KVR Audio

El°HYM · Post by **El°HYM** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:18 pm

Those curves could be easily replicated with SlickEQ e.g. but sure there should be some more going on like slight saturation or something?

itanever · Post by **itanever** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:33 pm

El°HYM wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:18 pm Those curves could be easily replicated with SlickEQ e.g. but sure there should be some more going on like slight saturation or something?

According to the Music Radar article posted before, there's quite a lot going on.

Under the hood, phase-shifted bass and mid frequency bands are mixed with a dynamically processed high frequency band, summed together through the Audiffex Summing Tube Amplifier (STA), adding valve-style excitement and subtle non-linear distortion characteristics for vintage-esque tone shifting and shaping.

plexuss · Post by **plexuss** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:35 pm

El°HYM wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:18 pm Those curves could be easily replicated with SlickEQ e.g. but sure there should be some more going on like slight saturation or something?

Probably no big impact and easily replicated with other distortion tools. I think the obvious "magic" is mostly in the EQ curve.

This is about as close as I could get with SlickEQ GE. Might need more bands to get it more accurate but this Slick setting should be close to compare...

Ignoring phase and distortion for the moment. Looks like STA Enhancer uses some kind of minimal phase (its not linear phase).

Screen Shot 2022-07-21 at 11.45.44 AM.jpg

El°HYM · Post by **El°HYM** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 4:28 pm

I believe you can even get closer, with using the Tilt and/or the other Emulations. Gotta try it out, as there indeed seems to be a little bit more to it. Non - Linearities would still be something SlickEQ could also do.

TMaudio · Post by **TMaudio** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:28 pm

plexuss wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:35 pm
El°HYM wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:18 pm Those curves could be easily replicated with SlickEQ e.g. but sure there should be some more going on like slight saturation or something?
Probably no big impact and easily replicated with other distortion tools. I think the obvious "magic" is mostly in the EQ curve.

This is about as close as I could get with SlickEQ GE. Might need more bands to get it more accurate but this Slick setting should be close to compare...

Ignoring phase and distortion for the moment. Looks like STA Enhancer uses some kind of minimal phase (its not linear phase).

Screen Shot 2022-07-21 at 11.45.44 AM.jpg

If you'd like to compare more apples to apples, try out my good ole my son max nebula preset. Tell me what ya think.

JerGoertz · Post by **JerGoertz** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:53 pm

If it's genuinely an enhancer, there's got to be some kind of distortion happening, not just EQ curves.

plexuss · Post by **plexuss** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:35 pm

JerGoertz wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:53 pm If it's genuinely an enhancer, there's got to be some kind of distortion happening, not just EQ curves.

Yes. But.. what I am saying is the primary effect of this thing is the EQ. The saturation is nothing special and it's not dynamic. It seems to be typical tube like distortion. I dont think there's magic - think its mainly just a sweet spot EQ curve.

kritikon · Post by **kritikon** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:44 pm

Thanks for the heads up Bones.

I'll go have a look. I always was a sucker for enhancers (though not necessarily the saturation type enhancers), and TBH I know I just don't have the type of ears to be any good at Eq'ing. I know the theory of scoops and all that but somehow I never personally get it right, so I tend to shy away from much of any radical Eq shenanigins. There's no doubt to me that there are magic boxes out there that can make my mixes better than I can, so I need all the help I can get on that front. This one sounds very interesting.

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:00 am

Yeah, ever since I first ran a mix through a BBE Exciter in a studio, I've always been a sucker for Enhancer/Exciters, too. Back in the early 90s it seemed like voodoo or something and whatever you did with it, it just worked. This is very much in that same vein, it always makes it better and it does it by doing things I would never have even thought to do with an EQ. You can't put a price on that.

El°HYM wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 4:28 pmI believe you can even get closer, with using the Tilt and/or the other Emulations. Gotta try it out, as there indeed seems to be a little bit more to it. Non - Linearities would still be something SlickEQ could also do.

Maybe, but look at all the effort you have to go to. OTOH, STA Enhancer basically has just three controls to get you the same result. It's also $29, in a bundle with several other effects, so why would you even bother trying to use something else to do the same thing. I pay more than $29 for a 4-pack of beer.

Chris-S · Post by **Chris-S** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 6:36 pm

Does the CM version lack the ouput level knob?

kritikon · Post by **kritikon** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 11:55 pm

BONES wrote: Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:00 am Yeah, ever since I first ran a mix through a BBE Exciter in a studio, I've always been a sucker for Enhancer/Exciters, too. Back in the early 90s it seemed like voodoo or something and whatever you did with it, it just worked. This is very much in that same vein, it always makes it better and it does it by doing things I would never have even thought to do with an EQ. You can't put a price on that.

Even better. BBE was my go to likewise. Still have the box actually, though not hooked up, and the sw version just didn't seem to be quite there to me, so if this does magic mixes like the BBE did (even though a different process) then it's all good by me. I shall go down to the studio tomorrow and d/l it to have a listen.

Who says they can't teach old dogs old tricks?

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:50 am

I've still got a low end BBE box. It's been somewhere in the garage for the last 25 years so it wouldn't surprise me if it was dead by now. I was also a bit disappointed by the BBE software, but I bought it anyway. I haven't bothered installing it for ages, though.

I've had a few others over the years, though. I reall yliked what PSP MixSaturator did to my mixes but PSP screwed me over so I couldn't use it any more. Then we discovered YouWaShock, which only had two controls but was absolutely amazing. But 32 bit only so we never got a chance to use it in anything we released.

Lately I've been putting FireCobra on everything. You have to drive it to get the most out of it but I really like what it does to a mix. WIth STA Enhancer straight after it, the results are just stunning. I tried Slick Idiot's Focus One for a while and it was good, but I think FireCobra is betterer. Focus One is better suited to individual tracks, where it can pump things up nicely.

macmuse · Post by **macmuse** » Sun Jul 24, 2022 3:36 pm

Is the CM version a cut-down from the full, (as CM’s usually are)? Seems like all the controls are the same at quick glance other than the GUI. I would expect the full version to offer more, sound, etc., yes?

Chris-S · Post by **Chris-S** » Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:27 pm

Beside of the missing output level knob it's the same I think.

Distortion is very light:
Checked with RM AudioAnalyser: 50% setting of the saturation knob gives a THD of 0.47 %.
Not so good: the plugin seems to create some DC offset.

kritikon · Post by **kritikon** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:45 am

Bugger! I was just about to fire up the laptop and try it out, but the moment I got near it the power went out. Big storm, power out all over Northland, prolly going to be out for a while. All of our power lines are above ground...don't think that I'll be doing anything music related tonight. Bah, fukn humbug! At least I can cook dinner...gas hob & a cosy fire. No water as we're on tank...guess beer & wine is going to be my fluids tonight

Audified STA Enhancer