Tokyo Dawn Labs release the SimuLathe product range (virtual disk mastering)

[Digivolt]

What we have here is an interesting discussion ... and this plugin deserves it. It looks geeky, is innovative, has its target audiences ... and has a price tag which is a bit higher than the other TDR stuff. As I am right in the middle between hobbyist and "making a living" from audio, I will check if I really need it. I think many of the negative voices in this thread are people who "desperately want such a toy, but do not have a use case to bring the momey back in". They have to decide if they either want an expensive toy or leave it to other audiences and just move on. Comparing this to high-cost hobbies like motorcycling, skydiving, or high-end gaming, the price seems fair.

Just my two cents.

There is demo version to play with the plugin and decide, do you need this toy or not. Demo is time unlimited so the hobbyists have infinite time to make their decision.

What are the limitations of the demo ? I think it's a cool concept and if I've understood correctly this is a tool for people wanting to print on vinyl to preprint and see how stuff sounds before actually going through the expensive process of printing to actual vinyl and then finding mistakes in the print ?

[revvy]

Does the demo introduce crackles…?

In fairness to the thread, it’s a small proportion of posters who are down on this release.

[vurt]

id just like to know, am i part of the meme, and if so, are there royalties i can collect?

[vurt]

but i do like the soundscapes idea

that's being an artist right there, not seeing a niche product, seeing potential beyond the intended use
well done that man!

[FabienTDR]

What are the limitations of the demo ? I think it's a cool concept and if I've understood correctly this is a tool for people wanting to print on vinyl to preprint and see how stuff sounds before actually going through the expensive process of printing to actual vinyl and then finding mistakes in the print ?

Aside showing a UI banner here and there, our demos have a single limitation:
They cannot recall automatically.

Means in certain hosts you can even render, but won't allow the plugin to be moved around in insert slots, or be automated reliably (all these functions try to recall prior settings at some point, which will fail in case of the demo edition).

No time limitation, no audio changes, no privacy breach. We call it a "true analogue evaluation".

[vurt]

What are the limitations of the demo ? I think it's a cool concept and if I've understood correctly this is a tool for people wanting to print on vinyl to preprint and see how stuff sounds before actually going through the expensive process of printing to actual vinyl and then finding mistakes in the print ?

Aside showing a UI banner here and there, our demos have a single limitation:
They cannot recall automatically.

Means in certain hosts you can even render, but won't allow the plugin to be moved around in insert slots, or be automated reliably (all these functions try to recall prior settings at some point, which will fail in case of the demo edition).

No time limitation, no audio changes, no privacy breach. We call it a "true analogue evaluation".

that's pretty awesome.

and unreliable automation actually sounds fun, using it more in the soundscape arena than as intended, get a nice non repetitive thing going from a 4 bar automation loop

will have to test now i know it can be used this way as well. i don't cut records, but id imagine if im using this, and getting a good sound from the mix, then it's a good mix
not really into the slamming limiters for loud mixing as i only do this for me really, so it's just about being able to listen to a nice mix myself. if others do listen, great but not my goal really.

[Unaspected]

What are the limitations of the demo ? I think it's a cool concept and if I've understood correctly this is a tool for people wanting to print on vinyl to preprint and see how stuff sounds before actually going through the expensive process of printing to actual vinyl and then finding mistakes in the print ?

Aside showing a UI banner here and there, our demos have a single limitation:
They cannot recall automatically.

Means in certain hosts you can even render, but won't allow the plugin to be moved around in insert slots, or be automated reliably (all these functions try to recall prior settings at some point, which will fail in case of the demo edition).

No time limitation, no audio changes, no privacy breach. We call it a "true analogue evaluation".

that's pretty awesome.

and unreliable automation actually sounds fun, using it more in the soundscape arena than as intended, get a nice non repetitive thing going from a 4 bar automation loop

will have to test now i know it can be used this way as well. i don't cut records, but id imagine if im using this, and getting a good sound from the mix, then it's a good mix
not really into the slamming limiters for loud mixing as i only do this for me really, so it's just about being able to listen to a nice mix myself. if others do listen, great but not my goal really.

It's essentially an accurate 3D model of the sound waves, as they would be carved into vinyl; which is then turned into a waveform that can be played back as digital audio. There is a lot of potential beyond what is presented. Just think about the quality of interpolation involved. Pitch dropping audio with the same quality as vinyl? Yes please!

And doesn't this open the door for some truly impressive physical modelling of other objects? Bows on strings - with all their physical imperfections - and more. Maybe I'm getting ahead of everything.

