Empress Effects has announced the release of its new Empress Tremolo plug-in, which is a digital re-creation of the Empress Tremolo Pedal. Empress Effects has included all the features from the hardware pedal along with some bonus features, including stereo operation.
New extra features only in the plug-in:
- Accurate Sync: The Plugin is able to sync to your Digital Audio Workstation. This means you can play through the whole song and don't have to worry about your Tremolo going out of time. It will sync up at the DAW tempo, 1/2x, 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, and 6x the DAW tempo.
- Phase: This feature goes hand in hand with the sync feature. You're able to adjust the phase of the Tremolo's waveform, this way you can have always pulsing on the beat, or on the off-beat, or slightly before the beat, slightly after the beat... you get the idea.
- Stereo Operation: There are four stereo modes:
- Linked: in this setting the Left and Right channels pulse together.
- Ping-Pong: in this setting the Left and Right channels are opposite - i.e. When the left channel is loud the right channel is quiet. This allows the Tremolo to work extremely well as an auto-panner.
- Left follows Right: In this setting the waveform shape of the left channel is slightly delayed relative to the right waveform.
- Right follows Left: In this setting the waveform shape of the right channel is slightly delayed relative to the left waveform.
- The Stereo modes allow the plug-in to act like an autopanner on steroids.
- Use it anywhere: Not just for the guitar anymore.
- Use it everywhere: The obvious advantage with plug-ins is you can use them on multiple tracks.
- Automation: Now you can automate all the parameters and control them in real-time with your DAW.
Common Features:
- Pristine Sound: The Empress Tremolo is whisper quiet and free from the "LFO throb" often associated with tremolos.
- Waveform Selection: You can modulate your sound with three different waveforms. An asymmetrical tremolo was modeled after a '65 Fender Vibrolux (brown face) to give you the fullest tremolo sound possible. A square wave can be utilized if you're after a harder sound. And if you're looking for a more normal tremolo, you can use the triangle wave setting.
- Tap Tempo: The Empress Trem averages your last four taps so it plays in sync with your music. You can also choose different tap to tremolo rate ratios. 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4 are available.
- Two-Speed Mode: An exclusive feature to the Empress Trem. You're able to set two different rates, and switch between them using the tap tempo stompswitch. This is similar to playing through a Leslie cabinet and changing the speed.
- Rhythms: Another exclusive feature. The Empress Trem will definitely do your run-of-the-mill tremolo sound to a tee. But you can also set it to play different rhythms.
- Gain: A problem with most tremolos on the market is that when they're engaged, you hear a noticeable drop in volume. The Empress Trem solves this by having a gain stage on the output. It's able to deliver up to 6dB of gain to the signal.
Pricing & Availability
Priced at $79, Empress Tremolo is available for Windows and Mac OS X in VST and AU plug-in formats. The hardware Tremolo Pedal can still be purchased for $249.