Holiday deals, recommendations, outlook: plugins, interfaces

[echorec]

Due to the pandemic and the strain that's put on manufacturers, many hardware suppliers are likely to abstain from holiday deals. Between high demand and workspace restrictions, that's certainly going to be a challenge for several teams. Over the past several months, I've spent a lot of time sketching new ideas and exploring the plugin realm, so I'm going to share some insight and possible suggestions.

I've found a lot of inspiration in quirky and exotic delays, spacious verbs, and modular-inspired effects processors. Perhaps, I'll share a few audio examples if I find the time. I'll be updating this throughout the month.

The first brand I'm going to spotlight is AudioThing. They do direct, quarterly discounts and sporadic sales through Plugin Boutique. Today, Hainbach announced his collaborative effort called Wires. (get it now for an introductory discount)  I acquired a 1940s Webster Chicago recorder years ago, and I can confirm these are intensely lo-fi machines. (they're also extremely heavy for their size) The old WC machines employ spools of wire, like the Binson Echorec. Until now, I don't think anyone's introduced a dedicated wire recorder plugin---certainly not with this level of authenticity and care. There are at least 4-5 Binson Echorec plugins out there (more on that later), but this Soviet-inspired simulator tends to be more invasive and aggressively destructive to audio sources.

https://www.audiothing.net/plugins/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3IGL61JNDA[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3IGL61JNDA

I just downloaded the demo, as I type this up. I was hooked from the first second. Wires instantly delivers those elusive 'wow' moments. If you're looking for sludge, crackle, machine failure, or dying radios, this is the tool for you. Many AudioThing plugins come with a randomization feature, so you can click on the dice icon to trigger inspiring and unexpected permutations. I've activated this function 20+ times without hearing a sound I couldn't use (albeit in a niche capacity). I recommend creating a presets folder with your DAW, so you can archive your initial experiments. Without the full license, you can't save presets directly to the plugin's user folder. Once you have a license, you can transfer your presets directly to the plugin. (you could also take a screen capture)

BE WARNED: keep your finger near the volume/mute button. This plugin can hit extreme frequencies and runaway feedback. Utilizing the random feature may put your speakers at your risk, if you're not monitoring your levels. (you can lock feedback and/or overall mix to discourage this)

I'm not usually one for rankings, but for this machine, here's my impressions (subject to change):

Sounds 9.999/10
Inspiration/ingenuity 9.999/10
Features 9.75/10

If you download the demo today, right-click on the virtual pots/switches to lock an individual feature/value, or to set a global lock/unlock. (a yellow lock appears to confirm this) This is extremely helpful, if you want to cement some parameters, while randomizing others. When you randomize patches, this often deactivates the 'play' function, so you're left with silence. Locking the stop/start switch should often be your first step in a new session.

Also, this thing is [quite often] intensely scuzzy. Unless you're using this plugin in a host's sidechain, or running it externally in a hardware FX loop, you may struggle to hit a desired level of subtle grit. ---As I wrap this up, I'm 20+ minutes into my initial adjustments. (a triggered sequence is playing from Arturia's SEM for an authentically vintage track) It seems if you dial back the motor noise and the hiss pot, you can get a fairly steady and rhythmic tape-like fade at 40-49% wet. So...I'm starting to find it's possible to add warmth & a manageable amount of grit, without Wires completely overtaking your signal. However, this plugin seems to exist to help you score retro sci-fi, dieselpunk, and mid-century war films. It will get quite feral with a simple click of the mouse.

I'll highlight Reels in a future post, which I felt was one of the most fun reel-to-reel simulators in the plugin domaine. That's also an AT plugin. Based out of Ireland, AT is essentially one guy who collaborates with a small number of outside designers. I'm really high on these offerings, and will spotlight some of their applications in future posts.

[echorec]

https://output.com/products  (save 30%, no code needed)  

I've been using Portal and Thermal for a while.  They come stocked with a ton of factory presets, that are organized by instrument/application.  Thermal is great for drum machines and synths.  You can quickly dial up the wool for crushed, blown-up, and snarled elements.  You'll find Rat-like banks, aggressive bursts, and a lot more.

