of the chosen DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) itself, with much in-between and beyond. But why would anyone need another one from Rob Papen? Quite simply because RP-EQ is from Rob Papen, that’s why! Well, what, exactly, makes RP-EQ so special, then?
To answer that, it helps to know where the RP-EQ concept came from. First and foremost, Rob Papen is all about ‘sound’ so if it can collectively create something fresh for the music-making world that makes musical sense then so be it. And so it is with RP-EQ, evolving, as it did, from another Rob Papen product — namely, RAW, released late last year to critical acclaim as a soft synth specialising in ‘distorted’ sounds specifically suited to EDM production and beyond. “RAW has a focus on ‘distorted’ sounds, so this means that it has a different signal setup, synthesizer-wise… what is new when compared to our other synthesizers is that you have an EQ that can be pre- or post-distortion.” So stated namesake company founder and Managing Director Rob Papen at the time. That EQ is part of the distinctive sound of RAW and its inventive graphics control is at its instinctive heart, something that did not escape the attention of the attentive Rob Papen. “I asked Jon Ayres, who is the brilliant DSP coder behind all Rob Papen products, to send me this EQ as a standalone plug-in so that I could try it out on an audio track,” he says. “Surprised by its natural and sweet sound, I started a discussion with Jon to tweak it a bit more to achieve what would become the sound of RP-EQ.” Expectedly, perhaps, there is more to RP-EQ, then, than meets the ear: “Initially, the idea popped up to also add a spectrum analyser, because this is very handy to have in the workflow when mixing, as is our famous XY pad, as featured in Blade, BLUE-II, and RAW. Having the XY pad inside RP-EQ really offers something special to the creative artists amongst us!” That said, the natural and sweet sound of RP-EQ was enough in itself to convince creative artist Rob Papen of the value of releasing the plug-in, but before doing that he felt it wise to check his findings with others. And who better to check those findings with than Freek Vergoossen (a.k.a. DJ Free K), who just so happens to also be the brilliant ‘distorted’ mind behind the idea for RAW. Reveals Rob Papen: “We sent a beta version to Freek, who said, ‘Yes, this sounds very good, but why not add a bit more so I can use it for even more musical tasks!’ So we had a studio session with Freek, focusing on the needs of today’s music-makers and additional features for RP-EQ. Some of these were new to Jon Ayres, but we were convinced that he would be able to create them and add even more extras. The result? He’s done it… again!”
Indeed, he has. Handover to the buying public was in safe hands, as attested to by Rob Papen. “To confirm that we had nailed the additional features, final flight checks were made by DJ Promo and Rob Fabrie, who is also known for his EDM mastering skills. Both were excited by those features and confirmed the pleasant, silky sound of RP-EQ.” Endgame!
 
‘Edited highlights’ of RP-EQ are as follows: eight-band EQ, which can work in regular EQ mode or Mid/Side EQ mode (with bands 1-4 being for the ‘Mid’ signal and bands 5-8 being for the ‘Side’ signal), with a graphic control panel and lower control panel with additional settings to allow users to quickly view, solo, or lock a single band; an AIR section that represents an additional EQ band, boosting very high frequencies with a wide bandwidth with the perceived effect of providing the effected audio with a bit more breathing space (or ‘air’); a FILTER section with filter slopes selectable between 12dB and 24dB per octave with two filter types — the HP (high-pass) filter with a 75Hz setting can be used to filter out any rumble or otherwise uncontrolled low-end material, for example, while the LP (lowpass) filter is a classic ingredient of any synthesizer setup, so can be used here to enhance the creative application of equalisation — that are the place to start for creating dynamic and rhythmic filter effects in combination with the XY pad; a MONO/STEREO SPLIT FILTER section to divide the audio signal into mono and stereo parts based on a frequency — typically, low frequencies do not contain much spacial information and are perceived as mono signals while spacial placement in a stereo image is provided by the higher frequencies, making this an amazing tool for contemporary music-making in a mix-bus configuration or for mastering applications; a SATURATION section for applying a ‘warming’ effect to the sound, based on the effect of saturated analogue tape recordings; a SPEC (spectrogram) section that displays the input and output signal as an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) spectrogram, a 30-band (1/3-octave) bar spectrogram, or a 30-band (1/3-octave) single-line spectrogram; and more besides, including the aforementioned XY pad — truly unique to RP-EQ, which works as two programmable LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators), with movement in either direction directly controlling the value of one or more RP-EQ parameters. Put it this way: this creative collection of fanciful features all add up to making RP-EQ a truly essential music-making tool for today. Whether or not EDM is your musical bag, surely you owe it to your creative self to give your music a competitive equalisation edge with RP-EQ?
 

