TesslaPRO mkII

[s_t]

Thank you bootsie,
This sounds excellent!
It's going to be a regular addition to my projects, along with XTC, NastyVCS and ThrillseekerLA.
When used on full mixes it seems to be adding dimension and authority.
Transients knob seem to be very very subtle, even more than it was with original tessla pro?

[A.M. Gold]

I'd love to see him join u-he, as they are not too far from him. Together with Sascha and the team, they could do wonderful plugins, not to mention x86 and x64 on Windows and Mac !

Good to dream ...

I think Herbert is dedicated to keeping things free.

[milosh_]

Dear Bootsie

Manual says
"Turn up your selected audio channels volume that way it basically performs around
0dBFS. The 'VU' type meter in the plugin is adjusted to support you that way:
Increase volume so the needle hits clearly the red marked section of the meter."

I usually work with tracks in such way that they peak @ about -12dBFS.
So when I gain up signal by 12db to feed tessla pro my DAW meters show that signal is clipping the red zone.
Is it the way it should be?

cheers

[Compyfox]

Is there problem with VU?

Everything is ok for me.Sounds great!But VU's response really slow i guess..

Actually, it's slower than 600ms, or uses a weighting filter. I just tested it alongside several VU's and it's the slowest among them. I'll get into it in a minute.

I usually work with tracks in such way that they peak @ about -12dBFS.
So when I gain up signal by 12db to feed tessla pro my DAW meters show that signal is clipping the red zone.
Is it the way it should be?

If by -12dBFS you mean "RMS", then I suggest that you work in K-12 - loudness.

VoS's plugins are usually setup so that the "red zone" or "around the red zone" (or 0 VU for that matter) is the ideal hotspot for adding saturation to your signal. It's the case with most outboard gear.

as you know, I'm more after musical tools rather than scientific ones. So my question goes back: How does it sound?

I just a couple of tests just a minute ago. It's... very subtle so to speak. At least with individual (read mono) channels. Of course this is adding up, but it's a bit subtle to my ears.

Then again, I'm still recovering a slight cold, so this could mess with the results.


I'll get more technical in a minute.

no that should be correct - if the Boost switch shows 0dB the device clips at +9dBFS. Boosting the internal gain more decreases the headroom.

I ran a couple of tests over here to see what is actually going on in terms of the VU and reference levels. I can't say anything about "internal" reference levels, but I can at least say that the VU is not calibrated to -18dBFS (RMS, or to those that want to be really precise: AES-17). And it's responding slower than 600ms.

I ran a constant 997Hz sine signal (no bursts) at -18dBFS digital, with VUMT setup to 600ms rise/fall just to check the reference levels and Tessla Pro MkII at default settings, contemporary mode.

Here are my results:
-18dBFS signal, Boost 0dB: Tessla Pro mk2 shows somewhat -12dB

Now here's the fun part:
-2,3dBFS sine, Boost +0dB: Tessla shows 0VU => reference level -2dBFS
-6dBFS sine, Boost +3dB: Tessla shows 0VU => refrence level -6dBFS
-9dBFS sine, Boost +6dB: Tessla shows -1VU => reference level roughly -9dBFS
-12dBFS sine, Boost +9dB: Tessla shows -0,5VU => reference level -12dBFS
-15dBFS sine, Boost +12dB: Tessla shows 0VU => reference level -15dBFS

So... this tells me that we have a crazy adjustment system going on. Unless I'm misunderstanding something.


The thing is:
In order to get an ideally saturated signal (according to manual, hovering around 0VU with Tessla Pro Mk2), we need to boost the device by +9dB if we're utilizing a worklevel of -18dBFS (or -18dB RMS) with a maximum peak of -9dBFS (digital, or in other words, a dynamic range of +9dB). The ideal worklevel (read: hotspot) is then -12dBFS to -10dBFS, then Tessla is hovering around 0VU.


Again in short words:
You use -18dBFS as reference level, then setup Tessla Pro mk2 to Boost +9dB and let your digital peaks be around -12dBFS (digital)



A couple of things could be handled better:

The VU scale and needle could be adjusted to reflect a better signal readout. And rather than "boosting" a signal, declaring a reference level like with XTC (but in one plugin) would be less confusing than this system.

We know that the dynamic range is +9dB (VU) regardless of the reference level until soft clipping occours. But this doesn't help if the VU is off.

