Acoustic Guitar:

V76U73 (NEOLD, Plugin Alliance)

– TLDR Notes:

Classy compressor on acoustic guitar. Light compression + the Gain (left side) driven for saturation.
Set Osx2.

– Review:

What is more optima for acoustic guitar than tube preamps and tube compressors? The good news is that this plugin provides very high quality version of both.

As the name of the plugin suggests you’re getting some vintage modules in one here: the V76 and the U75 (a+b).

Starting from the left you have the V76/80 preamp module, a legendary tube preamp from the 1950’s.

One of the things I really like about this preamp is the auto gain compensation, so you can drive the gain knob without the level going crazy, while getting that analog drive and nice soft clipping.

I like driving the gain on acoustic guitars mainly for two benefits; to avoid overly sterile sounding acoustics and I can now go a little easier on the compressor due to the soft clipping on the peaks.

To the left is a “Linear” button. That’s because the plugin in its default state emulates the frequency curve of the original hardware, where the super lows and ultra highs are rolled off. But I confirmed via spectrum analysis that this is at the extreme ends of the spectrum, and by no means does this make the preamp sound dark or lack any lows at its default setting.

By engaging the “Linear” button you will get complete linear frequency response when you just simply run audio through it, so that option is there as well. I like using Linear mode when I use the plugin on the master bus.

However, I always prefer the standard (ultra lows rolled off+ultra highs rolled off) on tracks, as that is a very subtle part of the analog sound I’m looking for when I reach for this.

I like to roll off lows from acoustic guitar so lets look at the filter options.

The V76 has a 80Hz low cut filter as its lowest low cut (hence the “80” in the name V76/80).

It also has a 300Hz low cut filter and the option to combining/overlap the 80Hz and the 300 Hz low cuts, essentially just resulting in a steeper variation of the 300Hz low cut.

Since I like to do more surgical EQ cuts on acoustic as well, these filters are rarely sufficient on their own, so I like to use a separate EQ with more options in addition to the filters on offer here.

We do get a 3kHz high cut filter option. If you want a really mid focused acoustic guitar, say for blending in under other acoustics in a mix for the purpose of adding more tonal pad content without extra lows or high transients, try this 3khz high cut along with the 300Hz low cut or the combined 80+300Hz low cut.

Under the filters we have a small dial labeled “send” and this little screw dial is actually one of the most important controls in the plugin.

The more you increase the gain via the aforementioned gain knob the harder you hit the compressor. But as mentioned, a benefit of driving into soft clipping like that is to avoid having to slam the following compressor hard.
That’s where “send” comes in handy, as it provides full control over the amount of signal being fed to the compressor. Simply decrease the amount of “send” to hit the compressor less hard or increase “send” to slam it.

The rest of the V76U73 is pretty self explanatory, starting with the compressor module, the U73b, also referred to as “the German Fairchild”, a description that hints at its qualities on acoustic guitars.

Just make sure to turn on either the compressor or the limiter to engage this module.

I like the classy sound of this compressor on acoustic guitars a lot, and you have an auto attack option and a good amount of release time choices as well.

It’s worth noting that the “Filter” button in this compressor section is a 100Hz sidechain filter (12dB per octave) – very useful to avoid triggering the compressor detection circuit by the disproportionate energy of the low end of a signal.

The compressor operates in dual mono per default, but if you wish you can engage linked stereo operation with by pressing the “Stereo” button.

The last module, the U70a, is not an extra preamp or a compressor, but functions as the command center of the plugin with metering, output volume, bypass and mix (wet/dry function).

If you need a carefully modeled emulation of legendary 1950’s and 1960’s tube preamp and tube compression action for things like acoustic guitars and vocals then this is one to seriously consider.

oldTimer (PSP Audioware)

– TLDR Notes:

Quick results. Lends itself really well to acoustic guitar.
“Time” is combined attack-release, left side is fast speed. Osx2.

