Sabol Hill Lacuna - new saturation plugin
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- KVRian
- 1073 posts since 8 Mar, 2009
This is doing something iffy to my ears with transients. In an A/B i prefer it bypassed in 90% of cases, with the 10% mostly being on sends with verbs etc. I think it's just doing some kind of phase modulation to each of the bands that is modulated with noise or smoothed sample and hold? It sounds fake as all hell anyways. Try it on something that has a lot of transient elements in it and you will hear it flatten into the rest of the envelope instantly
I don't really care for the saturation either. It's not offering me anything i don't already have, and just engaging the thing causes a 1.5-2dB boost in gain as well
I don't really care for the saturation either. It's not offering me anything i don't already have, and just engaging the thing causes a 1.5-2dB boost in gain as well
I
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- KVRAF
- 3683 posts since 21 Nov, 2015
Some interesting observations here. At least this thing seems critically overhyped in the usual places.
So how does it compare to the surely excellent Opalize?
https://apulsoft.ch/opalize
So how does it compare to the surely excellent Opalize?
https://apulsoft.ch/opalize
You can be creative in any right place on Earth, and not only in the wealthiest cities. Bring the world feelings from everywhere, and not only feelings of capitalistic or jail environment.
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
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- KVRAF
- 11314 posts since 18 Aug, 2007 from NYC
From what I’ve seen, this is more an effect to use on busses or a whole mix (mix bus). I would probably start with comparing this more with a saturating compressor with independent R/L channels, but it does more (not necessarily a good or bad thing).
You can use U-he’s Presswerk (among many others) with independent R/L channels and it’ll really open things up. Where Lacuna is different, is the multiband application of saturation, types of saturation (compared to a compressor), and the widening tools that they interestingly say are mono-compatible (avoids phase cancelling of the separate channels if played back in mono).
With that said, many of things added to Lacuna vs specific tools are not always going to be a good or better thing (similar to choosing a channel strip), because it can be less control.
You can use U-he’s Presswerk (among many others) with independent R/L channels and it’ll really open things up. Where Lacuna is different, is the multiband application of saturation, types of saturation (compared to a compressor), and the widening tools that they interestingly say are mono-compatible (avoids phase cancelling of the separate channels if played back in mono).
With that said, many of things added to Lacuna vs specific tools are not always going to be a good or better thing (similar to choosing a channel strip), because it can be less control.
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- KVRist
- 252 posts since 4 Apr, 2020
When demo'd it felt like many of the plugins in recent years; first you think they sound good and do something unique, but quickly realise that much of it is either due to volume increase, processes that you could've done with existing tools or that they are even dangerous to use, like some spectral stuff in recent times.
Once I had it tamed to a level where it doesn't unintentially hurt anything (can get destructive on transients quite quickly), there wasn't any benefit left I considered noteworthy. The wobble (digital current?), to my brain at least, just adds a nervous energy I don't fancy - if I can hear it at all.
Results do not hold up to the flowery marketing for me.
Once I had it tamed to a level where it doesn't unintentially hurt anything (can get destructive on transients quite quickly), there wasn't any benefit left I considered noteworthy. The wobble (digital current?), to my brain at least, just adds a nervous energy I don't fancy - if I can hear it at all.
Results do not hold up to the flowery marketing for me.