After more than a decade of analyzing and recreating the sound of classic studio hardware, we’ve hand-picked the best-sounding components from legendary units and placed them in one box to deliver a musical and versatile palette of analog flavors.
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- THD/Level meter
- Drive types
- Meters
- Dry/wet
- Pre/post distortion
- Dynamics
- Dynamics on/off
- Drive
- Character
- High cut
- Low cut
- Filter type
- Input
- Input level
- Output
- Output level
Drive types
Solid: Inspired by units with hand-made quality solid state components from the early 70s. The distortion type will help any track to stand out in a mix, adding definition and separation in the soundstage. It will work great on vocals, drums and just about anything else.
Transf: Inspired by the transformer sound of American consoles. The transformer will add the signature lowend tone of countless records from the analog mixing era. Full mixes, kick and bass tracks will shine when using this distortion type.
Master: Distortion designed specifically for mastering/bus applications, leaving the transients intact. This type can be subtle, adding just the right amount of analog touch to the master bus, or, if driven hard, a smooth saturation bringing character and attitude to any program material.
Tube: Inspired by a boutique tube circuit found in various pieces of iconic vintage gear from the mid-60s. Delivers the unparalleled warm tube sound that will benefit any bass or guitar tone.
Modern: Inspired by an English all-valve modern distortion box with triode setting. This type adds instant warmth and punch.
Other parameters
Character: Use this knob to adjust the character of distortion using mastering-grade filters. Turning clockwise favours high frequencies before the distortion, while turning counterclockwise favours low frequencies before distortion. The character filters are tailored for each distortion type.
Drive: The Drive knob controls the amount of distortion.
Dynamics: Allows you to add dynamics back to the processed/distorted material. It uses a unique algorithm that analyses parts of the incoming audio material before distortion and reconstructs the dynamics of the original waveform. Turn the knob clockwise to steadily increase the amount of dynamics. Turning the knob counterclockwise will add thickness and energy to the audio material, and bring up all the lower details. In combination with Drive it will add an unmistakable rich tone to drums, bass and guitars.
Dynamics On/Off: Flip this switch to turn the Dynamics processing on and off.
Meter: Use this switch to change the VU meters between input level display and THD (Total Harmonic Distortion).
Pre/Post: The high and low cut filters can be applied before or after distortion. Use this switch to change their position in the signal chain.
High Cut Filter: Lower the cutoff frequency of the High Cut filter to get soft, warm tone even when a lot of distortion is applied.
High Cut Filter Type: Choose between 1, 2, or 3-pole filters to define the slope and sound of the High Cut filter parameter.
Low Cut Filter: Raise the cutoff frequency of the Low Cut filter to roll off sub frequencies that can trigger excessive distortion in some program material.
Low Cut Filter Type: Choose between 1, 2, or 3-pole filters to define the slope and sound of the Low Cut filter parameter.
Dry/Wet: Blend the Dry and Wet signals with the Dry/Wet mix knob.
Input: The Input fader controls the input gain.
Output: The Output fader controls the output level of the plug-in.
VU: The plug-in’s main VU meters can display either input level, or THD. When in THD mode, the meters show the distortion amount. It is handy switching to this mode to track even the most subtle distortion levels.
Input/Output level: These meters show the level of your signal at input and output.
Bass
Every Drive Type will add different and unique flavours to the bass track. One of our favourites for bass and guitar is the Tube Drive Type. Set Drive to max, add a bit of Dynamics, turning the knob clockwise, and your bass track will shine with unique colors and life like never before. Add more definition to the sound by turning the Character knob clockwise. Add more rock solid low end by turning the Character counterclockwise and blending some Dry signal back by using the Dry/Wet control. You might want to add more Input Gain for even more distortion.
You can use several instances of Harmonics in series to add different character to top and low end.
Master bus
Choose the Master Drive Type and switch the THD/ Level meter to the THD position. This will allow you to track the most subtle distortion. Please note: Drive in Master type doesn’t only increase the harmonics amount, but changes the harmonic content as well, experiment with the position of the knob to find the sweet spot for your track. You may alter the flavour of the the Drive even more by turning the Character clockwise, adding mastering-grade sheen and clarity to the program material. Turning the Character counterclockwise will add punch and tightness in the low end. To adjust to the changes you might use the Low Cut and High Cut filters. It is recommended to use the 3-pole Filter Type on the Low Cut and the 1-pole filter on the High Cut to get the best results when working on your master bus.
Vocals
To add an analog touch and that extra clarity to vocals, choose a Drive Type to your taste and increase the drive until you hear a fair amount of distortion. Turn the Character clockwise to add more harmonics to the high frequencies. Use Dry/Wet to blend the Dry signal back and mix to taste.
Drum loops
To add some fatness and weight to the drum loops, turn the Dynamics knob fully counterclockwise and add Drive until the desired amount of distortion is achieved. You might want to blend some of the dry signal back by using Dry/Wet knob.
A whole range of added control can be accessed with Extended Features. Please see the separate "Extended Features" manual for more information.
Paul Shyrinskykh – Product management and sound design
Kim Larsson – Modeling
Niklas Odelholm – Graphic design
Ulf Ekelöf – 3D rendering
Maxus Widarsson – Quality assurance
Igor Miná – User manual layout