Sound On Sound UK January 2022

“Although Apple have lowered the cost bar dramatically, getting into immersive production is still a major commitment in terms of time and effort.” Spatial audio. 3D music. 360-degree sound. Call it what you will, immersive audio is a hot topic. And while researching this month’s cover feature, I’ve had lots of conversations with people on the front line. In order of enthusiasm, they rank roughly as follows: (1) Apple. (2) Loudspeaker manufacturers. (3) Engineers who already have Atmos rooms and are earning good money doing immersive mixes. Others, however, harbour reservations. Notably: (1) People who think Apple are implementing immersive audio all wrong, and would be delighted to explain why their own system is much better if only anyone would listen. (2) People who think it’s all a gimmick. (3) Engineers who don’t…

Black Rooster Audio were founded in 2016 by Andre Kirtchner and, from their base in Wuppertal, Germany, have released a steady stream of plug-in emulations of vintage compressors, EQs, preamps and effects processors. Their latest release, Omitec-67A, sees them visit a classic valve preamp design from the 1960s that was used on some of the most celebrated music of that era. As with much vintage gear, it’s not the functionality of the design that’s coveted but rather the more characterful side effects they can impart: the rasping, saturated brass sound on many of the classic Motown-era records is just one example of how engineers used gear like the Altec 1567A for more than just raising the signal level of a microphone. The original Altec 1567A has very little going on from…

When we hear the word ‘convolution’, we half expect it to be followed by the word ‘reverb’. But the developers who have done the most to push the boundaries of convolution have, until now, used it for practically everything except reverb. There have been reverb IR libraries for Acustica’s Nebula, and the Ebony channel strip plug-in includes a reverb, but Silver is Acustica’s first dedicated reverb plug-in. The Silver plug-in itself is free, and comes with four presets to show off what it can do; Acustica aim to make their money by selling additional Volumes of content. However, these are not conventional impulse response libraries, and Silver is not a conventional IR player. In developing Silver, Acustica identified two long-standing problems that, they feel, afflict convolution reverb in general. One is that…

One of the best things about researching synthesizer history these days is the Internet. Equally, one of the worst things about researching synthesizer history these days is the Internet. The same can be said for a great many things, because, just like a signal booster, while the Internet increases the good bits of a signal, it also amplifies the bad. There is a desperate need for a filter and, when it comes to knowledge, a respected author with an almost clinical attention to detail and accuracy is required. Luckily for us, Dr Mike Metlay is the Moog Ladder to our Noise Generator. After months, if not years, of painstaking research and collaboration, he has delivered Synth Gems 1, the next in an ever-growing line of superb synth books from the…

Although all of the effects in this pedal are created digitally, the sonic inspiration for the TriceraChorus lies in bucket-brigade analogue chorus pedals from the 1970s and ’80s. The chorus effects are combined here with Eventide’s MicroPitch detuning and a parameter called Swirl, which adds what Eventide describe as psychedelic flanging, phasing, and Univibe-style sounds. Furthermore, TriceraChorus can generate three different types of chorus voice with separate modulation depths for Left, Center and Right, to generate a lush stereo soundscape. There are three basic chorus types designated as Chorus, Vibrato, Chorale and up to 200ms of delay may be added to each type. Overview As with Eventide’s UltraTap Delay and MicroPitch Delay, which share the same form factor, the TriceraChorus has the ability to store presets. In this case up to five…

The latest addition to Toontrack’s extensive Superior Drummer 3 drum and percussion library (currently comprising 18 titles) is Fields Of Rock SDX. Recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales, Fields of Rock features seven kits and a comprehensive set of percussion instruments including rototoms, octobans, congas, shakers and more, all recorded by multiple award-winning engineer/producer Tom Dalgety (Royal Blood, Pixies, Killing Joke and Rammstein) and played by session drummer Mat Hector. Field Of Dreams In 1965 Rockfield became the world’s first residential studio, and it has witnessed the birth of some of the most iconic recordings of the last 50 years, by bands ranging from Queen, Motörhead and Black Sabbath to Oasis and Coldplay. Housed within a working livestock farm, the studio comprises two rooms: the Coachhouse and the Quadrangle. Both…