jimmarchi1's Reviews
801 reviews Back to jimmarchi1's Equipboard
41028
my favorite 80s multi
this guy does a great job of sounding like old 80s multi tap effects.... the streamlined interface makes setting it up simple and fast and the delay engine responds in a very similar way to old digital multi-taps and multi-effects units when you tweak the controls in real time so crazy effects can be achieved that differ from dubby effects you get using tape or BBD units or simualtions of those older types of delay. I mainly like this for tight multitaps that are 'reverby' when i want a really 80s vocal, pad or guitar treatment, but I use it all the time for other thigns too. its a bread and butter effect like echo boy. I just wish it sounded grainier and crunchier like the SPX90s I've owned. They had such a musical fizz on the wet signal. But a great delay plugin.
41028
One of my favorite plugins.
This thing sounds great and can be transparent or colored. Has a nice high pass in the detector circuit (with different slopes and a percentage control which seems to be a blend, so turning it below 100% starts to make the fitler more like a low shelf than an HPF), dedicated dry blend control and incredibly detailed threshold and time constant control over both the main compressor and RMS section allowing precise shaping of the volume envelope. At home on an insert or a bus, this compressor is clean and versatile. When you really need to control things in detail this is one handy device. It is hard to believe its free.
41028
underrated stereo compressor
Based on the name and feature set I think this is supposed to sound like an 1178 stereo fet compressor with a highly tweakable sidechain giving it an edge for bus duties... I think it sounds pretty great and performs that role pretty well (often better in context than a waves 1176, I mean, its got the parallel knob built the fuck in so you can do the NYC all buttons in trick), but since the arouser came out I have been using this a lot less for anything but NYC type 'special effect' compression. Even direct guitar is seeing a lot less of this and the waves 76 when I can do so much with arouser. But this is a great plugin that captures that urei vibe for the most part.
41028
inexpensive and great
I really love this compressor/limiting amplifier on just about any source... fantastic feature set and just a great sound that, depending on your settings, can recall a lot of famous old gear but still manages to do its own thing. I think a lot of people will go heavy handed with this at first but this is one of those 'character' plugins that I think adds just as much in the color department when sued subtley and there's something about the time csntants on this thing that have real magic at certain tempos when you get attack and release times groovin' in time. Its like the ramp down and up on the attack and release I respectively really tickles my ear sometimes. Great envelope on mjuc and a must have because its cheap as hell.
41028
I lvoe me some 160
this is a pretty faithfulstereo simulation of the venerable dbx160 overeasy VCA compressor.... it even sounds like it has the variation in time constant as the signal goes way over threshold, so no need tor each for the waves version all the time, this thing has the vibe.... coolest addition is the blend knob, obviously you don't need that on hardware because there's no latency, but in software we need it. Makes it easy to setup the parallel 160 tick on kick and snare. Did I mention this plugin is freeware?
41028
when spring is the thing
this is a solid algorithmic spring reverb simulation with a ton of parameters to adjust... it can sound like a fender outboard, fender onboard, ampeg short pan, roland chorus echo.... gets in the ballpark of anything you want and easily holds its own with impulse responses of real spring units AND its stereo but like old spring units its just 2 independent units slapped together, which can be hella cool on so many levels.... thing is, you can't put it through the effects loop of a real amplifier with any ease and its still missing something when you want a really out-front spring splash in a mix so I find myself using the old tapco rack and traynor a lot lately over this.... that said, this is a nice, versatile virtual spring if you don't have any real spring reverbs or all your spring reverbs are mono (like most of the affordable ones are) and you wanna do stereo tricks.
41028
I fuckin' love fitlerbank.
This is just one of those plugins where the filters are so neutral but can be shaped so effectively. When I really wanna shape the bump at the cutoff of a highpass, low pass or shelving filter? this is it... gets you beyond analog filter imperfections into creativity at those cutoff points. This is a classic, utilitarian plugin that never goes outta style.
41028
a solid vitnage high shelf
I use this sparingly but it ahs a certain charm over using the high shelving filter on your channel or McDSP. Got me if it sounds like the filter they used to patch into the old REDD consoles when Lennon wanted brighter guitar than the amplifier and channel EQ would allow, but it has a certain sheen and the 3 center point and fixed Q are very musical. Honestly this was a purchase I regret because I sue it so infrequently, its just that I see 'abbey road' and get itchy to get me some.
41028
serviceable hardware-style EQ
I think this thing is supposed to be a GML emulation. It looks right. Massenberg invented parametric. There's a real sound to a GML rack.... this isn't really the same to my ear, the pahse shift is different. ut it sounds good, and is great to sue when don't want a graphical representation fow hat you're doing to fuck with your ears. Soemtimes too miuch looking gives you 'correct' results but not creative results.... surgical EQ can go beyond repair work and that's where stuff like this shines. Try using fab fitler without focusing on the spectrum analyzer and letting that make decisions for you! Apart from gain metering when needed I just don't like seeing the music.