RP-EQ can be purchased as a boxed version from authorised Rob Papen dealers worldwide or downloaded directly from Rob Papen for €79.00 EUR (including VAT/tax)/$89.00 USD from here: http://www.robpapen.com/rp-eq-buy.html Note that eXplorer-III, Rob Papen’s all-encompassing software bundle, now includes RP-EQ as standard, bringing its total product count to 14; competitively priced at €585.00 EUR (including VAT/tax)/$699.00 USD, this represents a significant cost saving of over 50% when compared to separately purchasing each and every Rob Papen virtual instrument and effects plug-in included!
For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated RP-EQ product webpage here: http://www.robpapen.com/rp-eq.html

Review: Tracktion Master Mix

By
Bryan
-

The Mackie D8B was THE all in one DAW / Control Station to have quite a few years ago. This was one of the premier studio bundles for high-end home and even professional studios. Then Pro Tools HD came along and gave it a run for its money. Although the sun has set on the D8B, there were still some very useful tools built into the DAW that went down with it – one of them being the Acuma Labs Final Mix. This was a plugin designed especially for Mackie’s UFX card that came with the D8B and was a favorite of quite a few people. This plugin was a mix and master engineer’s dream, giving you multi stage compression and EQ, along with expansion capabilities, soft clip limiter, and noise gate. It was a shame to see one of the first plugins of this type go… until now.
 
Due to Tracktion’s creator Julian Storer’s affiliation with Mackie, he saw the great potential in Final Mix and created his own version of the plugin. This plugin comes in VST and AU varieties and is available in the Tracktion Marketplace. The Master Mix comes with all of the functionality of Final Mix, but offers a few enhancements as well. The end result is an old school classic reborn for a new generation of digital audio workstations.
 
Master Mix is almost an exact replica of the old Final Mix plugin. The layout and interface are pretty much the same, but with the Master Mix having a less “dated” look. I have to be honest, part of me would’ve liked to see that late 90’s interface for nostalgia, but Tracktion have given it the modern matte look that’s much easier on the eyes. The top portion of the window displays your EQ and the bottom displays your dynamics. But much like everything Tracktion, the display will also change to accommodate the task at hand.
 
You are given 6 bands of EQ plus a newly added high pass and low pass filters. There are actually two stages at which you can EQ your track, both pre and post dynamics. This allows for tweaking your tone after adding compression. You can also drive bands into compression hard and compensate on the back end. This is very useful for sculpting your exact tone and works in so many uses. The text background of the window provides a quick look at which stage you are EQing.
 
At first glance you may get slightly confused by the lack of knobs, but double clicking on the EQ graph will display all of the controls you desire. The left click and drag will raise or lower the volume on the graph and the scroll knob adjusts the Q for the bands and the slope for the high and low pass filters. Clicking the EQ Bands on/off button for each band enables each band. Clicking the EQ Shelving below each band controls shelving for all bands.
 
Just below the EQ window is the Crossover window. This window provides 3 bands of dynamics, each tailored to the frequency range you select with the blue vertical lines. You are also given three orange sections which work as keys to each of the 3 bands. This determines what frequency range triggers the dynamics of your crossover’s compression. Enabling and disabling these features are accomplished by clicking the buttons to the right in the Dynamics window.
 
The Master Mix gets very creative with the bottom row of 3 bands that control the compression of each crossover. If traditional controls are what you want, each window has a gain compensation, attack, and release. Threshold is controlled by the blue line inside the graph and muting, auto gain, and soloing the side-chain is controlled with the buttons above the compression curve / threshold box. As your compressor works, you get a visual representation at the bottom of each compression band.
 
Now if you want to more options, simply double clicking in the threshold / compression curve box and the EQ and crossover window transform into a compression contour edit toolbox. From here, you can right click on the compression contour line and create up to 4 nodes that work as a custom knee to each band’s compression. The possibilities are limitless in this window. With this window, ratio pops up in case you were wondering where it went as well. To exit this window, either click the X at the top right of the Contour Edit window, or click on the band’s compression contour display box.
 
Now if all of this isn’t enough, the Dynamics section hosts a soft clip limiter as well as gating and to the far right is an intuitive gain section that displays the input and output gain of your content. Presets are also available via the dropdown box above the meters. They’ve even thrown in a lot of the old Acuma presets as well as their own that are extremely useful.
 
In operation this plugin works fantastic. The workflow is great and controls morph into exactly what you need for what you are doing. The interface can either be as informative or scaled back as you need given the way the windows transform at a simple click. The sound quality of the plugin is great as well and with the right knobs turned at the right time, can be as transparent or colored as you want. This really is a swiss-army tool for your subgroups or master fader. It really is incredible how much functionality they’ve been able to stuff in one window. I never once found myself wishing I could resize the window or feeling like I lacked any visual feedback. The only gripe I have is the installation. If you install via the Tracktion DAW’s Marketplace tab, installation is a breeze; but if you are using a different DAW, the only means of installation is by manually placing the file in the correct folder. It would be nice if you were given an install file, but that small headache definitely doesn’t affect the operation of this stellar plugin.
 
The days of the Final Mix may be gone, but its spirit definitely lives on in Tracktion’s Final Mix.

