KVR Audio

sinkmusic · Post by **sinkmusic** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 4:23 pm

Hello
With the recent release of the Crush Pack, I just noticed that NI Supercharger & ReplikaXT upgrades was on sale, and realized that i had the free versions but never installed them...

I already have several other delays and compressors, but i am wondering if it might still worth upgrading ?

For instance, I have D16 Repeater (which is good at emulation) and BCA Late Replies, so i don't really know if ReplikaXT would bring anything interesting ?

As far as compression goes, if i have Klanghelm DC8C, Mjuc, is there any interest into getting SuperchargerXT as well ?

Looking forward to user opinions

cprompt · Post by **cprompt** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 4:33 pm

Both the (originally) free Replika and the paid upgrade to XT are awesome, very nice delays, lots of options (especially in XT).

I have the (again originally free) Supercharger and it's a fabulous compressor. I demod the paid upgrade of GT the other day and it's definitely a step up, but I was so happy with what Supercharger was doing, I passed on the upgrade right now. Later in the year when money flows abundantly (hmmmm) I'll buy it but it wasn't (for me) such a huge improvement over Supercharger that I could justify the £22 it would cost.

Scarlet Pumpernickel · Fri Jun 15, 2018 6:50 pm

Believe it or not, Supercharger XT is one of my favorite saturators because of how easy and intuitive it is. Love it on kick and snare drums - run it in parallel without using compressor part; sometimes on bass. Also it could be very good in foley for fattening transient sounds like gunshots or explosions.

sinkmusic · Post by **sinkmusic** » Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:20 am

Thank you for your advices.

Kinh · Post by **Kinh** » Sat Jun 16, 2018 11:19 am

Someone already did a thread recently on Replika but as far as Supercharger goes and why you would need it...
It's basically a compressor/saturator that can work like a vintage or coloring (if that's the right term) compressor but in a more extreme way. The compressor is quite good for vocals as result.

It's saturator (on it's own) has 3 very different levels of saturation, each can make a very generic sounding house bass, for example have the wow factor in 3 completely different ways. As mentioned it also works wonders on percussion. The end result is always a wider stereo image with just saturation but you turn the character knob and it spreads much wider, giving it more body. These aren't subtle changes btw, they're quite dramatic.

It gives plucks more bite and poly synths more fullness and depth.

It's a must have for anyone who needs to bring their tracks to life basically. VSTis sound pretty stale on their own like Spire and Hive and others (well, it's the truth). I cant imagine mixing anything without superchager or something similar, though I'm pretty convinced there's nothing as good for that type of application, most of the saturators are too f#cking weak.

Mr. Spock · Post by **Mr. Spock** » Sat Jun 16, 2018 11:22 am

Supercharger GT is a really good and versatile compressor (thanks for the reminder, I haven't used it in weeks).

Also a BIG step up to the regular Supercharger version (which I used for a long time before I upgraded - Very worth it!)

It can take A LOT of compression but is also perfectly suited for gentle glueing. As Scarlet said, the saturation is also really good sounding and has an "expensive" quality to my ears (not rough/smokey/dirty but more "high end" sounding, when used in moderate levels).

Dual mono, HP filter and the tone control are also excellent features.

Compared to DC8C, it is very easy to handle and an absolute pleasure to use in general.

MJUC is MJUC and can't be replaced IMO. Supercharger GT is still a must have in my book.

Highly recommended!

P.S. I can't comment on Replika XT

Mr. Spock · Post by **Mr. Spock** » Sat Jun 16, 2018 11:29 am

Kinh wrote:
It gives plucks more bite and poly synths more fullness and depth.

It's a must have for anyone who needs to bring their tracks to life basically.

Exactly how I would describe it. Very alive sounding with fullness and depth.

sinkmusic · Post by **sinkmusic** » Sat Jun 16, 2018 12:21 pm

Why the hell, when i want to stream down my VST folder, do i end up downloading 2 more demos from Ni ?

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Sat Jun 16, 2018 12:26 pm

Don't worry. Replika XT is great, and well worth it. Best delay evah.

sinkmusic · Post by **sinkmusic** » Sat Jun 16, 2018 7:08 pm

Hello
So, i tried them both.
First thing : it's been a while since i installed anything made by NI, and i must say i am a bit overwhelmed that such a big company doesn't feature yet scaleable/resizeable GUI, and a better browser... It was somewhat a surprise.

Then, SuperchargerXT : ok, it's good, but not that great (well, i mean : nothing i can't do with either a compressor or a saturator). I managed to make Mjuc sound exactly like the "dirty drums" preset, and AD Kombinat Tri allows to chain a saturator + a character compressor, and led me into the same ballpark. So i will stick with that i already have

It's a nice, no brainer color compressor, which reminds me a bit of CamelCrusher, but i have already plenty of alternatives and i will stick with them.

ReplikaXT is quite another story imho : it sounds great, and has a nice workflow, gathering deep features with fast results.
The great thing other Repeater is that you can get both vintage and modern sounds, and the great thing over Late Replies (or RP-Delay) is that you get nice results quicker, and it can get both into the "emulation" zone as well as into the "clean repeat" zone easily.

I wish the inerface would be resizeeable, and the browser better, but i can live with that and i think that i will upgrade

Thank you all for your tips and advices.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:00 am

Yes, the interface for Replika and Replika XT is superb, clear, obvious and powerful.
Sounds terrific. I'm addicted to using it basically.

ElevatedBeing · Post by **ElevatedBeing** » Sun Jun 17, 2018 9:06 am

jancivil wrote:Yes, the interface for Replika and Replika XT is superb, clear, obvious and powerful.
Sounds terrific. I'm addicted to using it basically.

Hopefully they will add scaleable UI in the future.

Tappistry · Post by **Tappistry** » Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:58 pm

sinkmusic wrote:Hello

ReplikaXT is quite another story imho : it sounds great, and has a nice workflow, gathering deep features with fast results.
The great thing other Repeater is that you can get both vintage and modern sounds, and the great thing over Late Replies (or RP-Delay) is that you get nice results quicker, and it can get both into the "emulation" zone as well as into the "clean repeat" zone easily.

I wish the inerface would be resizeeable, and the browser better, but i can live with that and i think that i will upgrade

Thank you all for your tips and advices.

You could also be a madman and load ReplikaXT inside of Late Replies.

I also share your general sentiments about NI needing to get with the times and have resizable interfaces.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Sun Jun 17, 2018 5:04 pm

Their latest fx plugins (mod pack and crush pack) have resizable GUI's on all the plugins. Some may think it is trivial to implement resizable GUI's in all of their older plugins as well, but, it might not be so trivial... I'd like to have it too, but, sometimes you just gotta have patience. I'm sure they are aware that people like resizable GUI's.

mholloway · Post by **mholloway** » Sun Jun 17, 2018 5:21 pm

Kinh wrote: It's saturator...The end result is always a wider stereo image with just saturation but you turn the character knob and it spreads much wider, giving it more body.

Why is a saturator resulting in stereo widening? Is it doing independent saturation between left and right channels, or something else? What you are describing is not the result I would expect. Is the saturation engine also doing some mid-side changes that aren't described on the UI panel? What's actually going on here?

NI Supercharger & ReplikaXT vs...