XLN Audio DB-30 new plugin drops tomorrow..

[kraster]

I agree that XLN hasn't made a bad plugin. I also agree that I don't see the overlap between DB-30 and RC-20 that everyone keeps pointing out. They just look similar due to the horizontal module rack design. That said, it is also true that this is a very unoriginal concept and there are lots of multi-FX modular plugins competing in the exact same space. I think what many of us really want from XLN is not an iterative plugin like DB-30, but the very long-awaited XO2 and would be happy to pay for it.

But wouldn't XO2 be literally an example of an iterative plugin?

Also I don't view XLN as being as "road less travelled" as people are making out.

RC-20, Life and XO are pretty innovative but Addictive Keys, Addictive Drums, Addictive Trigger and DS10 are more regular.

Even something like XO was following in the wake of Algonaut Atlas.

What XLN really excel at is honing and streamlining workflows into something very usable.

As I said above RC-20 is still one of the best Lo-fi plugins around but more because it has a very good workflow. There are any amount of plugins that can be strung together to do all the stuff RC-20 does. There are even multifx like Hex FX and others that have all the modules in one plugin. But few nail the workflow like RC-20.

I find DB30 very similar. It seems very honed towards a specific task and does it really well.

[Morty-C-137]

RC20 is very much a lofi plugin.

That’s just the marketing and people’s lack of imagination. It would be the same limiting approach as taking the marketing and naming of DB-30 literally and never ever use it for anything else but drums.

[cryophonik]

I think this is fantastic.

I think XLN are one company that haven't made a bad plugin and this is no exception.

There's a reason that RC-20 is still unmatched despite many contenders.

Everything here is useful, particularly if you work with drum breaks or want something on a drum bus. This can really transform a drum break/bus into something almost unrecognisable. The only real similarity between it and RC-20 is the module layout. Even the modules that are similar work in a very different way.

....DB30 is very much designed for altering drums or percussive sounds.

I haven't had a chance to test DB-30 yet, but I'm definitely intrigued by it, based on the demos and description. Yeah, I probably have separate tools that can get me to the same place, but I often find these all-in-one solutions are more convenient, easier than trying to save a chain of presets in different plugins, etc. And, yeah, XLN makes XLNT plugins.

[kraster]

RC20 is very much a lofi plugin.

That’s just the marketing and people’s lack of imagination. It would be the same limiting approach as taking the marketing and naming of DB-30 literally and never ever use it for anything else but drums.

It's not marketing. RC20 is explicitly designed for Lofi processing. RC literally stands for retro colour.

All the modules are built with Lofi in mind, noise, distortion, wobble, digital artifacting etc.

All the presets are various flavours of Lofi.

In other words everything in the plugin is curated around Lofi/Vintage and that's the same idea with DB30. It's a curated set of modules designed to process drums.

Of course you can use it for other things but like RC20, the intent and design is pretty specific.

[kjackme]

It does seem like a very interesting plugin, just not sure if it's what I'd use myself. Hell even RC-20 I've been on the fence about quite often

[Gam456]

What make RC-20 special, it's the real random function
Sadly they didn't add that on the new one

[Morty-C-137]

RC20 is very much a lofi plugin.

That’s just the marketing and people’s lack of imagination. It would be the same limiting approach as taking the marketing and naming of DB-30 literally and never ever use it for anything else but drums.

It's not marketing. RC20 is explicitly designed for Lofi processing. RC literally stands for retro colour.

All the modules are built with Lofi in mind, noise, distortion, wobble, digital artifacting etc.

All the presets are various flavours of Lofi.

In other words everything in the plugin is curated around Lofi/Vintage and that's the same idea with DB30. It's a curated set of modules designed to process drums.

Of course you can use it for other things but like RC20, the intent and design is pretty specific.

You are only proving my point?

[oobesan]

I agree that XLN hasn't made a bad plugin. I also agree that I don't see the overlap between DB-30 and RC-20 that everyone keeps pointing out. They just look similar due to the horizontal module rack design. That said, it is also true that this is a very unoriginal concept and there are lots of multi-FX modular plugins competing in the exact same space. I think what many of us really want from XLN is not an iterative plugin like DB-30, but the very long-awaited XO2 and would be happy to pay for it.