41028
a great emulation
this does what it says and sounds basically like a tube tech program equalizer. You know what it is, its a simulation of a hot-rodded pultech basically. This ahs the ebst saturation of any of my program equalizer plugins. Soft tube's good at that. I just sued this on a kick drum the other day and was totally happy with the result. Used it to bring back some bottom that got lost in compression and to add some grit by running really hot into her.
41028
this gets certain jobs done
its a stereo graphic that can do mid-side stuff, nothing special about it but tis a low CPU hit and is quite functional for expanding the stereo field in interesting ways.
41028
low CPU hit FL native classic
this guy is just a straightforward 7 band parametric with your usual fitler options one ahc band and a small, basic interface. This is a use your ears EQ though the little bit of curve representation can be helpful if you squint. Sounds just like Fruity PEQ2, its just completely bare bones. I actually use this a lot because I am into bare bones and I don't like to waste processing power on fancy spectrum analyzers or modelled hardware EQs unless I need 'em. Hell, I sue the shit out of the fruity built in channel EQs and always used the hell out of the similar EQs in every DAW. You don't need to be fancy all the time.
41028
go downlaod these
this is a solid freeware bundle of bread and butter effects.... standout is the bit crusher for me, I like the shelving fitlers in it, pretty nice though gets extreme a lot more quickly than many similar plugins.... the real loser is the 'tube' plugin. Ugh. I can never get it to sound good.
41028
its okay
this is the blandest of the 3 TAL Dubs. But its a functional stereo delay that responds fine to time tweaks and syncs to midi clock if you like that. Nice to keep it as an option sicne it sounds pretty neutral no matter what and is way less of a CPU hit than echo boy
41028
they say its not for everything right on the website
I will agree with the folks at audio damage, this compressor sure ain't for everything.... its all about extreme artifacts so I seldom use it. Used subtley its not terribly impressive. It does have some nice, almost distorted edginess with the right vocal into it, but I am so into the waves BVV anymore for edgey vocals that the rough rider resides in retirement. Defintiely an effect and not a tool. I could see why some folks would love it but it may be doing their mixes more harm than good. If they added a lend control it would be more useful but its just such a wildcard that its not worth setting up a parallel track to try it out NY style. Like i said, I ever use this. It was free so whatever.
41028
sounds like a tubescreamer
if you have a nice, neutral DIed guitar this sounds like a tubescreamer.... so if you have a good DI take and you wish you had DIed your tubescreamer? here ya go.... also ahs a stereo mode so you can do like a stereo chorus or wide synth patch with that 'green' honkin' dirt allover it. This guy really sounds right to me. But having 2 TS/SD1 type pedals floating around this doesn't get a lot of use. Still glad I have it though.
41028
very cool filtered multitap
I just picked this freebie up recently and its in the spirit of thigns like the fruity delay bank but it has a warmer character and better sounding filters to my ear. Easier to get all the taps working rhythmically because the interface is big and easy to follow. Wish it had more taps, but its free. Great sounding plugin for creating some atmospheres. Really excels at making mono synth pads wider and deeper. Try putting it on a send feeding a comb filter ;-)
41028
this thing is super cool
great sounding analog delay plugin that ash that old stompbox vibe... its great for dubby weirdness, police cover tunes, Bauhaus inspired freak outs.... very different in timbre form TAL's delays and because it just does this one specific thing its better at what it does than Echoboy. It reminds me of some of the patches on my TC Fashback. Anyway, worth a buy.
41028
another pultech!
this is like the 4th pultech on my list, right? This one is also damned solid but, again, sounds a little different than the rest. I always shoot these guys out when I need this style of EQ. I might also try the elysia fitler or VoS Baxter. But yeah I like this one a lot too. Get as many as you can and trust your ears. Yeah the Waves Puigtech and universal audio ones are sweet but its nice to have options so things sound JUST RIGHT to you. Especially in the lows where these program EQs are king.
41028
another VCA style comrpessor from MSG
This is a solid VCA type of channel compressor from the good folks at MSG. Its free but it sounds great. Just wish it had some metering or I would use it all the time. The alck of a clean blend limits its utility for me too. I really don't want to print an extra track to do NY compression. So a lot of the time like for kick and snare where I want this sort of compression I use the dimsixty5 dbx160 emulation because they thoughtfully added a clean blend to avoid phase issues without having to print another track. That one sounds great too. But I do sue this where I am not worried about precise emtering or parallel.