Mystic is an All-Tube Channel Strip built with our advanced Hyper 3 technology, available in VST2, VST3, AAX, and AU formats.
It is inspired by a prestigious American hand-built console, blending vintage aesthetics and modern technology seamlessly.
Embrace the Mystic vibe.
Mystic aims to address a fundamental challenge by providing an easy-to-use tool, light on CPU, that encompasses many essential components in one product to breathe life into your tracks.
The plugin's primary focus is to impart color and presence, delivering tonal results previously achievable only in top-tier studios with extensive high-end hardware - all within a single plugin!
With Mystic, you can effortlessly shape your tracks, making them round, vibrant, full, and musical with just a few clicks. There's no instrument, vocal, or recording that wouldn't benefit from the magic of Mystic.
Try it on your Mix Buss, and you won't regret it. Its incredible flexibility, once applied, becomes irreplaceable!
Key Features.
• Color and Presence: Mystic imparts that elusive color and presence, transforming your audio like never before.
• Ease of Use: Shape your tracks effortlessly, making them round, vibrant, full, and oh-so-musical with just a few clicks.
• Versatility: Whether it's instruments, vocals, or recordings, Mystic works its magic on them all.
• Built with our cutting-edge Hyper 3 technology (NEW HyperPre3 and HyperSat3).
What you get.
Mystic GUI
Mystic 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).
NOTE: Please keep in mind that we recommend that you calibrate your input levels for Mystic to: -18dBFS = 0dBu. This way, you will avoid unwanted distortion or unpredictable behavior due to excessive input levels.
In detail.
Mystic consists of three incredibly streamlined yet impactful sections:
➊ A pure vacuum tube Pre/saturator module with High and Low Pass filters.
➋ An easy-to-use Baxandall-type EQ section.
➌ A 'Frankenstein' optical limiter section significantly improved compared to the original module by adding extra controls to provide greater versatility.
➊ Mystic Pre section: ‘Timeless Contemporary, from Vintage Charm to Modern Glory.’
Undoubtedly, Mystic can be described as a vintage-voiced valve channel strip that seamlessly blends classic aesthetics with modern functionality. Inspired by the golden age of recording in the ‘50s and early ‘60s, it boasts timeless valve-based signal processing complemented by ingenious modern upgrades. The Mystic preamp stage is a faithful reproduction of the original gear, improved with our ultra-performing Hyper technology. The all-tube signal path of the desk is accompanied by custom-wound transformers both at the input and output stages.
The challenge was to replicate the pre-amplification stage and saturation in its entirety fully, and we believe we have succeeded in this endeavor.
➋ Mystic EQ section: A Silky-Smooth shape control.
Why did we choose a Baxandall EQ for Mystic?
Mystic is a versatile tool, perfect for tracking, mixing, and mastering music, but in our opinion, it gives its best as a processor for the Mix and Master Buss, and so what better choice for this section than a Hyper Equalizer, which is highly intuitive, adding brilliance and crisp airiness to your mixes without harshness, and achieves a fat, mud-free low end thanks to the low-high smooth, natural, gentle slope shelving filters.
These Equalizer curves offer a wide bandwidth and minimal phase distortion, enabling drastic boosts and cuts without unwanted artifacts, like slicing through butter. This tool isn’t designed for radical sound sculpting, but it excels in enhancing sources with subtle and unobtrusive sweetening. In fact, there are instances where you might hardly notice it’s engaged at all, and we mean this in an extremely positive manner!
This is our homage to the priceless legacy of Peter Baxandall, whose exceptional tone control innovation from the 1950s has gracefully enhanced countless hi-fi systems worldwide.
➌ Mystic Dynamic section: ‘Alchemical Limiting’.
The dual-mono Opto limiter in Mystic boasts incredibly natural attack and release characteristics, preserving transients and taming even the fastest peaks. It imparts a soft and exceptional touch, particularly suitable for contexts that require a gentler approach, such as compressing vocals, basses, guitars, and drum loops.