Waves eMo D5

By
Bryan
-

We all hate chaining together dynamics plugins and using up precious inserts so Waves has your 6 with eMo D5, an all-in-one solution for your dynamic woes. This thing is serious, especially the gate. You can externally trigger the gate to work off of an external source. No more trusting the Gate will detect the source audio. On top of that, you have just about any other tool for any scenario all in one window…. Greatness

Waves Audio is now shipping the eMo D5 Dynamics plugin. The first plugin to use Waves’ groundbreaking Parallel Detection technology, Waves eMo D5 delivers the power of five state-of-the-art dynamics processors — Gate, Leveler, DeEsser, Compressor and Limiter — in one easy-to-use interface.
Thanks to Waves’ Parallel Detection technology, each of the five processors responds to the original signal and to each of the other processed signals simultaneously. This lets users instantly control the total dynamic change introduced by the different processors, ensuring that the final sound achieves maximum clarity without over-compression.
The eMo D5 Dynamics plugin also provides a combined gain reduction meter for the Leveler, Compressor and Limiter, making it even easier to monitor and control levels.
eMo D5 is a Swiss army knife for dynamics. With its single-page GUI, users will be able to set up a dynamically balanced mix with maximum efficiency, saving tremendous amounts of time by not having to open and tweak different dynamic plugins.
With its zero latency, low CPU consumption and pure sound quality, eMo D5 is a natural for both live and studio engineers.
Waves eMo D5 features:

  • Five state-of-the-art dynamics processors in one plugin

  • Gate and Compressor with dedicated HP/LP filters and an external sidechain option

  • Smooth Limiter with zero latency and sharp attack

  • Comprehensive DeEsser with pre/post-Compressor routing

  • C-weighted Leveler with an adjustable range

  • Zero latency

  • Low CPU consumption

  • Combined gain reduction meter for the Leveler, Compressor and Limiter

  • Fully compatible with touchscreens

Price: Reg $299 (Intro $149)
For more information, visit, http://www.waves.com/plugins/emo-d5-dynamics
 

iZotope RX Post Production Suite and RX5 Audio Editor

By
Bryan
-

iZotope is swore upon daily by professionals who either need that extra leg up on sound quality or receive horribly disfigured files that clients have somehow justified as usable for broadcast quality. Stutter does things that other plugins of its type dream of and Trash… well Trash 2 disfigures the audio in a useable way. iZotope now has released a bundle to cure your woes as well as much anticipated RX5.

At IBC 2015 (stand 8.D70), iZotope, Inc., a leading audio technology company, is announcing the new RX Post Production Suite containing a comprehensive suite of tools designed specifically to enable professionals to better edit, mix, and deliver their audio, as well as RX 5 Audio Editor, a significant new update to its RX platform.

The new RX Post Production Suite contains products aimed at every stage of the audio post production workflow, with solution-oriented tools for everything from audio repair and editing, to mix enhancement and final delivery. The RX Post Production Suite includes:

  • RX 5 Advanced Audio Editor

  • RX Final Mix

  • RX Loudness Control

  • One-year, All-Access Pass to Groove3 online video courses & training

  • 50 free sound effects (customer’s choice) from Pro Sound Effects

The new RX 5 Audio Editor and RX 5 Advanced Audio Editor efficiently repair and enhance common problematic production audio while speeding up workflows that currently require either multiple manual editing passes, or a non-intuitive collection of tools from different vendors.
RX 5’s new Instant Process tool lets editors “paint out” unwanted sonic elements directly on the spectral display with a single mouse gesture. The new Module Chain allows users to define a custom chain of processing (e.g. De-click, De-noise, De-reverb, EQ Match, Leveler, Normalize) and then save that chain as a preset so that multiple processes can be recalled and applied in a single click for repetitive tasks.
For even faster workflows between Pro Tools and RX 5, RX Connect has been enhanced to support individual Pro Tools clips and crossfades with any associated handles so that processed audio returns “in place” to the Pro Tools timeline, maintaining complete editing control.
In RX 5 Advanced, a new De-plosive module has been developed to minimize plosives from letters such as p, t, k, and b, in which strong blasts of air create a massive pressure change at the microphone element, impairing the sound. In addition, the Leveler module has been enhanced with breath and ‘ess’ (sibilance) detection for increased accuracy when performing faster than real-time leveling. Likewise, new enhancements for the Ambience Match module improve accuracy for creating noise profiles when matching background noise to mask edit points. Ambience Match is now also available as AudioSuite plug-in for constructing consistent ambience beds under constructed sentences and ADR lines directly from within Pro Tools and Media Composer.
“Our users have helped make RX the industry standard in audio post production. This evolution to the RX Post Production Suite is just the start of our continued journey into building the award-winning, workflow-enhancing tools our users dream of as they seek to deliver the best-sounding audio they can under increasingly tight and oppressive deadlines,” said Matt Hines, Audio Post Product Manager for iZotope.
Both RX 5 Audio Editor and RX 5 Advanced Audio Editor can be used as a standalone audio editor, as a standalone audio editor connected to your host, or as a plug-in. Supported plug-in formats include AU, VST, VST 3, AAX, RTAS and AudioSuite.

