Tag Archives: saturation

Empirical Labs releases Rev 3 of AROUSOR

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Empirical Labs releases Rev 3 of AROUSOR™ as ultimate evolution of flagship compressor plug-in with more Distressor-based tones “The plug-in is a game changer ITB; I have, for a very long time, been a fan of the Distresser on snare, and now I have that again.”


“The plug-in is a game changer ITB; I have, for a very long time, been a fan of the Distresser on snare, and now I have that again.” 
– GRAMMY® Award-nominated record producer, engineer, and mixer Jacquire King, 2021


LAKE HIAWATHA, NJ, USA: Empirical Labs Inc. (ELI) is proud to announce availability of AROUSOR™Rev 3 — the ultimate evolution of its flagship compressor plug-in, introducing more tones based on its Distressor hardware counterpart, itself one of the best-selling high-end compressors of all time as the product that started it all for the professional audio signal processing equipment designer and manufacturer/plug-ins producer, with the addition of two Opto (A and B) compression modes, as well as two additional (6:5:1 and 7:1) ratios for even more dynamic possibilities, available for free to existing owners of AROUSOR™ as the update they have been waiting for — as of March 30…

Being borne out of ELI founder Dave Derr’s love of classic compressors like the 1176, LA-2A, and Gain Brain (amongst others), the Distressor incorporates his favourite sonic characteristics of outstanding outboard originally released way back when with other unique and interesting features that have made it a staple for audio engineers all over the world as one of the best-selling high-end compressors of all-time. It is inevitable that such a popular product would one day receive the plug-in treatment, taking the soul of the company’s professional audio signal processing equipment hardware and applying it to the wonderful world of ITB (in the box) workflow within a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), albeit AROUSOR™ is the only native Distressor plug-in produced by ELI itself. As a new and improved (EL8-X) version of the Distressor increased its tonality with the addition of new features, so AROUSOR™Rev 3 — the ultimate evolution of ELI’s flagship compressor plug-in — introduces more tones based on its Distressor hardware counterpart.

Kicking off with two Opto (A and B) compression modes based on the time constants of a classic and a modern LA-2A compressor that many existing owners of AROUSOR™ have been waiting for — it is, after all, a much-loved Distressor feature, noteworthy new additions to AROUSOR™Rev 3 also include a SOFT CLIPPING expert (e) panel — allows for introducing more second harmonic distortion and an ability to place the compressor input before or after the soft clipping circuit; a Listen mode — to hear what frequencies are affecting the DETECTOR SIDECHAIN EQ’s compression detector; additional 6:5:1 and 7:1 ratios (accessible by enabling ALT mode in the RATIO section) — for even more dynamic possibilities; and an enlargeable GUI (Graphical User Interface) — to double its original size for more comfortable onscreen editing.

ELI’s classic knee compression with proprietary high-resolution detector modelling remains at the heart of everything AROUSOR™Rev 3 does so well, with 12 unique compression ratios, including the famous brick wall — RIVET mode in AROUSOR™-speak — for maximum gain reduction. Remaining features well worth highlighting here are an adjustable broadband SOFT CLIPPING control — for introducing warm saturation; a unique AtMod ATTACK MODIFICATION control — to change the shape of the initial attack; an advanced high-pass/band-pass DETECTOR SIDECHAIN EQ — for fine-tuning compression detector response; and Mix knob with (e panel-enabled) Dry Level Trim — for parallel compression.

As the update existing owners have been waiting for, AROUSOR™Rev 3 has brought the legendary tone of ELI’s analogue hardware into the digital realm with even more possibilities as an ITB game-changer… just ask Jacquire King, whose work with the likes of James Bay, Kings of Leon, and Shania Twain has received 30-plus GRAMMY® Award nominations to date! 


AROUSOR™ Rev 3 is available for purchase as an AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-supporting 64-bit effect plug-in for macOS (10.7 or higher) and AAX-, VST2-, and VST3-supporting 64-bit effect plug-in for Windows (7 or higher) for a time-limited introductory promo price of $129.00 USD for the first 10 days — rising thereafter to an MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of $199.00 USD — directly from ELI here: https://www.empiricallabs.com/product/arousor/

A fully-functional, 15-day trial of AROUSOR™ Rev 3 is available to download from here: https://www.empiricallabs.com/downloads/

An iLok account is required for activating both the demo and full versions of AROUSOR™ Rev 3 via iLok Cloud or using an iLok 2 or iLok 3 USB dongle. (Pleasenote that ELI’s BIG FrEQ EQ plug-in — partially extrapolated from its much-loved Lil FreQ hardware EQ — is now also iLok Cloud compatible in its latest update.) For more in-depth information, please visit ELI’s dedicated AROUSOR™ webpage here: https://www.empiricallabs.com/product/arousor/ 

New Dual stage saturation plugin Neold Big Al announced

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Plugin Alliance announces availability of one-off dual-stage tube saturator plugin as BIG AL arrives from NEOLD

“This is such a great tool to add glorious harmonic saturation, extra flavor, and vibe!”

