Cardinal is the new addition to Acustica's Boutique Collection. The Cardinal Suite is the result of a fair partnership between Acustica Audio and Cinderella Sound Studio and opens the doors to unparalleled listening experiences.
The suite is the crown jewel of Acustica 'Boutique Collection' of Acqua plugins entirely based on the Hyper-engine, featuring the new Hyper-Dyn3, thus representing the culmination of the Hyper3 technology, along with the performance and ultra-low CPU consumption.
The heart of this plugin suite is an ultra-rare '70s custom console. It is one of the few remaining worldwide and bears the sonic signature of Cinderella Sound, Nashville's oldest surviving independent studio, founded by the legendary Wayne Moss.
The studio’s remarkable journey has seen it host legendary names like Linda Ronstadt, Billy Swan, Steve Miller Band, Tony Joe White, Kiss, Leo Kottke, Charlie Daniels, Chet Atkins, and many more.
The GUI has been meticulously crafted to provide you with an experience that's as authentic as it gets, mirroring the original console down to the smallest details. We've preserved many graphical and functional features, ensuring every moment spent on Cardinal feels like you're right there in the studio.
Wayne Moss
Key Features at a glance.
• Three Powerful Plugins: Cardinal includes a Discrete Class-A Preamp, a 5-band Program Equalizer, and a custom Vari-mu Program limiter.
• Vintage Sonic Signature: Captures the sonic signature of a rare '70s custom console from Cinderella Sound Studio.
• New Hyper-Dyn3 Technology: Revolutionary approach to dynamic convolution, reducing aliasing and preserving dynamic qualities.
• Versatile Equalizer: The Cardinal Program Equalizer features 5 fully sweepable EQ bands with Shelf and Peak modes.
• Vintage Limiter: Cardinal Program Limiter emulates a renowned Tube Vari-mu Program Limiter from 1966.
The Legend Behind the Myth.
In 1971, a significant figure in the fields of audio and electronics engineering, as well as entrepreneurship, is thought to have played a key role in creating the first parametric equalizer.
This invention was a game-changer, revolutionizing how filtering circuits worked. This innovative work made it possible to achieve new filtering effects that were unachievable before. The circuit design they patented is still influential today.
The iconic hardware equalizers crafted by this luminary have evolved over the years, enabling other manufacturers to introduce innovative products to the market, including digital equalizer plug-ins. These offerings have provided users with a wide array of customization options and diverse styles, although none have quite captured the essence of the original concept.
As described by engineer Steve Albini, the mixing desks that resulted from the pioneering work of this individual have earned the reputation of being “the best-sounding mixing desks ever made.”
In 2005, the music duo known as The Kills, equally captivated by the allure of ‘60s-era consoles, embarked on a journey to locate a model associated with this influential audio engineer and entrepreneur on the outskirts of Chicago. They eventually recorded an entire album using this revered piece of equipment.
During the initial production of these consoles in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, they were nothing short of revolutionary, boasting cutting-edge technology that was well ahead of its time. Consequently, they swiftly ascended to prominence and became the preferred choice for many renowned artists, including Johnny Cash, Sly Stone, and Funkadelic, among others, graced the studios at Muscle Shoals, Motown, and Cinderella Sound.
Wayne Moss’s custom-built console, a creation of the pioneering engineer himself, stands as the sole surviving console of its kind in Nashville and ranks among the exceedingly few that have endured worldwide. Given that this visionary engineer produced only approximately 22 consoles, this makes it an exceptionally rare find.
What you get
Cardinal consists of three incredibly streamlined yet impactful standalone plugins. A Discrete Solid-state Preamp/Saturator, a 5-band Program Equalizer with a High Pass filter and a custom Vari-mu limiter plugin inspired by a vintage legendary dynamic processor greatly improved compared to the original gear by adding extra controls to provide greater versatility.
• Cardinal Program Equalizer - A 5-band semi-parametric equalizer based on the original 3-band EQ from the Cinderella Sound Studio desk. It features 5 fully sweepable EQ bands, with both Top and Bottom bands available in both Shelf and Peak modes.
Cardinal EQ GUI
• Cardinal Program Limiter - Acustica’s interpretation in the digital domain of the renowned Tube Vari-mu Program Limiter, dating back to 1966, crafted by the same influential audio engineer behind the design of the console at Cinderella Sound Studios. This limiter stands out as one of the scarcest and most coveted audio limiters within the professional recording industry. It earned significant acclaim for its role in recording Stevie Wonder’s vocals for “Innervisions” and Aerosmith’s bass guitar on “Sweet Emotion.”
Cardinal COMP GUI
• Cardinal Discrete Preamp - A collection of discrete Line and Mic preamps for a total of 32 different emulations from the Cinderella Sound Studio desk. They offer an exceptionally extended low end and a smooth, creamy top end. Tracking drums with these preamps is a breeze, thanks to their outstanding performance.
Cardinal PRE GUI
Each plugin included in the Cardinal suite comes in a 'standard' version and an alternative 'ZL*' version, which operates at *zero latency and is thus suitable for use when tracking (at the cost of extra processing resources).
Additionally, you can choose between 3 magnification values for the GUI (1x - 1.5x - 2x) from the top left ▼SIZE drop-down menu.
Once the desired size is selected, the plug-in must be removed and re-loaded to apply the changes. This action affects the currently selected plug-in. New instances of the same plug-in will open with this magnification.
We recommend reading the Cardinal user's manual to get the most out of this new plug-in suite.
Introducing Hyper-Dyn3.
Our journey began in 2005, aiming to replicate a patent related to dynamic convolution. Dynamic convolution involves rapidly changing real-time impulse responses, causing aliasing artifacts, mainly when used in multiple digital instances during mixing and mastering.
Fortuitously, our approach slowed down convolution over time, reducing aliasing while preserving its dynamic and 3D qualities. This unintentional artifact reduction retained the beloved subtle movement found in hardware devices but often missing in digital emulations.
Our unique approach led us to bypass the patent and introduce something revolutionary: replacing impulse responses with Volterra kernels, free from distortion-induced artifacts.
This innovation marks a historic milestone.
Acustica Audio Cardinal | Plug-in walkthrough
Technical information.
• Supported formats: VST2, VST3, AAX, and AU.
• Available sample rates: 44.1 - 48 - 88.2 - 96 kHz.
• System Requirements.
• Windows 10 and 11 compatible.
• macOS 10.15, 11, and 12 compatible.
• Intel, AMD, and Silicon M compatible.
• AAX Silicon Native.
Price and availability.
Cardinal introductory price: €89 | 50% OFF until October 11, 2023 (reg. price €179)* Get it here!
The product is at an introductory period for the first four weeks after release or until the first official version is released; this implies that the product may receive improvements, changes, or fixes available through Aquarius Desktop updates.
Try our FREE 30-Day Trial
Note: Cardinal trial version includes 44.1 - 48 - 88.2 - 96 kHz sample rates.
Please remember that trials expire 30 days after authorization, and we strongly recommend not using trial products in commercial sessions or any important project.
Cardinal user's manual
Cardinal webpage: https://www.acustica-audio.com/shop/products/CARDINAL