Heeb CrunchDude v0.1

[guitarzan]

CrunchDude is definately one of my favorites for anything from crispy cleanish tones through "better than TubeScreamer" OD tone!!

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with CrunchDude's cabinet emulation, I often bypass the Cabinets section and use Boogex with cab IRs for cab emulation - that combination sounds and reacts as good as anything out there IMO! To bypass Boogex's amp sim turn it's TONE control in the Amplifier section all the way down [CCW].

[jens]

Did I say Thanx already?

Thank you!

Encouraging me to start working on the next version!!! Which will be even *lower* in CPU, since native!!! Smile

One thing I noticed:

switching off stuff doesn't reduce the cpu-load.

[jens]

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with CrunchDude's cabinet emulation, I often bypass the Cabinets section and use Boogex with cab IRs for cab emulation - that combination sounds and reacts as good as anything out there IMO! To bypass Boogex's amp sim turn it's TONE control in the Amplifier section all the way down [CCW].

tip: use Reaper's amp-sim instead - it is much nicer to your cpu that Boogex.

You can add additional IRs to \Reaper\data\amp_models


However I found that CrunchDude's cabinet + IR sounds even better to me.

[dreaddd]

thx for this one, sound pretty good from the first tweaks i made---
although so far it showed some random heavy peaks of cpu usage even while idle (XP SP2, e6600 dual core 2 giga RAM, Cubase SX and CantabileLite)
any update in the pipeline, that will light up the weight?
Peace

[heeb]

thx for this one, sound pretty good from the first tweaks i made---

Thanx!

although so far it showed some random heavy peaks of cpu usage even while idle (XP SP2, e6600 dual core 2 giga RAM, Cubase SX and CantabileLite)
any update in the pipeline, that will light up the weight?
Peace

CrunchDude 0.1 is a SynthEdit thing, more than 2 years old now... Next version will be native, either Delphi, or (if I get it working) FreePascal / Lazarus. So it will be an entirely different beast (which should at least be able to emulate the old version, though).

The CPU spikes sound like the infamous denormal bug... In the next version this will of course be addressed!

I hope I will be able to make it a Win + Mac version... That precludes using Delphi, so that means I would have to use FreePascal (with or without Lazarus). I do not intend learning C / C++ / C#, or any other brackety-brackety language (why? Because I hate it...)... If I find any other language that is more Pascal-like that could do the job (Ada? Anybody?), then I'm interested!

*** Anybody got experience in building plug-ins with cool GUI's using Pascal (or similar) to build cross-platform plug-ins, working on Windows (VST) and Mac (VST and/or AU)?

I have loads of new ideas for the new version!

But I'm afraid it's gonna take time. I have asked my employer if I could start working part-time a.s.a.p., so I would have more time to work on this (and other things). I'm still waiting for her reply... Hopefully tomorrow I will know more!

Any help on the "Pascal + Win + Mac + cool GUI" - front appreciated!!!



Regards,

Heeb.

[heeb]

(sorry, posted twice... MySQL's fault! Admin?)

[dreaddd]

hey Heeb..

glad to hear you re working on a new version, doesnt matter the waiting

yep ,i was aware of the SE nature of the plug, and honestly , that was one of the reasons for me to be amazed by the plug itself, as i found a lot of SE distortion-wize plugs sounding too innatural or, simply put, plastic-flavoured to obtain some serious rich frequencies while saturating the sound (IMO, of course...)
yours and one by ShuttlePlugs are, so far, the only SE plugs for distortion that, I think, are still kept on my main vst folder...:=)
keep the good work and thanx a bunch for the first version
Peace out

[heeb]

hey Heeb..

Hey dreadddddddddddd........,

glad to hear you re working on a new version, doesnt matter the waiting

To me personally, it's frustrating... I like keeping my promises!

yep ,i was aware of the SE nature of the plug,

How could you tell? Oh, I guess the blatant SE looks gave it away?

and honestly, that was one of the reasons for me to be amazed by the plug itself, as i found a lot of SE distortion-wize plugs sounding too innatural or, simply put, plastic-flavoured to obtain some serious rich frequencies while saturating the sound (IMO, of course...)