I recommend employing the mix lock for Portal, Output's granular engine, as most factory presets are at 100% wet.  It often takes a bit of work to get the perfect blend with Portal.  One huge advantage over hardware is the ability to load multiple instances of the plugin.  For insanely otherworldly sounds, sometimes I'll blend 2-3 Portal engines in sequence. As I said, though, it takes work to get the right balance.

Movement is something I've been tempted by for livening up rhythmic possibilities, but it was incompatible with my host. I have heard interesting things online, for people looking to shake up the dynamics of their tracks.

https://relabdevelopment.com/relab-store/ (deep discounts, no code needed)

Sonsig A, VSR (TC Electronic 6000), Lexicon emulator

https://www.zynaptiq.com/intensity/

Zynaptiq is currently having a >59% off sale on Intensity, which ends November 9th.  For 2019, they did a 50% sale across the board for BF/CM.  I'm expecting the same again this year.  I picked up their verb bundle recently and was blown away by Adaptiverb & Wormhole.  Wormhole is one of the best effects available for making otherworldly sounds, or just warping the timbre of an instrument.  Adaptiverb is perhaps the most powerful reverb I've ever used, in terms of depth/clarity/character, and I'm a proud Eventide Space owner.  

https://www.waves.com/black-friday-earl ... :number=20 

Waves is always having sales, but they've started their November promotions.  I use several of their offerings, including the J37 reel-to-reel plugin, Abbey Chambers, and the Brauer Motion for extreme panning.  

[manymanyhaha]

Just saw Wires, looking forward to trying it.

I can highly recommend Zynaptiq Intensity. It's awesome for adding clarity to tracks. I use it just about everywhere for mixing.

I have Output Movement but it doesn't see much use. Thinking I may sell my license.

Just curious Echorec, are you using plugins for live/real-time use? If so, what is your host environment? I've started exploring the possibility some but keep running into latency issues.

[jirodreamsofdank]

Big fan of Audio Thing's Reels plugin - it can do delay but it's mostly just a tape character plugin, really good for woozy Boards of Canada shit without being too cliche.

Interfaces - I bought a MOTU M4 early this year, really good cheap ($200ish) interface, low latency. Thought it had an issue where every so often my iMac wouldn't recognize it unless I reinstalled the driver, but in the end I think it was a problem with the iMac. But I used that as an excuse to get a Presonus Quantum 2626, a Thunderbolt interface with a bunch of inputs and really low latency for a decent price ($600ish). Round trip latency @ 48KHz, 64 samples is ~3ms - low enough that with an amp sim and a couple of plugins I can't sense the latency at all with a guitar.

[manymanyhaha]

I bought a M2 for travel but it choked on some of my existing files. Replaced it with a Babyface. Really wanted to like the M2, I love the MOTU 16A which I use for looping.

[echorec]

Just curious Echorec, are you using plugins for live/real-time use?  If so, what is your host environment?  I've started exploring the possibility some but keep running into latency issues.

I'm not playing shows, but I certainly could with my uncomplicated program----Hosting AU, the DAW equivalent of a 90s Tascam.  It's really stripped-down and likely too simplistic for 95% of people making music with computers.

http://ju-x.com/hostingau.html

For sketching ideas, it works great for me, but I've had to learn how hard I can push various plugins due to CPU concerns (older iMac). Usually I'm going into serial delays/reverb with a compressor on the end. When I'm working on new tracks, I'd say it has somewhat of a live feel---I just load up an instrument and the desired effects, then get to work triggering arpeggiators or sequencers. I'd say most of my experiments are fairly fleshed out in a matter of 5-15 minutes.

This is mostly a process of archiving ideas for film use---background textures, soundscapes.  I don't really do big arrangements or full band mixes.  I just plug & play with little distraction.  There's not a lot of multi-track mixing being done at this time.

---I hate grids and menus, which is why this one works so well for me.  It's on the to-do list to demo a few DAWs this month, but we'll see. I'm also considering sticking with my basic DAW and going outboard to a digital 8-track.  That way, I don't have to learn to use a complicated and cluttered program.  I can keep things somewhat simplistic and instantly intuitive.

