KVR Audio

Richard deHove · Post by **Richard deHove** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:08 am

The glory days of Soundtoys are well behind them. I have the bundle but it gets used less and less. If I were starting now I definitely wouldn't buy into the range.

acYm · Post by **acYm** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:33 am

ooh, now that's more like it... roland sde3000 emulation, gotta take a closer look at this.

perpetual3 · Post by **perpetual3** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:41 am

Wow. I was thinking of making a thread “in praise of soundtoys”. Tremolator, Phasemistress, Panman, Crystalizer, Echoboy and Microshift sound amazing. PrimalTap is very special. The terrible GUIs though.

But maybe you’re right. Although I’m not sure there is a good replacement for Phasemistress. And definitely not for PrimalTap.

As far as delays, Valhalla Delay is also very special and pretty versatile, although it can’t really do what Echoboy does. The value would be with the soundtoys sale if you can get over the GUI.

Winstontaneous · Post by **Winstontaneous** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 6:12 am

There are so many good delays out these days! If you demo the SoundToys stuff and like it, it's worth the price (as is the whole bundle which can be had for ~$250 on sale).

The one thing you'll get in SoundToys Primal Tap that I don't think is present in Replika XT or Valhalla Delay is Sample Rate Modulation. If you've heard a Daniel Lanois production from the last 35 years you've heard the Lexicon PrimeTime delay that Primal Tap is based on. Back in the day Lexicon and other companies extended delay time by reducing sample rate, therefore reducing the bandwidth. You can modulate it either continuously or in 1, 2,4 and 8x multiples with crazy results, especially with feedback. Not many other delays besides the Unfiltered Audio Sandman and PSP's Lexicon PCM42 have Sample Rate Modulation.

SoundToys Crystallizer is an interesting granular delay - but if you have NI Guitar Rig 5 or FM8 FX, the PsycheDelay does pretty much the same thing. Plenty has been written already about EchoBoy/Jr., the one thing I wish for is more modulation - I'm hoping a separate Master Modulation section appears in the rack in SoundToys v6.

perfumer · Post by **perfumer** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 6:31 am

pbr985 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2019 8:39 pm Merely for the sound quality, which one is a better buy?

The 'sound quality' of both is top notch - there simply isn't any defect, or compromise in how they process sound. So in this respect, they are equal.

The differences come from what each one is trying to do. VDelay is an attempt at emulation - the Soundtoys aren't emulating anything, with the exception of PrimalTap, which does.

When comparing not-digital delays, listen to how the original sound gets modified in the repeats. Put it to wet only if necessary. VDelay does tape and analog emu, PrimalTap does lo-fi digital emu, Echo Boy just sounds good, no emu.

plexuss · Post by **plexuss** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 6:55 am

I am sure there are some good youtube videos of real analogue delays being used which you can use as a reference. Also look for "bucket brigade delay".

pbr985 · Post by **pbr985** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 7:09 am

acYm wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2019 2:32 am the elton john is also on sale

What's the elton john delay lol?

pbr985 · Post by **pbr985** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 7:21 am

The thing that's not appealing to me about the ValhallaDelay is the GUI. I know a lot of users like minimalistic looking plugins nowadays but it somewhat doesn't inspire me. Soundtoys plugins look like toys and somewhat get the feeling it would be satisfying just tweaking/looking at them. I know it's all psychological and personal.

I might just ending up buying a pedal haha, like a TC Electronics Flashback. Unless someone here convinces me it won't give me significant difference in terms of sound comparing to these plugins (-+ the inconvenience or joy of recording a real device).

el-bo (formerly ebow) · Fri Jul 19, 2019 8:02 am

4damind wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2019 9:43 pmI don't think ValhallaDelay will replace them all, after hours of testing I still prefer ReplikaXT.

I do like VDelay, but still not enough that I need to buy it. It definitely can't replace them all, though it clearly isn't trying.

I prefer ReplikaXT in terms of functionality. However, the in-feedback-loop filter options (Peak is great fun) mean having much more control over the sound of the repeats. It really veers into 'Ohmboyz' territory. The only thing I'd wish for is to have a few diffusion controls present in all delay modes, rather than just as a separate module. Either way, XT made the decision to drop Echoboy (Part of an overall move away from iLok) that much easier.

