Water

Water. Panta Rhei. Everything flows.

WATER is a powerful VST/AAX/AU suite carefully crafted with the goal of building a set of characterful tools that reproduce the sonic behavior of ultra-rare vintage hardware devices and include new features making it flexible and suitable for the demands of modern productions. Water embodies the spirit of revolution and the desire to experiment typical of the 1960s.

WATER is a suite that includes three different plug-ins:

1. WATER Channel-strip.
2. WATER EQ (Passive Germanium Equalizer standalone module).
3. WATER COMP (Limiter/Compressor standalone module).

The Water EQ is created from an original passive stereo Germanium topology EQ unit dating back to 1961 and a set of 'Homebrew' additional hardware circuits, hand-built using original components and sampled by SoundDrops (SteDal) to make this device more flexible and suitable for the demands of modern productions. SteDal's meticulous designs, following the original circuit schematics, helped us to include not just 9dB of boost for the MID band, as it is in the original, but also a 9dB of cut. In a similar way we also added extra frequency choices for the LF and HF bands and the high-pass filter. Further to this, within the standalone unit we added mid-side and dual-mono operation modes. As always with such modules, we provide the option to switch on and off the pass-though tone distortions of the original HW, allowing the user to avoid or embrace the frequency, phase and harmonic distortions of the gear.

The Water Limiter/Compressor is based on a 1968, discretely built, diode bridge device that delivers an overwhelming sound. With three of some of the very best transformers in the audio path, it gives a smooth, larger than life coloration that is reminiscent of classic legendary tube devices. Made in the '60s the hardware is unfortunately very rare to find these days. Our take on this design is to make this great device even more flexible and powerful: we have included the extras of an attack shape modulation control, high-range HPF in the side-chain, some additional faster release curves derived from the Ebony mod. D473 VCA compressor, the ability to switch on and off the pass-though tone of the original HW unit, and a dry/wet control for parallel compression. We also managed to add a high-quality hardware modeled clipper at the output for this dream compressor.

Water is based on out latest CORE 12 tech representing a new technological advancement by Acustica:

• Upgraded SASM (Symmetric & Asymmetric Saturation Modeling) high performance saturation algorithm;
• Introduction of a new post-production sample de-noising tech for cleaner deconvolved impulses called STT (Super transient technology);
• Full compatibility with Client/Server architecture integrated by default in Acqua plugins;
• Engine optimization, introducing a new highly efficient algorithm. This innovative technique is applied to all the deconvolved impulses for further de-noise processing and subsequent elimination of any incorrect low-level behavior (including the so-called "echo bug").

CORE 12 allows performance improvements for each plug-in of the Acqua Effects series, while at the same time preserving all the features already supported in previous CORE upgrades.

Water EQ module:

• (CL) Control link: on and off. Switch on to simultaneously alter both the left and right channel settings.
• (MS) Mid-side: on and off. Allows for mid/side processing, where the left channel EQ is dedicated to the mid signal and the right channel EQ to the side signal.
• (PRE) Hardware EQ pass-through tone simulation: on and off. Dynamically emulates the frequency, phase and harmonic distortion of the original hardware. Includes the complete EQ audio path with both an input and output transformers and Germanium transistors.
• HPF: 6 frequencies (30*, 40*, 60, 120, 200*, 300* Hz): stepped frequency selector with an off position.
• BASS: 3 frequencies with shelf shape (30*, 60, 120* Hz), stepped frequency selector, and continuous gain from -15dB to +15dB.
• MID: 11 frequencies with bell shape (0.5*, 0.7*, 1*, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8*, 11.2*, 16* kHz), stepped frequency selector, and continuous gain from -15dB** to +15dB.
• HIGH: 3 frequencies with shelf shape (6*, 12, 24* kHz) stepped frequency selector, and continuous gain from -15dB to +15dB.

* note that these frequencies are not present in the original hardware module. They were derived from the original circuits with the magic of Acustica's tech and SteDal's (SoundDrops) expertise.

** the original gear that inspired Water only had the ability to boost. Deriving 'cut' samples was possible by working with the original circuits.