RX Post Production Suite Availability and Pricing


RX Post Production Suite is available for purchase now.
Customers who purchase the RX Post Production Suite during the promotional period will receive RX 4 Advanced immediately, and will be given RX 5 Advanced Audio Editor when it is released.
Special promotional pricing is available through October 21, 2015:
  • New customers may purchase the RX Post Production Suite for $1,299 USD / €1,189 EUR  (reg. $1,499 / €1,369).
  • Customers upgrading to the RX Post Production Suite from previous versions of RX can view upgrade pricing at www.izotope.com/rx5.

RX 5 Audio Editor Availability and Pricing


RX 5 Audio Editor and RX 5 Advanced Audio Editor will be available for purchase in October 2015 for both new customers and upgrading customers.
Going forward from today, customers who purchase RX 4 or RX 4 Advanced will get a free upgrade to their respective version when RX 5 Audio Editor is released. In addition, any customers who have purchased RX 4 or RX 4 Advanced since August 8, 2015, will also a receive a free upgrade to their respective version when it is released.
To celebrate the coming of RX 5 Audio Editor, special promotional pricing is available through October 21, 2015:
  • New customers may purchase RX 4 Advanced for $999 USD / €929 EUR (reg. $1,199 / €1,099)
  • New customers may purchase RX 4 for $299 USD / €285 EUR (reg. $349 / €325)
Customers upgrading to RX 5 Audio Editor or RX 5 Advanced Audio Editor from previous versions of RX will receive their promotional upgrade offers at product launch. In the meantime, special upgrade pricing can be previewed at www.izotope.com/rx5.

Black Lion Audio B12A MkII 500

By
Bryan
-

Wow that’s a lot of letters but basically what it means is Black Lion Audio, purveyors of all things modded have released the second iteration of their popular API style preamp for 500 series. I wish it had a low cut filter though.

Black Lion Audio, an independently owned hardware manufacturer, today announced the release of the B12A MKII 500, an API®-style single channel microphone preamp just like the popular B12A MKII ½ rack unit, but in the convenient and flexible 500 series format. All Black Lion Audio products are designed and manufactured in Chicago, Illinois.
Already known for that classic API® American rock sound, the MKII version features an upgraded input transformer, higher gain, and lower noise than the original B12A. It also features an output transformer, a Hi-Z input, phantom power, pad, and phase.
“The original B12A was very popular, but we were continually being asked by customers to modify them for more gain,” commented Nate Bierdeman, Director of Marketing for Black Lion Audio. “So we created the MKII with higher gain and lower noise. This revision also gave us the opportunity to integrate a nicer input transformer, and has resulted in an incredible-sounding preamp with lots of API®-style gain. Now it’s available in the popular 500 series format.”
Full B12A MKII 500 specifications:
Features
• 500 Series format (lunchbox® required)
• Cinemag Input Transformer
• Edcor Output Transformer
• 70dB Gain
• Hi-Z Input (passive, unbalanced)
• Phantom Power
• 18dB Pad
• Phase Switch

The B12A MKII 500 is available at Black Lion Audio dealers worldwide immediately for a MAP of US $599
For more information visit, http://blacklionaudio.com/
 

FabFilter Pro-C 2 Compressor

By
Bryan
-

FabFilter is in the midst of version 2.0 of their acclaimed plugins and it seems the Pro-C is the next in line with a new facelift and even more features.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, August 26, 2015. FabFilter is proud to announce availability of FabFilter Pro-C 2, a major update to the FabFilter Pro-C compressor plug-in. Five brand-new compression styles make FabFilter Pro-C 2 even easier to set up and more effective in common scenarios such as vocal processing, mastering or EDM pumping. It’s like getting five new compressors! Together with an abundance of new features, such as lookahead, range, hold, side-chain EQ, oversampling, and a fully redesigned user interface, FabFilter Pro-C 2 surpasses its predecessor in every way while respecting the original’s transparency and elegance.
Compress with style
FabFilter Pro-C 2 introduces five new, carefully designed compressor algorithms, each with a unique character and feel. Using the Vocal style, getting a lead vocal upfront in your mix is as easy as choosing the right threshold. The Mastering style is designed to be as transparent as possible, while still being able to catch those fast transients. To add a pleasant ‘glue’ to drums or mix buses, the Bus style will work wonders! Finally, the Punch style delivers traditional, analog-like compression behavior, which sounds good on anything, while the Pumping algorithm offers deep and over-the-top pumping — great for drum processing or EDM.
All you need
A rich set of new features offers more control over the compressor’s sound and character. The knee is now freely adjustable from 0 dB up to 72 dB, and the range setting lets you easily limit the maximum amount of gain change. The smooth lookahead (up to 20 ms) and hold settings help you to catch any peak while minimizing distortion. The optional high-quality oversampling (up to 4x) further ensures the most transparent results possible by reducing aliasing. Last but not least, advanced side-chain EQ’ing and M/S processing is easier than ever thanks to FabFilter Pro-C 2’s dedicated side-chain section.
Redesigned interface
The well laid-out, fully-redesigned Retina interface offers insightful metering with real-time displays that will greatly improve workflow. The large animated level/knee display visualizes exactly when, why and how compression is applied to incoming audio. Accurate level meters show the exact peak and loudness values, while the circular side-chain input meter turns finding the perfect threshold setting into a trivial task. In short, FabFilter Pro-C 2 wraps superb sound quality and an extensive feature set in a polished, time- saving user interface.

