How to use Melda plugins to emulate Sonnox Inflator

[sirmonkey]

There's a Black Friday sale on Sonnox's famed plugin, "Inflator". It is some sort of sound gooderizer. A description by a user in the Gearslutz forum says (in part):

"The Inflator is basically a kind of distortion generator that gives the impression of greater loudness by producing the harmonic cues we naturally associate with loud programme.

It isn't a conventional compressor or limiter, in the sense that it does NOT actually change gain in response to programme in a direct way. However with the effect set at maximum it will naturally prevent sample value overs due to the nature (or side effect) of the process. Lower effect settings can be useful if character harmonics (warmth and the like) are desired but peak level control isn't a priority (i.e. in single tracks etc.)..

Because it produces extra harmonics (more frequency content), the output programme actually has a higher average content. In other words, the average level does increase, but the peak level does not."

I don't know if that's exactly how it works. But in any event, I have lots of Melda plugs, and I want to use them as an effect chain to do what Inflator does. But I have no idea how to go about it. Any ideas anyone?

[Tagirijus]

Sorry if this might not really help, but isn't the key element here: saturation? I'd go for MSaturator or even its MB version and see what I can achieve with this. I did not test Inflator, though. So I am not sure, what else might sit in the "backend" of this plugin.

Looking forward to other replies, though!

[Fama]

It's a waveshaper, so try starting from there. I'm not sure if this is the whole truth, but I got it to null almost completely with Freeclip when effect was at 100% but curve at 0 and clip/split off. So that part seems quite accurate at least.

[Tagirijus]

Hehe interesting. Some people in the YT comments complaint about him testing with just a single sine wave, instead of music. What do you people think?

[Tagirijus]

I couldn't hold back and with the help of the video I tried to somehow maybe simulate what I saw visually in the video, without testing scientifically (!!). But maybe some of you might still find it usefull, hehe. It's a MXXX1 preset:

Code: Select all

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It has two Additional controls to control the waveshaping mode and its dry/wet (named "Intensity"). Also take care: moving the "Curve" knob during audio input gives some noisy artifacts.

[Tyrs]

But maybe some of you might still find it usefull, hehe. It's a MXXX1 preset:

Code: Select all

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Has a lots of distortion, but it's cool anyhow thanks

[Tagirijus]

Yeah, you shouldn't max the values too much, hehe.

[sirmonkey]

I couldn't hold back and with the help of the video I tried to somehow maybe simulate what I saw visually in the video, without testing scientifically (!!). But maybe some of you might still find it usefull, hehe. It's a MXXX1 preset: ....
It has two Additional controls to control the waveshaping mode and its dry/wet (named "Intensity"). Also take care: moving the "Curve" knob during audio input gives some noisy artifacts.

Thanks! This will be interesting. I really appreciate your sharing!
I forget, how do I get the script to work? I have to paste it somewhere, right?

[Gone soft]

I forget, how do I get the script to work? I have to paste it somewhere, right?

Under toolbar (which unconveniently doesn't say "toolbar" anymore if allready open) there are copy and paste icons. The paste one is the one farthest to the right, it looks kind of like a document being pasted into another. Here you simply paste the posted preset, presets can be shared in text like that. Hit the question mark in the upper right corner to show information and scroll down til you find the section on copy and paste to be sure what the icons look like.

[Ploki]

Hehe interesting. Some people in the YT comments complaint about him testing with just a single sine wave, instead of music. What do you people think?

i think it's BS. Inflator was one of the first, 20 years ago maybe?
Today it's just another one of many waveshapers and i'm sure you could get close witth MWaveshaper if you took enough time.
Why would you tho, do people really like what it does so much?
(also another +, melda is oversampled. inflator aliases lol)

[Tagirijus]

i think it's BS. Inflator was one of the first, 20 years ago maybe?
Today it's just another one of many waveshapers and i'm sure you could get close witth MWaveshaper if you took enough time.

Don't get me wrong: my question was "neutral" and only related to the "technical testing" the guy did in the video. Neither do I want to say something "against" nor "in the favor of" this plugin.

By the way: on the product page of the Inflator I do not read anything about waveshaping ... so officially it does not seem to be promoted as a waveshaper.

Why would you tho, do people really like what it does so much?

Tbh: I just read in a YT comment that many people love this tool. This comment can be sarcastic as well, though. What I want to say: I do not know at all how many might love this tool etc, hehe. I even read about it here for the first or maybe second time at all. (-;

[Ploki]

i think it's BS. Inflator was one of the first, 20 years ago maybe?
Today it's just another one of many waveshapers and i'm sure you could get close witth MWaveshaper if you took enough time.

Don't get me wrong: my question was "neutral" and only related to the "technical testing" the guy did in the video. Neither do I want to say something "against" nor "in the favor of" this plugin.

By the way: on the product page of the Inflator I do not read anything about waveshaping ... so officially it does not seem to be promoted as a waveshaper.

Why would you tho, do people really like what it does so much?

Tbh: I just read in a YT comment that many people love this tool. This comment can be sarcastic as well, though. What I want to say: I do not know at all how many might love this tool etc, hehe. I even read about it here for the first or maybe second time at all. (-;

no no, i didn't misread. my way of communication is just overly aggressive. i'm working on it.

Anyway, what companies promote VS what reality is... there's a lot between these two realities.

[Gregorius]

Anyway, what companies promote VS what reality is... there's a lot between these two realities.

Yes we see that with Melda too

Hehe interesting. Some people in the YT comments complaint about him testing with just a single sine wave, instead of music. What do you people think?

I'd say valid complaints. Sonnox website says for example "Add apparent dynamic range to previously clipped signals" - which he hasn't even tested.

And there is another very valid topic in the comments: why is it that people like to use it and not just another waveshaper? Why did the video maker answer he uses Abletons saturator and such but only got similar results, not identical ones. Probably because it isn't that easy and the "clones" didn't work the same way. Just my 2 ct.

[Ploki]

to be fair vast majority of harmonic saturation is wave-shaping, so saying that inflator is a waveshaper doesn't really dismiss anything about it.
They found a sweet spot, packed it neatly with good parameter ranges that work musically.
its fine really

[Gregorius]

to be fair vast majority of harmonic saturation is wave-shaping, so saying that inflator is a waveshaper doesn't really dismiss anything about it.
They found a sweet spot, packed it neatly with good parameter ranges that work musically.
its fine really

Yes that's fair I hate it though when people like the video guy or certain devs say "it's only" or "just do that". If it would be like that, there would be 1000s of copy plugins getting the exact same results and reputation. I'm an Inflator user and I cannot get the same results with another waveshaper, especially not without tweaking it do death the get some basic stuff Either they distort the signal more or they work on 1 specific input level but not again on a different one. I even found with the exact same waveshaping graph they sound different (don't know if it's interpolation, oversampling or accuracy problems).