XLN RC-20 Retro Color

[Russell Grand]

I use Sonitex STX-1260 ...it sounds much more realistic to my ears.

Sonitex is great! I love RC-20 as well. I think it's good to have both in one's arsenal.

I think RC-20 has a nice feature set. I just had a hard time getting the right wet/dry sweet spot with any effect. It's either too subtle or too much where it gives a superimposed feel. Sonitex seems to fight me less.

You make a good point, RC is extremely fiddly and it can be difficult to find a balance between not enough and too much effect. With Sonitex, it's easy to get it to sit at just the right level without being too in your face, and it seems to gel with the material more than RC.

[neverbeeninariot]

I got the idea from Hainbach, who uses a lot of lo-fi tape among other things.

Never heard that name before, but glad I looked him up. Thanks for the pointer

[Lotuz2019]

RC-20 has been around for almost 3 years, I believe. Does anyone here know if there's a improved version in the making? What would you request XLN Audio to add/change?

First thing that comes to my mind is the ability to load your own wav files in the Noise module (think Sonitex and That Thing).

[Aloysius]

Why not just use Sonitex or That Thing?

[Ah_Dziz]

I would like to be able to re order the modules however I want. I would also like a combo de esser and filter module. Then I would like a bias control, or maybe just another multi purpose control (with alternate functions depending on the mode) for the distortion. Finally a bit more flexibility in the space module, maybe a couple modes that do different reverb types, and then a mode for crosstalk and feedback. A bit of user controllable modulation (like a lighter version of the Unfiltered audio stuff or the way Speakerphone handles it) would also be a huge step in the right direction. With all that it might supplant Sonitex for me, but would only make it a simpler version of Speakerphone.

For now I use a combo of sonitex, RC-20, and Speakerphone for all mysound degrading needs. They work great and I can’t think of much I can’t accomplish with them, but it would be great to have a single plugin that could cover all the ground I need. Speakerphone is close, but not quite there. If the modules could be re ordered at will (even if it required a separate routing page) then Speakerphone would be it for me.

[Lotuz2019]

Why not just use Sonitex or That Thing?

For now I use a combo of sonitex, RC-20, and Speakerphone for all mysound degrading needs. They work great and I can’t think of much I can’t accomplish with them, but it would be great to have a single plugin that could cover all the ground I need.

There you have it.

[Aloysius]

[Ah_Dziz]

Why not just use Sonitex or That Thing?

For now I use a combo of sonitex, RC-20, and Speakerphone for all mysound degrading needs. They work great and I can’t think of much I can’t accomplish with them, but it would be great to have a single plugin that could cover all the ground I need.

There you have it.

I also have many occasions where I am called on to make stuff sound “old” for work. I doubt I would have moved past sonitex if I wasn’t doing paid work like this as often as I do.

[Lotuz2019]

Is that because RC-20 is good at the exaggerated lofi sound that's popular these days and Sonitex is more moderate (realistic)?

[plexuss]

Is that because RC-20 is good at the exaggerated lofi sound that's popular these days and Sonitex is more moderate (realistic)?

I finf RC-20 good at subtle and realiztic sounding lofi noise/artifacts as well as exaggerations. It's the one I primarily use for such tasks.

[Ah_Dziz]

RC 20 is just as subtle, my main reason for grabbing it is that I like the “magnetic” module and sonitex doesn’t have that effect, and that for simple taksks, it is insanely quick to setup. Sonitex is a very deep plugin. For just dirtying up a sound, it can get much farther and closer to a finished sound. Doing this involves many pages of parameters and fiddling though. Sometimes you just need a bit of noise, a bit of crackle, and a bit of distortion. For these jobs, RC 20 does it, does it quick, and does it well.

Really, for the quick “make this sound a bit shitty in a good way” jobs, you can add Audiothing Vinyl Strip and probably a couple things I’ve forgotten to the list too. It’s quick and well made, while sounding quite nice.

In my own personal workflow for adding some dirt and grime it generally goes:
Need just a bit of funk- RC 20
Need lots of funk and flexibility for fitting together with less compromised sounds- sonitex
Need to realistically make something sound like it is really old and also have to be able to control how well it’s been taken care of and maybe change how it was recorded while I’m at it- Speakerphone

I use Audiothing as well here and there, and I use Chipcrusher for the digital version of these scenarios.

JJ

Edit: Echomelt was the other one I use pretty often that was slipping my mind.

[Obsolete236871]

RC-20 has been around for almost 3 years, I believe. Does anyone here know if there's a improved version in the making? What would you request XLN Audio to add/change?

First thing that comes to my mind is the ability to load your own wav files in the Noise module (think Sonitex and That Thing).

That would be a great addition to the current feature set. Maybe also a preselection of additional noise profiles.

[Russell Grand]

I would like to be able to re order the modules however I want.

Same here!

[Russell Grand]

RC-20 has been around for almost 3 years, I believe. Does anyone here know if there's a improved version in the making? What would you request XLN Audio to add/change?

First thing that comes to my mind is the ability to load your own wav files in the Noise module (think Sonitex and That Thing).

That would be a great addition to the current feature set. Maybe also a preselection of additional noise profiles.

Yes, I agree!

[ElgrandeCastagneto]

sonitex is 32 bit only