Key features:

  • Eight different compression styles, five of which are new in version 2: Vocal, Mastering, Bus, Punch and Pumping
  • Remarkable Retina interface, with (optional) animated level knee displays and accurate peak/loudness metering
  • Side-chain EQ section, with customizable HP and LP filters, plus an additional freely adjustable filter
  • Program-dependent attack and release curves
  • Smooth Lookahead (up to 20 ms), which can be enabled/disabled to ensure zero-latency processing
  • Intelligent Auto Gain
  • Hold (up to 500 ms)
  • Custom Knee, variable from hard knee to a 72 dB soft knee (to enable saturation-like effects)
  • Auto Release
  • Up to 4x Oversampling
  • Variable stereo linking and mid/side processing, with mid-only, side-only, M > S and S > M processing
  • Audition Triggering option, which enables users to hear on which parts of the audio FabFilter Pro-C 2 is triggering and how much compression is being applied
  • Multiple interface sizes (Small, Medium, and Large), plus Full Screen mode, offering a large level display and side-chain EQ controller
  • Range setting, which limits the maximum applied gain change
  • Mix setting, which scales the gain change from 0% to 200%
  • Accurate, large level and gain meters, with peak and loudness level visualization (which complies with the Momentary mode of the EBU R128 / ITU-R 1770 standards)
  • Retina support on OS X and High DPI support on Windows
  • External side-chain triggering
  • GPU-powered graphics acceleration
  • Optional MIDI triggering
  • Supports common Pro Tools hardware control surfaces
FabFilter Pro-C 2 is now available for EUR 149, USD 179 or GBP 114, supporting both Windows and Mac OS X in VST and VST 3, Audio Units, AAX, RTAS and AudioSuite plug-in formats. Bundles with FabFilter Pro-C 2 and other FabFilter plug-ins are also available at: www.fabfilter.com/shop
Existing FabFilter customers can purchase or upgrade to FabFilter Pro-C 2 with very attractive discounts by logging in to their online user account at: www.fabfilter.com/myaccount
System requirements on Windows are either Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP and a VST 2/3 host, or Pro Tools, or Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with Intel processor, and an Audio Units host, VST 2/3 host, or Pro Tools. Both 32-bit and 64-bit hosts are supported.

Review: Sly-Fi OG Trifecta Bundle

By
Bryan
-

With a name like that, how could you not buy it? The Sly-Fi Digital O.G Trifecta Bundle is a combination of three new plugins from a new company founded by Gregory Scott of Kush Audio infamy. Sly-Fi unveiled today to probably much surprise to most of the audio community but has been in the works for the last two years. Somehow UBK looked my direction and allowed me to get an early sneak peek of these new toys to see what I thought.
 
Sly-Fi is a slight departure for Gregory Scott, who up until this point has made plugin emulations of his own Kush Audio hardware as well as Pusher, an all out audio anarchy experience (REVIEW HERE). These processors were all original designs under the Kush name, but Gregory wanted to expand into different avenues of plugin design that did not necessarily fall into the Kush Audio family.
 
In the past, Gregory has steered clear of the emulation market probably due to the oversaturation of models to choose from. That is, until a close friend / Godsend to all of us suggested that emulation may be in the cards for him in a way that would be fulfilling. You see… being a pro audio gear mad scientist has its perks. For one, you can take gear that exists in the hardware realm and bend them to your exact will. Mr. Scott very much did that in his own studio with countless pieces of gear so why not make use of the DAW environment and code plugins that do the same thing? This creates the “unfaithfully modeled” versions of already genius pieces of gear and making them “geniuser”. Taking his knowledge of modeling his own hardware to plugins, as well as a new streamlined approach to software creation, Sly-Fi Digital was born.
 
Sly-Fi definitely kicks in the door of the digital world, bringing in three new plugins that serve three completely different but still similar purposes. You have the Deflector (compressor), Axis (EQ), and Kaya (distortion / coloration). At this point, you may be thinking, “doesn’t Kush audio already have three plugins that do pretty much the same thing? What could possibly be different that would justify buying three plugins similar to already existing ones?” Well, let’s find out together.
 