I'm looking forward to hearing the kind of depth that the plugin might achieve when I'm back in my home studio. Will be fun to design some sounds which purposefully derail the needle and hear how that feeds back. Maybe some square waves with modulated pulse width and DC offset; Textural sounds generated by spitting a series of impulses at it, with varying frequency.


One thing I would like to ask TDL is whether a wax cylinder model could be on the cards - no joke: I love the sound of wax cylinder recordings - or could the current engine get close to this sound? I really enjoyed the demonstration of the degradation of high frequencies near the centre of the plate, earlier in the thread.

[rbn777]

...

[vurt]

don't shut up!!
not intended use, but cool

[Unaspected]

...

They have sales which make their plugins obvious purchases.

Not sure when this will be on or how much it will come down. As I suggested, I'm expecting this to be what I wanted from Needlepoint (and a hell of a lot more) but was left wanting.

The magic name you used there, "Burial". I'm sold.

Considering the demo "limitations", I'm sure it can be used creatively until it becomes more affordable through sales or income.

Now I'm even more excited to check it out.

Thanks for the heads up, gonna have to keep an eye out then! The more I mess with this one, the more I like it. Really cool to see a fellow Burial fan out in the wild, haha... Since I think his stuff is pretty much entirely made of samples (I'm also assuming his needle drops / lifts, crackle grooves, system noise and all that stuff came off of real vinyl recordings), I always felt none of the "vinyl emulation" plugins never really nailed that sound, but this one here immediately had my jaw on the floor.

Here's a synth hook you might find familiar... Just a Minilogue XD through a few different instances of SimuLathe and some bread and butter DAW EQ and reverb: https://voca.ro/1mxNIT2gyvtK

Clean version: https://voca.ro/1eUfZV6gkfjf

I love it. Vibes for days. Anyway, I know this isn't the intended use case for the plugin, so I'll shut up now

Sounds deep even on laptop speakers.

Vibe is everything so no need to be quiet when you've found something inspirational.

And yeah. All samples, as far as I know. I think he arranged them in Soundforge or some less expected application.

[vladg]

It's essentially an accurate 3D model of the sound waves, as they would be carved into vinyl; which is then turned into a waveform that can be played back as digital audio. There is a lot of potential beyond what is presented. Just think about the quality of interpolation involved. Pitch dropping audio with the same quality as vinyl? Yes please!

Oh, I checked through screenshots from early development stages today and found this.

image (1).png

On the early stages we planned to use physical modelling game engine to simulate playback stylus movement in the groove but later dropped this idea due to low precision.

It's not only 3D model of waves but also 3D model of travelling through the waves!

[vurt]

It's essentially an accurate 3D model of the sound waves, as they would be carved into vinyl; which is then turned into a waveform that can be played back as digital audio. There is a lot of potential beyond what is presented. Just think about the quality of interpolation involved. Pitch dropping audio with the same quality as vinyl? Yes please!

Oh, I checked through screenshots from early development stages today and found this. image (1).png

On the early stages we planned to use physical modelling game engine to simulate playback stylus movement in the groove but later dropped this idea due to low precision.

It's not only 3D model of waves but also 3D model of travelling through the waves!

[vurt]

in fact, have another

[vladg]

EDIT: Probably not, but hey, I figured I'd ask anyway... Is there a way to make this thing do skips?

We left skips modelling for the next version. As also tracking force, anti-skate and also press modelling (right now you listen to the lacquer and not to the pressed vinyl disc actually).

[Unaspected]

It's essentially an accurate 3D model of the sound waves, as they would be carved into vinyl; which is then turned into a waveform that can be played back as digital audio. There is a lot of potential beyond what is presented. Just think about the quality of interpolation involved. Pitch dropping audio with the same quality as vinyl? Yes please!

Oh, I checked through screenshots from early development stages today and found this. image (1).png

On the early stages we planned to use physical modelling game engine to simulate playback stylus movement in the groove but later dropped this idea due to low precision.

It's not only 3D model of waves but also 3D model of travelling through the waves!

I enjoyed the flight simulator analogy earlier.

Genuinely can't understand not being excited by this. Not just the product but the scope - especially if you were planning on licencing the tech for further development through collaborations.

EDIT: Probably not, but hey, I figured I'd ask anyway... Is there a way to make this thing do skips?

We left skips modelling for the next version. As also tracking force, anti-skate and also press modelling (right now you listen to the lacquer and not to the pressed vinyl disc actually).

Ah. So my textural plans might be on hold. But this is still great news!