Water Compressor/Limiter:

• Preamp: Hardware compressor pass-through tone simulation: on and off. Dynamically emulates the frequency, phase and harmonic distortion of the original hardware. Emulates the complete compressor audio path including 3 audio transformers.
• Peak: Clipper: on and off. Threshold set at 0dBFS.
• SHMOD: Adjustable Attack Shape: from 0 to 4. Position 2 gives the original attack time of the modeled compressor. Position 1 gives the fastest curve setting. Going from 1 down to 0, a further look-ahead function is enabled. The range/amount of look-ahead goes from 0 to 4 milliseconds. Values above 2 slow down the attack time.
• THRESHOLD: from -48dB to 0dB.
• COMP: Comp on/off control: turn on or off the compressor and limiter options.
• FILTER: Side-chain filter: off or HPF ranging from 50 Hz to 250 Hz.
• Meters: gain reduction from 0dB to 42dB.
• INPUT TRIM: from -24dB to 24dB. This function allows for a 'one knob' internal gain staging control by automatically linking input and output gain stages with an inverse law.
• RELEASE*: from 0.1sec (E1) to 2.5 sec (hard right).
• MAKEUP GAIN: from 0dB to 24dB.
• MIX: Dry/Wet Mix for parallel compression: from 0 to 100%.
• Sidechain: External Side-chain: off or on.

* Note that further work on circuit level with the original device was needed to derive longer release time (above 1.5 sec). The fastest E1/E2/E3 release times have been taken from our EBONY COMP (mod. D473) based on a vintage VCA dynamic processor developed in the 1970s - a unit used in a lot of classical mastering sessions, especially in Europe.

Water channel strip with EQ, compressors and preamp options:

• Master Input Trim: from -24dB to 24dB. This function allows for a 'one knob' internal gain staging control by automatically linking input and output gain stages with an inverse law.
• Hardware compressor pass-through tone simulation (PRE-AMPLIFIERS): off, PRE1 and PRE2. Emulates dynamically the frequency, phase and harmonic distortion of the hardware. PRE1 emulates the Germanium circuit part of the EQ module. PRE2 does the same but also includes both the input and output transformers.
• Output Gain: from -24dB to 24dB.
• I/O Meters: input (INPUT), output (OUTPUT): stereo led, from -24dB to +6dB.
• HPF: 6 frequencies (30*, 40*, 60, 120, 200*, 300* Hz): stepped frequency selector. On and off button provided.
• BASS: 3 frequencies with shelf shape (30*, 60, 120* Hz), stepped frequency selector, and continuous gain from -15dB to +15dB. On and off button provided.
• MID: 11 frequencies with bell shape (0.5*, 0.7*, 1*, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8*, 11.2*, 16* kHz), stepped frequency selector, and continuous gain from -15dB** to +15dB. On and off button provided.
• HIGH: 3 frequencies with shelf shape (6*, 12, 24* kHz) stepped frequency selector, and continuous gain from -15dB to +15dB. On and off button provided.
• Comp INPUT TRIM: from -24dB to 24dB. This function allows for a 'one knob' internal gain staging control by automatically linking input and output gain stages with an inverse law.
• THRESHOLD: from -48dB to 0dB.
• SHMOD: Adjustable Attack Shape: from 0 to 4. Position 2 gives the original attack time of the modeled compressor. Position 1 gives the fastest curve setting. Going from 1 down to 0, a further look-ahead function is enabled. The range/amount of look-ahead goes from 0 to 4 milliseconds. Values above 2 slow down the attack time.
• RELEASE***: from 0.1sec (E1) to 2.5sec (hard right).
• MAKEUP GAIN: from 0dB to 24dB.
• MIX: Dry/Wet Mix for parallel compression: from 0 to 100%.
• COMP: Comp on/off control: off, compressor and limiter options.
• FILTER: Side-chain filter: off or HPF ranging from 50 Hz to 250 Hz.
• GAIN REDUCTION: Gain Reduction Meter: led, from 0dB to 20dB.

* note that these frequencies are not present in the original hardware module. They were derived from the original circuits with the magic of Acustica's tech and SteDal's (SoundDrops) expertise.

** the original gear that inspired Water only had the ability to boost. Deriving 'cut' samples was also possible by working with the original circuits.

*** Note that further work on circuit level with the original device was needed to derive longer release time (above 1.5 sec). The fastest E1/E2/E3 release times have been taken derived from our EBONY COMP (mod. D473) based on a vintage VCA dynamic processor developed in the 1970s - a unit used in a lot of classical mastering sessions, especially in Europe.

Licensing:

• Challenge-response authorization system allowing activation for two computers per license.
• The trial version is fully functional for a duration of four weeks. Trial license allows the activation of two computers per license.

Formats supported:

• Support operation systems: macOS and Windows.
• Supported plug-in formats: VST2, AAX, and AU.
• Supported architectures: 32 and 64-bits.

Price and availability:

• Water commercial version: €129.00. Available as a digital download immediately after payment.
• Water Trial version: free 4 week test license. Available as a digital download immediately after €0.00 payment.