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Working with audio ‘in the box’ provides little room for pushing past the boundaries of your device. Once you reach the upper limit of your digital gear, there’s no going any further. However, when you overdrive analog gear, the result can be very different – tube saturation, pleasing even-order harmonics, warmth and character. SoundToys aims to bring a little bit of analog gear saturation to the digital realm with Decapitator ($179.99 Native). The folks at SoundToys chose five pieces of classic analog recording gear, and modeled how they reacted as they were pushed to the point of saturation and then well beyond their normal limits. This resulted in five unique saturation algorithms, which are represented on the decapitator by the ‘Style’ buttons (labeled A, E, N, T, P). These choices include an Ampex 350 tape drive preamp, a Chandler/EMI TG channel strip, a Neve 1057 input channel, and a Culture Vulture distortion device (with either the triode or pentode tube setting). The Drive control will increase the amount of gain and distortion of your signal, ranging from subtle to over-the-top. While there is also an Output control, turning on the Auto Output switch will decrease the output level as you […]... Click on the title for more
![Echoplex and DBX 160VU plugins by Universal Audio]()
Universal Audio just released two new plugins this Wednesday, adding to their numerous emulations of classic pieces of recording gear. The EP-34 Tape Echo and DBX 160 Compressor/Limiter ($199 each) represent two units from the 70’s that are still widely used and sought after. The EP-34 emulates the characteristics of both the EP-3 and EP-4, two solid-state models of the original Maestro Echoplex (pictured above). The unit was the first to introduce a slider that actually moved the tape heads further apart, resulting in a longer delay. Popular with guitarists and known for its warm and rich sound, the Echoplex set the standard for the delay effect, and can be found on recordings by Jimmy Page, Chet Atkins, and Joe Satriani among many more. The original DBX 160 Compressor/Limiter, commonly known as the “VU” model, was also on the cutting edge of recording technology when it was released in 1976. Nowadays, it remains a studio staple due to its distinct sonic signature – much loved on bass, drums, and vocals. With only threshold, compression, and output gain controls, the attack and release times were determined by nuances in the 160’s circuit – for instance, the release time increases as the […]... Click on the title for more
![Level Pilot – Monitor Level Controller by TC Electronic]()
Having precise volume control at your fingertips during a mix is essential, but in a small or home studio, it can be difficult to achieve. Anyone who has spent time fumbling around for the monitor level knob on their audio interface, or trying to pull down the master fader in a DAW using a laptop trackpad has dealt with this issue. TC Electronic has come up with a simple and elegant answer to this problem, and it’s called Level Pilot ($99.99). Level Pilot is an analog master volume controller for your studio that takes the form of a hefty sandblasted aluminum knob just under 2 inches in diameter with a rubberized bottom that sits anywhere in your workspace without slipping. A cable running from the knob breaks out into two pairs of male and female XLR connectors, which are inserted between your audio interface or mixer, and a pair of active speakers. The Level Pilot requires no power, and affects the signal after digital to analog conversion, so there won’t be any degradation in audio quality. Also, since it operates independently from your computer, you will always have volume control even if your computer freezes or your DAW crashes. While […]... Click on the title for more
The Hardwire line of Guitar Effect Pedals is made with the touring musician in mind. They are solidly built and full of useful extras (see upcoming full review of the full set for details). The promotional materials for the company’s reverb pedal RV-7 regularly and enthusiastically tout Hardwire’s partnership with Lexicon, a company that makes reverb rack effects and software. The result is a pedal crammed with seven different synthetic reverb modes, one more than Boss’s RV-5 Digital Reverb, a pedal with which the Hardwire directly competes, that costs the same and has an extremely similar name. Reverb is a tricky effect—unless you’re going for all-out surf madness, you just want it to insinuate itself into your sound by adding a godlike resonance to your noodling. The RV-7 offers plenty of options for fans of both and throws in what the RV-5 lacks, a reverse reverb mode. Hardwire’s RV-7 digitally models vintage favorites plate and spring reverb and adds room and hall modes for those looking to replicate the sound of an empty venue. The pedal also includes gated reverb, which is effectively reverb with a bit of compression, modulated reverb, which swirls a bit, and, of course, reverse reverb […]... Click on the title for more
![Music Players’ review of Addictive Drums Adrenaline 1.5]()
One of the greatest challenges facing musicians recording in project studios is capturing great drum sounds. And while drum machines have come a long way since their early ‘80s Roland and Linn beginnings, the last several years have seen the release of very impressive virtual drummer products for computer-based studios. Never before has it been so easy to create professional sounding, studio-quality drum tracks without a live drummer, and in many cases, you don’t even need to know anything about programming drum patterns! XLN Audio’s Addictive Drums is one of the impressive virtual drummer plug-ins we’re talking about. With a relatively small hard drive footprint and compatibility with multiple popular recording platforms, Addictive Drums delivers great sounding drums, all with easily editable characteristics and effects. Version 1.5.1 introduces a number of new features, including direct compatibility with electronic drum kits, general MIDI compatibility, and highly editable sounds. Further, the introduction of MIDIpaks and ADPaks allows the user to not only add more patterns, but also entirely new sampled drum kits as well. – Read Music Players’ full review here.... Click on the title for more
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