The interface definitely has the classic calling card of UBK’s vibe, with dark colors and shiny knobs that look like what people in the 60s thought technology of 2015 would look like (i.e.: if Will Robinson from Lost in Space had a recording studio). The plugins currently come in 32 and 64-bit incarnations of AU and VST, with AAX coming out early fall. Registration uses the iLok system, which should work just like the Kush plugins and allow for 2 licenses for 2 DIFFERENT iLoks. Generous right? Lets get down to the literal nitty gritty.
Deflector:
 
Deflector is a very symmetrically laid out compressor based on a common staple in just about every major recording studio. Embarrassingly, it took me a little bit to figure out which one it’s based on but once you start moving knobs around, it’s obvious. If you’re still having trouble figuring it out, don’t be too “distressed,” you’ll get it eventually. Operation on this compressor is very straightforward but powerful. Want more compression? Crank the input and click on the ratio you’d like. Attack and release work like you’d expect as well. Where it gets powerful is in the rest of the knobs. On the left, you are given a THD knob, which will inject distortion into the equation. THD1 seems to be a little more edgy and THD2 will take that same edge and add a little knock to the low end. The side-chaining is powerful as well. Your low end can be completely bypassed at either 60hz or at 250Hz, preserving all of that kick drum’s low end, while smashing that 2khz attack of the beater head. Speaking of 2khz, the “Push” knob will enhance the side-chain at either 2 or 6kHz to quell even the harshest of frequencies. I found myself using the 6kHz with aggressive compression to add pop to hihats and acoustic guitar. You get this really cool sounding attack with it on transient heavy material, almost like having a de-esser. Lastly, you can choose to blend your compressed in with your dry signal or just go all out dynamic havoc. I would’ve liked to see a THD blend knob to choose just how much distortion is placed on the source, but a simple dialing back of the input knob can attain a similar function.
 
This compressor is pretty versatile. Overall, it usually makes itself known when compressing material, but it isn’t just limited to dynamics paired with some dirty color. Dialed back with the THD off, you can get some surprisingly smooth subtle compression, similar to the 1176 or LA2A; but with a hard twist of the input, medium attack, paired with some push and THD, you’ve got yourself a distortion laden Valley People Dynamite. The only qualm I have with Deflector involves the input and output knob. When pushing the input to high levels, some sort of link switch to the output would be an incredibly useful feature. Having the two knobs compensating for each other would make dialing in the perfect amount of compression while riding the output volume so much faster. It could even be in the form of a slider under the input and output the make this interface perfectly symmetrical. That’s just the OCD in me talking though. Other than those small gripes, this evil cousin of UBK-1 is the creative engineer’s dream.
Axis:
 Axis was named after the Jimmy Hendrix album that heavily obtained its sound from the original piece of gear this unit is loosely based upon. I have to say that Gregory Scott got it right on this iteration of the 312 series EQ. Axis features both the A and B versions that the curves have been adjusted to his dynamic taste. From using Axis, I suspect that the very top of the bell has an extremely sharp bump to add just a slight bit of pluck to the already punchy EQ’s bands. Where Axis gets it right is in a few key features. First, the vintage “A” version has 4 bands. We’ve all wanted that sorely. Secondly, there is UBK mode that takes the stepped knobs out of the equation. Sure sometimes having set frequencies and gain changes are useful and can create a good starting point, but freedom to choose is better. Where I’m torn in the 3 different modes is in how they behave between modes. Part of me loves that you can set use the 3 different modes as an A/B/C comparison, but the other part of me wants to be able to use one stepped mode and hold the EQ settings to bring into UBK mode for finer tuning. I know you can’t have it all, and executing this would even be tricky from a software standpoint so I understand. Maybe A/B/C mode button? I don’t know. Since Sly-Fi is enhancing the classics for the better, a cool low cut filter would’ve been cool as well. I can see how I’m looking like a diva here but these are simple operational additions not affecting the actual vibe and tone these plugins produce. Once again, just like with Deflector, the character that you get with Axis easily blows any other emulation of this EQ out of the water. I haven’t even mentioned the best feature of this EQ. Sly-Fi, could’ve made a single knob plugin out of the “Sat” knob on Axis and it would’ve been worth every penny. This is an actual tweak Gregory added to his hardware version of this EQ. The “Sat” knob adds a rich distortion into your signal that breathes new color into your track. This knob in itself feels like it has an EQ of its own built in that hits just the right corner frequencies. I’ve been told that the Sat knob has pre and post emphasis that alter the relationship of the high and low frequency content as you adjust the knob. So it’s not quite an EQ but a game changer nonetheless. In a lot of cases, I’ll just reach for it on its own before even starting any EQ. Drive it even harder and you get something special all its own.
Kaya:
 So far we have a dynamics tool that adds distortion and an eq that adds distortion. Naturally the next tool is a distortion that also adds… you guessed it… even more distortion. Kaya is based on something none of us will ever most likely own or even see for that matter. One of Gregory’s close friends S. Husky Huskulds created this Frankenstein out of an old Ampex tube tape deck. This box was made for one purpose, filthy sweet, swampy, sexy, booming distortion, but Sly-Fi has made some very novel tweaks. Even just opening the plugin on a track adds a noticeable change in the low end. You will immediately hear an undertone of bloomy saturation in the background. Start turning the breakup knob and you will hear what I can only describe as the distortion equivalent of a smile EQ curve. The low-end overdrive rolls out a little more prominent and the top end crackles slightly. The movement knob will tempt you with its standout b-movie alien green color. I suspect there is some sort of quick release low frequency side-chain compression blended in to some extent. Either way it adds an undercurrent of twitchy low end. The treble works like a quasi-tilt EQ that can easily add or take away edge to the signal. This knob could almost be used on its own to de-harsh just about any content without clouding it up. The blend knob does just that and allows you to “wrangle your mangle” perfectly to taste. If all of that wasn’t enough, the Abuse knob works as the nitrous shot to the audio and adds just a little (or a lot more) dirt to the signal.
 