But wouldn't XO2 be literally an example of an iterative plugin?

Also I don't view XLN as being as "road less travelled" as people are making out.

RC-20, Life and XO are pretty innovative but Addictive Keys, Addictive Drums, Addictive Trigger and DS10 are more regular.

Even something like XO was following in the wake of Algonaut Atlas.

What XLN really excel at is honing and streamlining workflows into something very usable.

As I said above RC-20 is still one of the best Lo-fi plugins around but more because it has a very good workflow. There are any amount of plugins that can be strung together to do all the stuff RC-20 does. There are even multifx like Hex FX and others that have all the modules in one plugin. But few nail the workflow like RC-20.

I find DB30 very similar. It seems very honed towards a specific task and does it really well.

No, not in my opinion at least. Iterative plugins are things that took something that was once novel and has become routine. Multi-FX processing plugins fit that description to a T. XO is a drum machine, which is not iterative but is just a fundamental instrument. Same thing with AD, and AK. Just fundamental instruments. DS-10 is a single, fundamental mixing plugin. RC-20 was fairly novel for the time, and Life was incredibly novel. DB-30 is their first iteration on a once-novel concept that they’ve done. Not saying it’s not good work worth having. I would have just strongly preferred listening to their users and improving XO. I’m hardly alone.

[Morty-C-137]

Yep, would love to see them working on XO further. Expanding the sequencer, reworking some of the UX things. Like, if you now want to filter from only a few selected or one sample folder and you have a lot of folders added to the XO database; the current filter UI panel is horribly claustrophobic for that.

I contacted support for that a while ago already and their suggestion was to manually drag the pertaining sample folder from Finder onto the XO UI and that would show only that folder…

[BKSchatzki]

I think this is fantastic.

I think XLN are one company that haven't made a bad plugin and this is no exception.

There's a reason that RC-20 is still unmatched despite many contenders.

Everything here is useful, particularly if you work with drum breaks or want something on a drum bus. This can really transform a drum break/bus into something almost unrecognisable. The only real similarity between it and RC-20 is the module layout. Even the modules that are similar work in a very different way.

As for DS10, it is effectively a simple enough transient designer. Very good but very limited

Most modules for instance, have a slider that determines whether the transients or the sustain parts are affected by the effect. There is so much going on here that it's hard to know where to start. The boom shack in itself is a fantastic way of adding either low end or high end to a break that is lacking.

Everything is extremely well laid out as with all XLN plugins.

I don't see much overlap in use between DB30 and RC20. RC20 is very much a lofi plugin. DB30 is very much designed for altering drums or percussive sounds.

I tend to agree. XLN have my number. DS-10 is not the *best* shaper I own (that'd be Punctuate IMO), but guess which one is actually installed on my machine? I was on GS talking about how there is a positioning problem with this plugin, but if I'm being completely transparent, it's a plugin that I am going to get at some point, almost certainly, and I will not just use it on drums, that's also certain; there was one production where RC-20 went on every. track. Just because that's how good it sounds and how easy it is to use.

[Morty-C-137]

and I will not just use it on drums, that's also certain; there was one production where RC-20 went on every. track. Just because that's how good it sounds and how easy it is to use.

That’s not possible I’m afraid .. apparently DB-30 is only to go on drums cause that’s what it’s designed for and RC-20 can only make things LoFi cause that’s wat it’s designed for

[mementus]

Looks very handy, for creating interesting drums sound. Will demo it for sure ASAP

[yehboy1]

Loving the demo so far. I'm just not $100 loving it. I mean I can get an entire UA Battalion for less than this.

[tuzemec]

Just spent 10 minutes with the demo.
Purchased.

They've managed to put some really cool stuff there.

[simon.a.billington]

Nice!! Great sonics, reasonable flexible design, latency is low enough to track through too.. I only wish we could manually adjust the release characteristics of the compressor.