Additionally, to prevent the compressor from overly emphasizing sibilants during substantial gain reduction, we have implemented much faster attack times — almost instantaneous. Furthermore, the sidechain filter (from 50 to 250 Hz) plays a vital role in restoring the warm lower frequencies, acting as a powerful remedy for this issue. Its distinctive tone and compression behavior set it apart from others... not to mention that, to make it even more versatile and a true powerhouse, it has been equipped with two additional ‘customized’ modes specifically designed to guarantee more versatility, featuring a genuinely astonishing compression characteristic.
These ‘custom’ limiters are designed to offer a fast and intuitive way to make mixes competitive without destroying their musicality and dynamics with harsh peaks, also adding a touch of ‘vintage vibe’ when used in conjunction with the preamplifier, while the sound of compression offers many facets, thanks to the different modes introduced in the plugin and a natural and smooth compression feel.
For more in-depth information about Mystic, please refer to the user manual. It contains comprehensive details and instructions to help you understand the product better.
Elevating Sonic Saturation: The Hyper-Pre3 and Hyper-Sat3.
Let us reveal to you the behind-the-scenes...
Recently, we find ourselves immersed in experimentation, focusing on enhancing preamplifiers in their ultra mode to achieve more precise saturation. While the classic preamp was admired for its light distortion, it struggled with noticeable saturation. This led to exploring AI and deep learning methods like Wavenets, but these needed to be improved in rendering high-end audio. Advancements in waveshaping techniques, exemplified by 'Jam,' improved preamp performance in Ultra mode, leading to a significant breakthrough named 'Fire The Gold.' This was static in nature, so the upcoming innovation called Hyper3 introduces dynamic, three-dimensional saturation that maintains the transient response even under saturation. This innovation comprises two techniques: HyperPre3 and HyperSat3.
HyperPre3 uses FIR filters for high-quality transient distortion emulation, while HyperSat3 employs IIR filters for pronounced distortion and sustain emulation. These techniques combined imitate various harmonic distortion variations, offering better high-frequency phase management than AI methods like WaveNet. The new techniques promise remarkable cleanliness and potential for mastering purposes at arbitrary sample rates. They also provide variable saturation over time and program-dependent frequency, resulting in a more intact transient akin to the original hardware model.
The Hyper-EQ3: Hyper3EQ Diff FIR VS Hyper3EQ Real FIR
The Hyper3 technology represents a groundbreaking advancement in the realm of Acustica equalization. It ushers in a new era of sonic perfection, offering astounding results that outshine traditional methods and unlock novel levels of quality and efficiency. At its core, a Hyper3 equalizer is a sampled equalizer that employs convolutions through a series of mathematical maneuvers.
It is crucial to emphasize the distinction between the variations of Hyper-EQ3: Hyper3EQ Diff FIR embodies the Hyper technology introduced within Cherry, whereas Hyper3Eq Real FIR is employed for Mystic and Fire the Dees. The substantial disparity between these two equalizer technologies lies in their approach: the former employs a blended method of IIR (Infinite Impulse Response) and FIR (Finite Impulse Response) to manage the tail of impulses with IIR, while preserving the significant section in FIR mode. Conversely, the latter is a purist approach the exclusively harnesses the potential of FIR filters without the use of IIR filters.
Hyper3 technology, whether Hyper3EQ Diff FIR or Hyper3EQ Real FIR, results in a significant improvement in sound quality, bringing our emulations closer to reference analog equalizers. However, the result depends on the specific model being emulated. If an equalizer that you already prefer is emulated, Hyper3 technology will bring it even closer to your preferred sound signature.
Acustica Audio Mystic | Demo.
Technical information & compatibility.
• Supported formats: VST2, VST3, AAX, and AU.
• Available sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz.
• Windows 10 and 11 compatible.
• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) to macOS 13 (Ventura) compatible.
• Intel, AMD, and ARM compatible.
• Apple Silicon native (Rosetta not supported).
Price and availability.
Mystic introductory price: €69 | 36% OFF until September 20, 2023 (reg. price €109)* 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: Mystic 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.
Mystic user's manual
Mystic webpage: https://www.acustica-audio.com/shop/products/MYSTIC