– JUNO Award-winning mixer/recording engineer George Seara (James Bay, Drake, Shawn Mendes, Sting), 2021

SANTA CRUZ, CA, USA: Plugin Alliance, supporting all major plugin formats and uniting some of the best- known international audio companies under one virtual roof, is proud to announce availability of BIG AL — an emulation based on one-off analog hardware harvesting novel circuitry and authentic NOS (New Old Stock) components from the 1930s, exclusively designed for this dual-stage tube saturator from new pro audio plugin partner NEOLD offering a broad palette of stunning sound flavors flowing from the interactive network within its preamp and transformer-coupled power amp, where it generates gorgeous harmonics — as of February 2…
BIG AL’s frequency conditioning begins right in the EF9 preamp stage. Indeed, it is a filter freak at heart — hence the Low control being implemented as a Baxandall filter that allows for adjusting saturation intensity by around 100Hz in (optional) combination with boosting or cutting the bass at the same time. The High control is an additional EQ band placed in front of the preamp tube; its peaking filter boosts or cuts high-frequency content around 10kHz — essential for provoking or taming BIG AL’s potentially aggressive treble!
The straightforward user interface is spiced up with a jumper matrix, allowing access to BIG AL’s core circuitry: E (Emphasis Shift), B (Bass Compensator), and V (Voltage Sag) provide powerful options with which to make complex changes to the distortion profile on the fly by simply inserting or pulling out a few (virtual) plugs. An AL4 power pentode and its output transformer act as the finishing spice, driven hot by the preamp stage.
And anyone wondering what this all adds up to need not trouble themselves any longer because BIG AL is a truly gorgeous kind of harmonic saturation that will always sound organic, musical, and bold! 

NEOLD BIG AL is available for purchase (as an AAX AudioSuite-, AAX Native-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-supporting effect plugin for macOS 10.9 through 10.15 and Windows 7 through 10) at an attractive introductory price of $149.99 USD until March 4, 2021 — rising thereafter to an MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of $199.00 USD — from here: https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/neold_big_al.html

A fully-functional, 14-day trial of NEOLD BIG AL is available to anyone registering for a free Plugin Alliance account here: https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/registration.html
NEOLD BIG AL is included in Plugin Alliance’s monthly MIX & MASTER Bundle (https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/pa-mix-master-bundle-monthly.html) and annual MIX & MASTER Bundle (https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/pa-mix-master-bundle-yearly.html) subscription services, and also its monthly MEGA Bundle (https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/pa-mega-bundle-monthly.html) and annual MEGA Bundle (https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/pa-mega-bundle.html) subscription services at no extra cost!
Note that the proprietary Plugin Alliance Installation Manager means users can select, download, and install only the products and formats needed for their system.
For more in-depth information, including several superb-sounding audio demos, please visit Plugin Alliance’s dedicated NEOLD BIG AL webpage here:https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/neold_big_al.html
Watch Tom Van Den Heuvel formally introduce BIG AL in Plugin Alliance’s awesome-sounding trailer video here: https://youtu.be/e3sWXKHliSY
Take a NEOLD BIG AL walkthrough with Plugin Alliance’s additionally informative video here: https://youtu.be/sFCVunozUxE 

Elysia Character Discrete Class A saturation and distortion

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The Elysia Karacter is a really interesting rack unit and not just because it’s a high quality distortion or saturation.  The Karacter gives you a ton of tone shape characteristics and control in one simple 1u rack space. Control Voltage seems to be a buzz these days and for good reason. Control voltages give you extremely fast precise control over parameters and allow for easy interaction not just with modular gear but with various studio pieces. Karacter Gives you CV control which isn’t very common in units of this style. Lets talk more about the sound. There are a few modes of color to grab from this unit, the first of which is saturation. Continue reading →

Timeless 2 from FabFilter is an amazing delay plug in you just have to try

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FabFilter’s Website

 

I have to say after using this plug in for a bit, it has really become my go to plug in. With it’s modular modulation set up and the ability to easily create interesting FX and saturation… it is really hard to beat.

Add it to your collection now for $144.00 usd

 

One of the Best Filter and FX plug ins for Maschine? CamelPhat for sure!

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I am a huge fan of good filters and multi effect plug ins. I horde them like golden treasures and use them often. Recently I had the pleasure of coming across CamelPhat from Camel audio. In its latest version (3.5 as of this writing) I am finding my self using it more and more often. Everything from side chaining a bass line with the LFO pumping away, to Resonating distortion on my snares to warm subtle tube saturation on a rhodes patch all the way out to moving swirling flangers and hectic rhytmic pulses. Camelphat seems to do all this not only while staying light on the cpu but being laid out in such a way its incredibly fast and intuitive to use right from the maschine hardware.
Here is a list of some of the features in this plug.

Features

  • ‘Phattening’ multi-effect, great for punchy drums, bass and lots more.
  • Four distortion modules; warm and soft to crunchy and fat.
  • Magic EQ, compressor, three filters, two LFOs, envelope follower.
  • Easy-to-use, with X/Y pad and intelligent Randomize.
  • 300 categorised presets.

Be sure to check out https://www.camelaudio.com/index.php I am really impressed by the sound of this one.