– Review:

Does every vintage flavored compressor plugin have to be an emulation of a particular piece of vintage gear? PSP Audioware said heck no, decided to prove it by designing a highly musical compressor inspired by vintage circuitry in general to encompass the characteristics people love about old compressors.

When this was released some years ago it received rave reviews, with the term “musical” repeatedly coming up, and in my view it’s warranted. The sound is smooth, warm and elegant, basically perfect for instant results on acoustic guitars.

It takes a fair amount of skill to make it sound bad.

The simplicity is another key factor to the success of this plugin. There is very little here to confuse the user. You immediately understand what the dials do and the simplicity aids on the workflow front.

I use the good old simple PSP oldTimer, but you currently get both PSP oldTimer and the more advanced big brother oldTimer ME when you buy the oldTimer ME.

PSP Audioware claims that the ME version can be used as a mastering compressor as well, with the addition of things like separate attack and release controls and independent left/right/mid/side processing options, although I have used it for mastering myself.

Puigchild 660 (Waves Audio)

– TLDR Notes:

Modeled after the Fairchild 660 tube-based compressor from the late 1950’s.
“Time Constants” means linked attack-release.

Really nice on acoustic guitar at OSx4.

– Review:

The Fairchild 660 is one of those holy grail pieces of audio gear that’s been in use since the late 1950’s and never lost a trace of its popularity.

The compressor was in heavy use in EMI’s Abbey Road Studios, including by The Beatles, and it has since found its way onto countless contemporary recordings.

It’s not hyperbole to say that the 660 (and the stereo version, the 670) could be considered one of the most highly regarded pieces of studio gear ever made.

This is due to the great tone and action of the unit. And luckily it isn’t overly complicated to operate either.

It comes with just three knobs in addition to the output volume: Input Gain, Threshold and Time Constant.

Time Constant is a way to control the response time of the unit. It combines attack and release, and Time Constant set at 1,2 or 3 are the most commonly used positions.

These are the three settings I generally like on acoustic guitars. A good tip is to over-compress via the input and threshold while switching between the Time Constant settings, and then ease off the compression amount once the right movement of the audio is determined.

Waves Audio and Jack Joseph Puig (The Grammy winning producer/mixer who supervised the project) developed a plugin with a nice, smooth gluey musical character in my opinion.

Puig, who calls the Fairchild 660 “The Rolls Royce of Tube Compressors” has several Waves plugins under his belt in the role of close supervisor, but out of all of Wave’s Puig-offerings, the Fairchild 660 is my clear favorite, specifically for its qualities on strummed acoustic guitar.

I prefer to oversample the plugin which has to be done by an OS function in the DAW or in Metaplugin since unfortunately the plugin does not include oversampling options as many plugin released several years ago didn’t.

It sounds great at Osx4 and this gives it the final touch of high quality that completely closes any gap between the sound of the best algorithmic hardware modeled plugin released today and this one.

100a (TimP)

– TLDR Notes:

Summit Audio TLA-100A. Makes for big and natural acoustic guitars.
Does ‘intelligent’ leveling with a very soft knee for subtle compression on low compressing settings.

– Review:

The Summit Audio TLA-100A is a tube leveling amplifier highly regarded by sound engineers since its introduction in the mid 1980’s.

The one-two punch of really smooth compression action due to program dependent behavior and fast attack options to tame excessive peaks makes it a considerable asset in any studio.

When dealing with acoustic guitars, especially if they are recorded with either a large or a small diaphragm condenser microphone in the digital realm, it’s nice to have a high quality smooth compressor that deals with peaks effectively.

TimP is my favorite version of the The Summit Audio TLA-100A available in the box and the way it works seems particularly well-suited for acoustic guitars.

The compression ratio changes via very soft knee so you get a more subtle compression at low gain reduction which ventures into limiting territory at high gain reduction.

The program dependent attack and release work great on strummed acoustic guitar. Try the “Fast” setting for taming those quick peaks produced by the pick hitting the strings if they are excessive.

On acoustics I always filter out the lows with an EQ plugin before the acoustic guitar hits the compressor, so it’s rare that there is much stuff to worry about under 100 Hz, but it’s still nice to have the sidechain filter available n the 100a which can prevent the compressor from overreacting due to too much low frequency energy.