I’m just going to come out and say it. Screw journalistic integrity and the “don’t overhype or you’ll lose the audience” approach to reviews. I’m an independent news site and I can say whatever the hell I want. Kaya is a modern marvel of epic sonic proportions!!! It is by far the most fun I’ve ever had with a plugin. Usually you have two types of distortion boxes: the ones that are overly complicated and others that just give you harsh, grating, distortion that needs a lot of treatment after the fact; but Kaya gets it. It’s dubbed as a one trick pony but that’s painting what this plugin is capable with a broad brush. It very well may be the last distortion plugin you will ever need to buy. *Mic drop.
 
The inaugural crop of Sly-Fi creations brings a refreshing new perspective to both emulations and one-off ideas from the mind of a musical madman. The plugins still hold true to the UBK credo of “just turn knobs till it sounds good and forget the exact numbers” as well as adding tons of one-off character to tracks. Let’s get to the question you are all wondering. Are these just a repackaged UBK-1, Electra, and Pusher? The short answer is not in the slightest, but I understand your suspicion. These plugins are definitely cousins to the Kush Audio plugins but they’re those cool cousins you always want to see at holidays. Sly-Fi brings a whole new perspective to concepts you thought you had nailed down. Deflector alone is very obvious in its response to transient audio. I would suggest any newcomer to mixing use this plugin as a training tool of what compression actually does. You get a firm sense of control over your audio as well as options you never even really considered. Hiding saturation into every stage of the mixing process breathes new life into digital cold mixes. Even just cracking the “sat” knob adds a different dimension to all tracks and harkens to “how it used to be”. I have to admit, my eyebrow did raise a little two when seeing 3 new plugins that worked similarly to Kush Audio ones; but that notion very quickly disappeared once I started adding them to tracks.
 
Bottom line, if you still feel that these are in fact repackaged versions of Kush, grab a trial and try them out. When has anything UBK put out not steered you in the right direction? Now that Sly-Fi is Gregory Scott’s new playground for new digital toys, we need a delay and reverb plugin!
Price:
Deflector: $99.00
Axis: $99.00
Kaya: $79.00
For more information visit http://www.SlyFiDigital.com

Audified U73b

By
Bryan
-

Back in the day, the Germans made some of the best gear for broadcast television and radio. Mics like the Telefunken U47 still cannot be replicated and some of their compressors are secret weapons for many of todays top studios. Audified is a new company and they’re releasing their rendition of one of Germany’s most sought after pieces of gear.

BOSKOVICE, CZECH REPUBLIC: multimedia software and hardware development specialist Audified is proud to announce availability of the U73b Compressor effect plug-in for Mac (AAX, AudioUnit, VST2, VST3) and PC (AAX, VST2, VST3) — an authentic emulation of the unique-sounding Sixties-vintage German broadcast compressor/limiter hardware predecessor with which its shares its name (and which, despite its origins, found favour in European mastering circles) — as of May 12…
But before delving deeper into Audified’s authentic-sounding U73b Compressor effect plug-in, perhaps a little history lesson is in order here? After all, only by gaining an appreciation of its namesake hardware predecessor can U73b Compressor be truly appreciated in its own right.
Working with the NWDR (Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk) — responsible for public broadcasting in the German states of Hamburg, Lower-Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and North Rhine-Westphalia from September 22, 1945 to December 31, 1955, Telefunken developed the U73, an all-tube, three-stage push/push variable mu design (with a theoretical compression ratio of 100:1), during a three-year period, born out of a need to conform to the high standards set by the IRT (Institut für Rundfunktechnik) — the primary research institute for German-speaking public broadcasting organisations — while seeking a suitable solution for handling full-frequency response FM (Frequency Modulation) radio broadcasts. By building the U73 into a Danner double-cassette module chassis like its U76 sibling, the two Telefunken designs shared significant circuitry and components, though the U73 went on to become the fastest tube compressor ever built, thanks to its forward-triggered side-chain feature. Fully finalised, the design was licensed to TAB (Tonographie Apparatebau) in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, West Germany (as was), who manufactured this, the last tube compressor in the Telefunken/IRT grey series for almost 30 years, finally discontinuing it in 1980. Nevertheless, its premier price and fixed setup effectively ensured that U73s only made it outside of Germany for one specific (non-broadcast) application — as a final mastering compressor for vinyl-cutting lathes, mostly with an automatic release trigger. TAB even ended up making several versions of the U73 for Telefunken, the most well known being the U73b, used for producing audio recordings mostly, thanks to an added ability to change compression level, as well as external release time control and internal attack time control. Consequently, almost all records recorded and cut in Europe between 1960 and 1980 were mastered through a stereo pair — proof positive that things are not always what they seem!
So there you have it. Yet what was once seen as a must-have mastering tool fell out of favour. Fortunately, times change — as does technology. Thanks to Audified’s supreme software talent, today the unique sound of the U73b has been authentically captured for any modern-day DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) owner to hear and, of course, make much use of as an easy-to-use effect plug-in. Please welcome, U73b Compressor!
Other than transformation from hardy hardware to supreme software, what else does U73b Compressor offer the discerning DAW owner? Well, while modelling the U73b circuitry as it was originally designed, Audified — as evidenced by U73b Compressor’s gorgeous GUI — has helpfully seen fit to add an IN(put) and OUT(put) gain, both before and after the modelled compression circuit to aid adjusting compression in a more modern manner fit for truly 21st Century workflow. Which is why the U73b Compressor plug-in has helpfully also been boosted with a VU (Volume Unit) meter and selectable side-chaining. Can’t say fairer than that, surely?
So while U73b Compressor’s compression controls are always easy to understand, the effect of this unique plug-in is audible from the moment it is ‘switched on’ — just like its namesake hardware predecessor. Its upper-positioned knob acts as a compressor/limiter switch, switching between Kompr (compressor), Durchschalt (bypass), and Begr (limiter) modes. The compressor mode has a lower threshold setting and a gently rising ratio; reversely, the limiter mode provides a higher threshold setting with higher ratio, but still with smooth- sounding, soft-knee compression. The lower-positioned knob sets the release time; the first three positions provide fixed release times, while the three red-coloured positions provide adjustable program content-dependent release time options. Outside the authentic-looking onscreen reproduction of the original U73b front panel, SIDECHAIN selects the signal source for controlling gain reduction.
Ready to rock? U73b Compressor is — predictably, perhaps — perfect for mastering purposes, but also lends itself beautifully to mixing drums, bass, guitar, vocals, and voiceovers. Vintage-sounding compressed/limited recordings are perfectly possible in this day and age with U73b Compressor, that’s for sure! So why not give your recordings a unique-sounding (virtual) vintage makeover, making them sound just like they have been processed by an original U73b? Only in the comfort of your favourite DAW, thanks to Audified’s supreme software talent! Try before you buy with a downloadable demo. We’re sure you’ll like what you hear!

