Baby Audio Crystalline

[Lazarus451]

When i reinstall windows i just download the new version, and apply the code, fast and easy

It's easy when it works. If you have to ask more activations through email, not that easy. But it takes maybe 1-3 days. Activations are limited and you can't remove them yourself.

But sorry, enough about this off topic. I might get this and some of the other ones through the personal upgrade. Thanks Baby Audio.

[jens]

Since Baby Audio nicely churn out new plugins at a nice pace and their fanbase increases steadily, I feel it's not totally OT and potentially quite relevant to them.

[jens]

I understand your point of view. For me the pita is when i have to uninstall/deactivate products going through app managers, websites and so on, before install the os from the ground or when i buy a new pc.

Yeah, I see your point too. For me the best installation manager really would be only that - a help that automatically does for you exactly what otherwise you'd have to do manually. Not more and not less. If it's just a keyfile put the ones that are required in the place where it belongs. Put the other files where they belong and where applicable/reasonable where the user wants them.
But still offer the user to do all that manually if he desires so. And don't make him jump through hoops in order to download the individual files.

With the kind of fierce competition there is in this market now, I wish more companies would put more effort into this.

[Ambiphile]

I tested it on various different sources, from ambient guitar to gated reverb for snare. I already have alot of reverb plugins, but Crystalline still impressed me.

PROs
- easy demo: just enter E-Mail, download, install, try it
- a great user interface: fully resizeable, white/black skin, nice design, cool visualisation
- lush modulated reverb tails, no metallic timbre that you can sometimes find in cheaper reverb plugins
- just the right amount of controls: good features that many other reverbs don't have (ducking, transient shaper, tone+HP/LP, gating, shimmer, reverse, freeze, tempo-synced pre-delay and decay), but it's still not overcomplicated
- eco mode for lower CPU load

CONs
- more CPU usage than some other good reverbs, 8% normal / 4% eco mode, while Valhalla Reverbs are 2-3% (512 samples buffer, i7-8086k CPU)

Room for Improvement
- love the idea of including a transient shaper, but i think it doesn't work as intended yet: whenever i turn it more heavily towards attack or sustain, i get a strange crackling noise on some notes. To me it seems like it has an issue separating transients in the detection when they are too close together (when i play slowly = no noise, but when i play faster = noise on some notes)
- as an ambient nerd i'd always appreciate decay times of more than 10 seconds

Overall
Congratulations to Baby Audio for this great release. I feel that even for someone who already has alot of good reverb plugins, this is still somewhat unique and useful. The intro price of $49 is well worth it and pretty competitive in the reverb plugin market. Even the full price of 99$ would be no waste of money.
This is how a plugin in 2022 should be like.

[sguyader]

Will there be a dark skin?

There is already one. Click on the upper left button to switch skins (I just saw that in the Baby audio tutorial video).

[DJErmac]

I really appreciate the extra discount offered to the subscribers : purchased.

I love how this reverb behaves : modulation seems to do whatever it feels like. You get an instant complex feeling with whatever you try (some will say "analog", I'd say realistic behaviour when you're moving).

[e@rs]

For companies like baby audio, fabfilter, audiority, for me it's just easy, cause i can just buy new pc/parts, instal the OS open my backup folder with my programs then instal or just download a new version and apply the serial/key. I feel this approach to be more customer friendly, and i feel to own for real the product, they don't need to control what i do with it, i've payed i respect their job, and they respect my time... Ah and if my government decide to go into a war, they cannot lock me out something i've legittimally bought, for something i don't have a control on.

Well, I feel the same as you. But unfortunately life is not that simple with Baby Audio, as one needs to go online to activate their plugins. They don't even offer offline activation. So I avoid them.

[Agreed]

This does indeed use a lot less CPU vs. Spaced Out and has much less problem when things get busy on my older DAW comp, and I am very grateful for the additional discount for Baby Audio customers with prior plugins. I really like the sound of this, cool & crisp modulated algo verb with some cool functions. Easy to use UI, digging the whole package.

I will cheer loudly if Baby Audio devises an offline activation method, as I dislike being so reliant on being internet-facing. But I rely on other tools that don't have that, just... kinda hoping these companies that don't offer offline methods don't have trouble with their servers (temporary or permanent), and being grateful to those who do offer that preferred functionality for me.

[zeph]

Downloaded demo and tested.

I am NOT hearing a fantastic lush non-metallic reverb.

What do you guys think?

[db3]

I like it. Not the lushest, but seems great for adding sparkle and creative effects. Low on CPU. More testing needed.

[Frankie.T]

Downloaded demo and tested.

I am NOT hearing a fantastic lush non-metallic reverb.

What do you guys think?

Try to play with the tilt and smoothing, this can help on certain sounds to don't sound metallic

[Vortifex]

Edited

[sQeetz]

Sounds Nice. Got it.

[briefcasemanx]

Oh, I thought their new plugin was supposed to be for synthwave or something?

[Frankie.T]

Oh, I thought their new plugin was supposed to be for synthwave or something?

I had the same thought, i remember some posts on their instagram they were working over some hardware.
Anyway i'm more happy with crystalline, i really like how it sound