The metering works well, the preamp sounds good and very “old school” for lack of a better term.

You get a “full” mode which is the full, true emulation of the compressor, and a bonus “linear” mode for a more hi-fi sound.

The 100a comes with an alternate skin, a lighter silver skin version that you can access by clicking “Edit” in N4.

I like to think of the 100a as being closely related to opto compressors like the LA2A, but with more sound shaping options.

The low price makes it a bargain, although it does the full version of Acustica Audio’s Nebula.

U17 (NEOLD, Plugin Alliance)

– TLDR Notes:

Plugin modeled after a rare analog compressor with a lot of control over the sound with tilt options and exact attack-release control.
Smooth and pleasant compression.
“Torque” increases the knee hardness tied to a ratio increase.
“Density” is saturation amount on frequencies chosen with the “Emphasis” dial – left Emphasis saturates lows, right Emphasis the highs. “Shape” determines what the comp circuit hears – left=lows, right=highs, “Frequency” is the anchor freq for that tilt.

– Review:

Here is a compressor you don’t see modeled too often, the U17 compressor built by Allgemeine Telefon-Fabrik in the mid 1950’s for the NWDR broadcasting network in Germany.

It combines solid state with tube and transformers and excels at smooth, soft compression.

The U17 adds some nice coloration with its soft clip circuit which also takes take of some of the transient spikes of an acoustic guitar before the signal hits the compressor part. This is perfect for acoustic guitar played with a pick such as strummed acoustics.

The U17 is a joy to work with once you understand the controls. And that’s really the only downside here; The features aren’t self-explanatory.

For instance what the heck does “Torque” do? Or “Density”?

I’ll try to explain it in the simplest possible ways.

“Torque” increases the degree of knee hardness tied to a ratio increase. In other words, with this control you can dial in the exact level of aggression in the compression you want, from very soft and transparent to unapologetic and aggressive.

The U17 is also a really cool color box when it comes to texture. I always like to add saturation to acoustics to get away from that “too clean and glassy” sound, especially if the acoustic guitar was recorded straight to digital.

“Density” is the level of saturation for the frequencies chosen with the “Emphasis” dial:

Turn the Emphasis dial to the left and it will saturate the lows, turn it to the right and it will saturate the highs.

“Shape” determines what the compressor circuit hears – left=lows, right=highs, “Frequency” functions as the anchor freq for that tilt.

The U17 received rave reviews upon release for it’s great sound and it is indeed a terrific sounding plugin with some control options you are unlikely to find in a lot of other contenders.

Multiply (Acon Digital) – Free

– TLDR Notes:

Chorus-like multiplier that is cool for adding some extra richness to a sound, for instance using it on one out of two double tracked acoustic guitars.

– Review:

There are times when the sound of an acoustic guitar, even with appropriate ambiance, saturation and compression applied, just feels a little too naked, bland and pedestrian.

The idea of adding little bit of chorus can seem like a good one, but you might find that the sound of a traditional chorus is a little too “thick” for that application.

In situations where a classic chorus is in the “close but not quite right”-category on an acoustic, the free plugin Multiply by Acon Digital usually hits the spot.

It adds the number ‘voices’ of your choice, and you can shape the sound of it via the handy Equalizer section – highly appreciated for a chorus style effect on acoustic guitars.

For a free plugin it gives a great amount of control in all the right places. You can dial in both the depth of the chorus-like modulation in the Frequency Modulation section (left) and alter the amount of Amplitude Modulation, a control that is basically “volume modulation” which further contributes to the movement of the sound.

The Stereo spread knob is great to have as well. No complaints about the features on this plugin and their implementation, and that’s from the standpoint of judging it as any other, not as a free plugin. In fact, this could well have been a commercial release.

The only downside of this generous freebie is, if you’re addicted to analog tone and analog tone alone, it could be a let down as it does not offer anything close to analog vibes. It sounds decidedly digital and there is no trace of analog to be found in this one.