Add RP-Delay and Sandman Pro and I'm all good

4damind · Post by **4damind** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 8:46 am

The crazy thing with ValhallaDelay: I really like the special functions like Pitch Reverb, Reverse etc. and the tape/analoge types are great but the typical things you need all the time like "Ping Pong" sound "wrong" to me. There's some damping in the feedback loop that makes it sound completely different than any delay I've ever heard before. I don't like it at all.

The Soundtoys offer is definitely very interesting, especially since there is also the option to upgrade to the big package. The best thing is to install the demo/trial and test Echoboy and ReplikaXT and then decide which one you like best.

acYm · Post by **acYm** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:35 pm

pbr985 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2019 7:09 am What's the elton john delay lol?

imperial delay... it's an old kvr meme
basically he was charging $300 when it came out, because elton john.

LoveEnigma18 · Post by **LoveEnigma18** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:56 pm

I need some advice from fellow Soundtoys owners, especially those who have the bundle.

I currently have Decapitator, Echoboy Jr., Sie-Q, Little MicroShift and Little AlterBoy and the upgrade price for me is currently $210, which I believe is the summer sale discounted one?

What would be a cheaper and best way to buy the bundle from here on? If I get the Echo Pack, does anyone have a fair idea how much the bundle upgrade price would change?

I am no hurry, so should I just wait for Black Friday for upgrading directly to the bundle? Will that $210 still come down during BF?

dangayle · Post by **dangayle** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 5:02 pm

LoveEnigma18 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:56 pm I need some advice from fellow Soundtoys owners, especially those who have the bundle.

I currently have Decapitator, Echoboy Jr., Sie-Q, Little MicroShift and Little AlterBoy and the upgrade price for me is currently $210, which I believe is the summer sale discounted one?

What would be a cheaper and best way to buy the bundle from here on? If I get the Echo Pack, does anyone have a fair idea how much the bundle upgrade price would change?

I am no hurry, so should I just wait for Black Friday for upgrading directly to the bundle? Will that $210 still come down during BF?

Their trade in offering is quite generous, I've taken advantage of it in the past. With what you have, the upgrade price at BF will be really low. You will almost never lose money, and if you sell Echoboy Jr., you might end up a few dollars ahead.

LoveEnigma18 · Post by **LoveEnigma18** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 5:06 pm

dangayle wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2019 5:02 pm
LoveEnigma18 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:56 pm I need some advice from fellow Soundtoys owners, especially those who have the bundle.

I currently have Decapitator, Echoboy Jr., Sie-Q, Little MicroShift and Little AlterBoy and the upgrade price for me is currently $210, which I believe is the summer sale discounted one?

What would be a cheaper and best way to buy the bundle from here on? If I get the Echo Pack, does anyone have a fair idea how much the bundle upgrade price would change?

I am no hurry, so should I just wait for Black Friday for upgrading directly to the bundle? Will that $210 still come down during BF?
Their trade in offering is quite generous, I've taken advantage of it in the past. With what you have, the upgrade price at BF will be really low. You will almost never lose money, and if you sell Echoboy Jr., you might end up a few dollars ahead.

Thank you for the suggestion. Yeah, you are right. So do you mean I should wait for BF? But if I trade-in for the bundle, how would I be able to sell Echoboy Jr.? Or you mean getting the Echo Pack and selling the Echoboy Jr. and then trading in for the bundle during BF?

vitocorleone123 · Post by **vitocorleone123** » Fri Jul 19, 2019 5:11 pm

chk071 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2019 9:54 pm Replika XT sounds best to me as well. Tried loads of other delays, including VDelay. Still think Replika is on top of those.

I like Valhalla Delay better than XT as it has more "mojo"... but the trick is to own both and have your bases covered because they're tools in a toolbox. Not much need for Echoboy at that point, even though it can still do some things different, as they all can. I also have Tekturon from D16 and probably one or two more delays I can't remember. I've tried the Soundtoys ones and, had they been on sale when I was buying, probably would've gone that route (and that was before VDelay). Now... now I'd say if you can get a good upgrade price because you own some, go for it - they're great. If you don't, then you should look at others as well, namely Valhalla Delay and Replika XT - or both.

At the end of the day, if you're adding to a well-equipped toolbox because you want to and you can afford to, Soundtoys is still great, and $99 for those plugins is definitely worth it.

Soundtoys Echo Pack (Summer Sale)