For all the fuss that people give to new technology (guilty), I'm really at a crossroads with everything.  I certainly embrace advances in some areas, but I'd love to see some elements scaled back or reversed.  They weren't using computers for most of the 20th century.  Why do I have to learn to use grids and MIDI charts?  I'd like to source most of the texture through the computer, then run it outboard, when I want to multi-track.  ---Most of what I do is intended to be played solo as a one-track statement.  I often run a single synth or a drum machine, which is intended to entirely fill the space.  (hypnotic minimalism)

Greater details of the how's and why's could be shared, but I don't know how helpful it'd be to most people who aren't DAW-averse.

[echorec]

Big fan of Audio Thing's Reels plugin - it can do delay but it's mostly just a tape character plugin, really good for woozy Boards of Canada shit without being too cliche.

I agree completely. I was just telling a friend that Reels is probably my favorite reel-to-reel emulator, because it's simple and fun, not because it's necessarily the highest-performing. The echo element is just a bonus.

Speaking of fidelity plugins, Sketch Cassette II just dropped. There's no charge for previous supporters. I think it's incredible. It goes so much further than the V1 and other cassette plugins I've used (like Caelum's Tape Cassette 2). In addition to all the new tape models, V2 offers about 60 templates which range from subtle to completely blown-out and nasty. The modulation is deeper. They really improved upon everything. One of my favorite parts is that it delivers this Leslie-inspired ramping. When I saw the announcement, I was a little skeptical, since I was already pleased with the V1 and was unsure about upgrade costs. However, it has completely exceeded my expectations. It delivers dying machines, crushed sounds, just total destruction---or you can still paint things with a coat of rain-drenched nostalgia.

https://aberrantdsp.com/plugins/sketchcassette/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NlfmFmG9ng[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NlfmFmG9ng

[echorec]

Today's the last day for name-your-price on Puremagnetik's Bandcamp releases. These are already cheap ($4-6 each), but I think you can name $0-1 for all these.

http://ec2.puremagnetik.com/sendy/w/KYz ... 2W70xf0ORA

[echorec]

https://www.audiority.com/shop/  (save approximately 50% on everything, no code needed)  

This is one of my favorite plugin companies, which is why I've purchased these 6 units this year.

Deleight: This is based on 1990s digital delays/loopers.  I use drum machines & synths with this, often as a reverse looper.  Adjusting the speed lets you really add a lot of personality to individual parts.

Echoes: I've been putting this one off for a while, and I don't want to declare it the winner, before I get too familiar with it.  That being said, I demoed and purchased it in the last couple days, putting it in the running for my favorite emulator.  It has two huge advantages over other plugins and hardwire---randomization and much deeper editing potential.  You can tweak individual heads, using tone/error/volume.  So you could blend a more hi-fi playback head against a gritty, fluttering lo-fi head for the ideal balance.

Grainspace: This is a granular reverb, that covers a lot of ground.  I don't use this one all of the time, and I'll get into why.  I seem to hit a lot of hot signals with this.  The frequency range and volume spikes can be fairly extreme, compared to other plugins.  It's loaded with knobs, so you need to spend time with it, in order to facilitate the desired settings.  Having disclosed that, it can provide unique coloration and texture, that other stuff can't.  If you're willing to put in the time, this can be a really rewarding and unique device. From Web demoes, this is killer on vocals.

Polaris: Like Echoes, this one gets DEEP.  Each individual section offers further tweakability.  You can blend several virtual heads to get fairly advanced reverb/delay possibilities.  Soundwise, it's going to take you back to the late 80s/ early 90s.  It's a bit of a mid-fi experience.  It's not as harsh or noisy as a vintage plate or spring emulator, but also not as glossy as modern DSP.  You can randomize the entire unit, or you can randomize individual sections.