But that’s not always a bad thing, because it still sounds great.

First off, you can follow it with a good tape emulation, or one of the great preamps from Acustica or a 3rd party Nebula developer if you want to ‘remove some plastic’. Acustica Audio’s Taupe comes to mind as a great ‘plastic remover’ tape emulation.

But secondly, sometimes you might want a little bit of that plasticky sound. That might sound sacrilegious, but in the context of a mix it could offer something of value to the overall picture. If we have a specific, relatively narrow taste when it comes to sound and we always chase that color for various sources it could potentially make for predictable, somewhat monochrome painting.

In my opinion, the sound of Multiply is definitely worth having in the toolbox, and we’re lucky that Acon Digital made it available for free.

Loc-Ness (Tone Empire)

– TLDR Notes:

For adding grit and reducing the glassy element of acoustic guitars.

– Review:

There is nothing wrong with acoustic guitars providing some high-end shimmer to a mix. That can often be one of the advantages of having acoustic guitars in an arrangement, because it fills an important role in terms of sonics, energy and tonal balance.

But there are times where acoustics are just too glassy sounding, especially if you’re going for a more vintage tone for your mix overall, and if you have acoustics recorded with bright modern condensers into a digital interface.

Loc-Ness, as the name implies, seems to be a nod to Soundtoys’ famous, simple-but-effective distortion and compression plugin called Devil Loc.

But while Devil Loc adds compression and gritty distortion of a kind that could be imagined useful on acoustics, I find that it simply gets too aggressive way too fast for acoustic guitars. It’s way better for destroying a drum loop and things of that nature.

And that’s the beauty of Loc-Ness; the Crust dial can go from subtle to very crunchy and it’s a smooth transition that offers full control.

Loc-Ness is a far more versatile beast than its inspiration. So even though Loc-Ness is marketed as a drum effect by Tone Empire, that’s actually selling it short. Try it on anything that needs more grit and less glass, and follow it with a tape emulation if needed.

It’s one of those plugins where a lot of stuff is happening under the hood at the same time, and you shouldn’t really try to over-analyze it. It’s EQ, compression, limiting, saturation, distortion working together. So it’s a valid strategy to just turn the knobs and see what sounds the best on the source.

However, it’s useful to understand the filter options here, especially when used on something like strummed acoustic guitars with wide frequency span.

Loc-Nes has both a pre section and a post section, with low and high cut filters for both of these.

In the Pre Filter section (left) you’re affecting the signal going into the Crust saturation and the Smash compression. In other words, you’re shaping the sound characteristics of those two components via the filters.

If you’re getting transients that sound too harsh as a result of the processing, you might use the high cut filter, or maybe use the low cut filter if the bass energy becomes excessive into the saturation and compression circuits.

In the Post Filter section you’re shaping the overall sound after the Crush and Smash components.

These filter options, again, adds to the versatility of the plugin.

It even has 4 different modeled analog signal paths labeled with Roman numerals. And Tone Empire had the good sense to include optional oversampling, as this is the type of plugin that absolutely needs it since it deals in saturation and distortion.

With the Smash button you can do some aggressive compression and limiting – a great thing when set appropriately on a spiky acoustic guitar where you may want the tonal aspects of an acoustic guitar to come out more consistently.

For even more control over spiky transients the plugin has a ATK control, which stands for “attack” (found underneath the Smash knob).

When ATK is enabled you get a very fast attack, and when disabled it lets more transients through.

Whether ATK should be engaged or not depends on the desired role of the acoustic guitar in the mix.

As the signal flows from Crust into Smash and is driven hard, it can create a sound reminiscent of the infamous “all buttons in” mode on a Urei 1176.

After having used Loc-Ness for a while my conclusion is that, sure, Loc-Ness IS very effective on drum rooms, drum loops, and sometimes drum busses and that in itself is cool, but don’t put it in that box exclusively even if the marketing appears to do so – be sure to try it on for instance on acoustic guitars, rock vocals and bass parallel tracks as well.