Crosstalk is also modelled with the mkII version, I just did not advertised it. Its included in all my stateful stuff ...

Yes, I can confirm crosstalk around -62dBFS to -59dBFS on all modes with Tessla Pro. A bit hot for my liking. But then again, Tessla was never intended to sound/work like a "subtle" summing device.

I'd love to see a mode to turn this off on stereo channels (like with Mojo 0 with XTC). Maybe for mk .5's or so.




Again, thanks for the efforts, and I appreciate the work you put in there. Still an interesting tool. But currently it's a bit unusable to me without wrapping my head around it. Unless the VU is properly adjusted and maybe the boost system improved.




EDIT:
Just tested XTC Black and Blue again, just to be sure.

Both Black and Blue generate a crosstalk of -76,2dBFS on 1kHz (which I find more relaxed and subtle, like VCC) if the MOJO is higher than 0.

The reference level for the stateful saturation and especially the VU of Black is -18dBFS (or -18dB RMS). Blue is at -9dBFS (or -9dB RMS, which is a darn hot signal for todays standards) in order to run at/around 0VU. The VU was setup to 300ms.

Here it's straight forward understandable what's happening as soon as you go over the +9dB dynamic range. So why not with Tessla as well?

[David Else]

it sounds excellent! it can be as subtle or as in your face as you like, nothing subtle about it if you turn the drive up. with subtle it makes things more alive.

i find the tube and tape best on the drums and bass i tried it on, just seemed to sound more uniform than the consoles which seem to effect certain frequencies more, giving more of an EQ type effect that may or may not suit the source.

was the british console actually made using accurate measurements from a real (neve?) device? it doesn't really sound how i would have expected. i read somewhere sknote said he used volterra kernels to measure analogue devices freq/saturation characteristics then simplified the models. anything like that going on? i can really imagine this plugin could make great emulations, i know bootsy has said before he doesn't want to emulate, but some sounds are just so great we all want them!

i think this is by far the best 'stateful saturation' plugin for saturation in the series, fantastic work!

[realmarco]

why no Mac AU version ?

[Totolitoto]

why no Mac AU version ?

It's getting obsessionnal

[scalawag]

why no Mac AU version ?

Again!?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??!?!?!?!?
How many times do we have to tell YOU Bootsie plugins are for Windows only and will continue that way for some time....

[djanthonyw]

why no Mac AU version ?

Because they're made with SynthMaker...

[Compyfox]

why no Mac AU version ?

It's getting obsessionnal

No, it's getting annoying. The username subtitle is pretty well fitting actually.


realmarco - stop posting in every thread that you want MAC versions. Fund the developers of SynthMaker to go MAC, and you will(!) get MAC versions.

Then observe to whatever happens first: Mac version for SynthMaker, or APPLE ultimately dropping the MAC with their ongoing OS upgrade nonsense and drop of Intel chips in favor for ARM. Which is bad for both current Mac users and developers alike.

But the MAC platform is more superior indeed.

[Endor-8o8]

OMG this sounds just amazing...Thank you very much for all these great tools Bootsy. I really love the color it adds to the mix. The work you're doing with saturation is really awesome (Thrillseeker XTC or LA, Density...).

[stanlea]

why not a linux version ?






















not serious, uh ?

[metalifuxx]

why no Mac AU version ?

It's getting obsessionnal

He is just a fuhcking moronic troll, and he knows that (about Bootsy's plugins) already. Deal with it, or get a PC if you want tons of awesome freeware. If you can afford to buy a Mac for 2x what it costs to get a comparable or better PC, you can certainly afford all the good plugins that rival the freeware. Plus you just make yourself look childish and immature every time you throw these little kindergarten tantrums, so yeah keep doing it

[metalifuxx]

Why not a Windows 3.1 version?

Why no DOS x386 version?

Why is it made for Sega Genesis and not for Super Nintendo?

Why aren't you making a version for Gameboy too?

Not even for Neo-Geo? Only the best and most expensive titles are made for that platform....

[Endor-8o8]

Why not a Windows 3.1 version?

Why no DOS x386 version?

Why is it made for Sega Genesis and not for Super Nintendo?

Why aren't you making a version for Gameboy too?

Not even for Neo-Geo? Only the best and most expensive titles are made for that platform....

+1