Tube Modulator: It's kind of a greatest hits for 1960s modulation.  You get harmonic and tube settings, Univibe, Leslie, and more.  There are panning, as well as wow & flutter options.  I tend to use this as a final layer (pre-compressor) behind reverbs & delays---just for some gentle throb at the backend.  Like other Audiority plugins, there's a randomization knob.  (this makes my free DAW crash, but it likely doesn't do this for other workstations)  I tend to use the smooth random waveform on both channels, but there's plenty of factory templates for other possibilities.  In total, there are 11 waveform options per channel.

XenoVerb: This is probably the closest thing you'll find to a Strymon bigSky in plugin form. (minus the harsh, glossy, HF signature of the bigSky)  It's not going to give you the multi-head possibilities of the Magneto engine, but it will give you modulated plates, shimmer, Bode, and Flow (my favorite setting) for $22.

There are 8 knobs on the Xeno, and each can be locked.  So you can quickly secure your pre-delay and mix, as well as the frequency cutoff.  Then, you can cycle through individual algos (there are 11!) and start tweaking or randomizing the remaining knobs.  If you like reverb engines from 1990-2020, this is a solid pickup.  My experiments just started in the last week.  It's probably not going to blow you away like an Eventide Space might, but it sounds consistently good throughout.  It's a workhouse reverb for people who are wanting to simplify their reverb library.

[K2000]

Brauer Motion plug-in looks cool, but I'm using an older OS (El Capitan, OSX 10.11) and my hardware won't support it (it's for 10.13 and up).

I bought Wires and Intensity though. I'm especially excited about Wires.

Thanks for sharing these links!

[ognoy]

Will check out Wires and Sketch Cassette! Thanks!

[manymanyhaha]

Sketch Cassette is cool, I haven't tried V2 yet but V1 is something I use sometimes to lofi a sound a bit. I also like Goodhertz Wow Control.

I just wish I could have Fabfilter Saturn and Soundtoys FilterFreak, Echoboy and Tremulator in a multitrack pedal, with all the knobs at my fingertips. Maybe throw Decapitator in there for good measure.




Edit: man, Wires lops of the bass and treble like a knight in Holy Grail, leaving just that mid bit, don't it? Sounds pretty neat on a snare I'm messing with at the moment

[echorec]

UVI's doing 30% off for the weekend. I grabbed Vintage Vault 3, but I won't be able to play it till tonight most likely.

I can recommend Drone and their world/orchestral packages. Drone likely needs a more modern computer, if you're going to do multiple layers. It stacks a lot of voices, so it can be hard on the CPU for older computers.

https://www.uvi.net/

Also, Shade might be the best filter/modulation plugin you can buy. It's loaded with editing potential, but there's a lot of templates to get you started.

[manymanyhaha]

Shade looks awesome, after watching overview vid. It's like as if Fabfilter took Q3, added Saturn's modulation options, added 10x the amount of useful and creative features and added real-time visual analysis of the modulation (one thing that annoys me about Fabfilter's modulation options). They say zero-latency too. Wish Shade came in a stereo pedal with a bunch of knobs. I'm buying this

Peripherally have seen a lot of enthusiasm for Relayer before, Shade has me curious about it now.

[echorec]

Shade looks awesome, after watching overview vid. It's like as if Fabfilter took Q3, added Saturn's modulation options, added 10x the amount of useful and creative features and added real-time visual analysis of the modulation (one thing that annoys me about Fabfilter's modulation options). They say zero-latency too. Wish Shade came in a stereo pedal with a bunch of knobs. I'm buying this

Peripherally have seen a lot of enthusiasm for Relayer before, Shade has me curious about it now.

I can vouch for Relayer, too. I use it as a finishing delay. It's got some nice qualities that sit well behind other delays.

Grabbed Vintage Vault 3 & the Key Suite bundle over the weekend. I've barely scratched the surface, but I'm enjoying the JP Legacy (Roland) & UltraMini (Moog Voyager XL). There's some rare EPs in the Key Suite package. I've always wanted to own an RMI, so this kind of checks that box off. There's several versions of the Rhodes (Jetsons student green, suitcase, and a "broken" algo). Now I just need to learn Falcon, and I can start doing more exotic sequencing.