U73b Compressor is available to purchase (as an iLok dongle-protected plug-in) for $149.00 USD directly from Audified’s online shop here: http://superaudio.myshopify.com/products/u73b-compressor

Kush Clariphonic DSP MkII

By
Bryan
-

The Clariphonic is an indispensable tool for anyone trying to sweeten the high end of a mix. Just when you thought Gregory Scott was done and on to the next plugin, he retools the plugin with a better engine, new graphics, and more functionality.

After 3 years of using the original Clariphonic DSP, I’d compiled quite a list of improvements I wanted to make.  So I made them all, and the result is the Clariphonic DSP mkII, modeled from the ground up by me using all new algorithms and filters. To my ears, the mkII sounds markedly smoother than the original, and it’s considerably more powerful in use.  It has 3 modes: classic Stereo, Dual Mono so I can eq each side differently, or Mid-Side for advanced sweetening. I overhauled the GUI as well, it’s a little easier on the eye and a lot easier to use.  Between the smoother sound, the 3 operational modes, and the enhanced interface, I’m more proud of this design than any I’ve done to date, and that’s coming from the guy who recently dropped the Tweaker.
Everyone who bought a new license for the original Clariphonic DSP gets full credit towards the upgrade… even if you bought it 3 years ago, on sale.  Go to the Store for instructions.  Enjoy!

Price: $49.99 (Upgrade for anyone who bought it before)
$199.00 (Normal Price)
To purchase, visit the sleekly new designed House of Kush site at http://www.thehouseofkush.com/#!store/cvlz
 

U-he Hive

By
Bryan
-

Hive is U-he’s easy-to-use powerful synth brainchild. Hive allows you to get to it and get on with the music making. I just wish we had it in AAX.

Hive 1.0 is finished and ready to share with the world—the release date is June 2nd!
Hive was made to be fast and simple. The streamlined single screen UI lets you dive into sound creation immediately. A fluid workflow invites you to tweak away until your sound is just right (or wrong in just the right way). Hive was engineered to be light on CPU, and won’t slow you down while you work. But being “fast and simple” doesn’t mean we’ve sacrificed sound quality or creative control – Hive is packed with features, controls and enough flexibility to deliver stunning sounds.
Whatever your style – from dance to ambient, progressive rock to R&B – Hive is the right tool for the job: a lightweight synth that delivers a heavyweight sound!

The introductory price of $99 (+VAT in EU) will end on release day (12:00PM midday Berlin time) and the new price will be $149 (+VAT in EU). We used to extend the introductory price for a couple of weeks after release, but with the recent addition of a reseller program we needed to change how the introductory offer works.
However, we want to ensure that u-he customers have ample opportunity to buy Hive at the $99 price. So right now you can purchase and download the Hive ‘release candidate’. This version is the same as Hive 1.0 that will be publicly available on June 2nd. All presets, features and bug fixes included. The only differencebetween the two versions is the price!

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