That could indeed be the case, but it's strange nonetheless, because:

- SE's wave shaper modules allow for good sounding transfer functions (you can basically put any mathematical formula (y = f(x)) in there); and:

- SE's EQ's are effective enough.

As I stated somewhere before: maybe SE plug-in writers are trying too hard? And maybe not all writers know what formulas are good to use as transfer functions? Not every function that clips (soft or hard) sounds good; in fact, very few do (at least that's my impression).

yours and one by ShuttlePlugs are, so far, the only SE plugs for distortion that, I think, are still kept on my main vst folder...:=)
keep the good work and thanx a bunch for the first version
Peace out

Thanx for the kind words! There are some very nice people floating around KVR! Best forum. Ever. Period.

Some of the plans for the new version:

What stays:

• - No attempt to simulate/emulate any existing amps (real or sim) out there. Let others do that! I want to create an *original* that *others* would like to imitate!

• - Straightforwardness: must be easy to use. RTFM should be N/A. A guitarist's amp, not a programmer's one.

• - All stages will be bypassable (yes the Cab Sims too).

What will be improved:

• - Tone.

What goes:

• - No more SE (or similar). SE is great, especially for prototyping! But it's time for me to move on.

Definite MUSTs:

• - Native (Delphi / Pascal, or similar compiled language);

• - Wave shapers, visible within the GUI, warpable by some sensible parameters that control harmonic content (odd/even harmonics are of major importance), DC (input) bias, etc.

• - Very simple (yet beautiful) front panel (= main GUI), but show/hide-able comprehensive panel with much more detailed settings, biases, wave shapes, EQ cut-off points, etc. The user should have the feeling that he has the option to (if he wishes so) dive deep into the plug's internals, like in the old days an amp customiser would fine-tune a client's amp to their individual taste... You should almost be able to smell the solder...

• - Better EQ's.

• - Better Cab Sims.

Hopefully:

• - Win + Mac versions! No plans for DX, because DX sucks (are you listening, M$?). But I guess most Win hosts nowadays support VST natively?

• - Great GUI!

Maybe:

• - Gentle noise gate. Condition: it must be completely transparent. If it ruins the sounds even slightly, I'll leave it out.

• - Maybe, just maybe, I could add some effects (not stomp boxes though) that could sometimes be found on real amps: I'm thinking (extremely gentle!) compression on the input, tremolo (correctly shaped amplitude modulation by LFO), spring reverb, output limiter (yes, I've played real amps with one or more of those effects built in).

• - I may implement inserts for (chains of) effects (at least VST I guess, maybe AU as well?) in between various stages of the amp.

Definite no-no:

• - No convolution for the Cab Sims. I'm sure it's a marvellous technique, but I want my plug to be *extremely* CPU-friendly, and the Cab Sims (like the whole amp!) should provide something *new*. That's the philosophy! Cab Sims will therefore be algorithmic.

• - Stomp boxes. Millions out there, choose your pick! I'm building an amp, not the stomp boxes.

Received word today that my part-time starts in Januari. Fridays off!!! Yoohoo!!!



Heeb.

[dreaddd]

yo

Thanx for the kind words! There are some very nice people floating around KVR! Best forum. Ever. Period.

Some of the plans for the new version:

...

Received word today that my part-time starts in Januari. Fridays off!!! Yoohoo!!!

lol you're welcome
take yr time, everything sounds very promising already
Peace out

[OMNIFEX]

Here's a photo of the GUI

http://i5.tinypic.com/6p848sz.jpg

[RunBeerRun]

I like it a lot, running distortion into it gives you a massive nasty sound. Thanks!

[heeb]

I like it a lot, running distortion into it gives you a massive nasty sound. Thanks!

Thanx!

[RunBeerRun]

I like how it colors your sound to a minimal extent.

I started a project with Refuzznik distortion before it, double tracked it with a chorus, man was it intense. Really presses right against your ears.