64bit plugin rollout started, announcing mkII plugin versions

The very first 64bit plugin versions are out now, starting with the plugins from the public beta test earlier this summer: epicVerb, BaxterEQ, preFIX, NastyDLAmkII, NastyVCS and DensityMkIII. All versions have been carefully revised, are backwards compatible and some includes bugfixes and improvements as well. VST3 versions are not (yet) included due to stability issues. For further release notes and downloads please refer to the download page.

The remaining VoS plugins are planned to be (re-) released one-by-one until end of this year. Most likely, they will reappear as mkII versions 🙂 First one will be FerricTDS mkII which is already in the finishing process and to be released early September.

stay tuned!

[CLOSED] VoS plugins 64bit public beta 1

Update 07/16/21: The beta has been closed. Stay tuned for upcoming info and releases. For the time being, the beta package remains available in the download section. Thanks to all here for contributing!!!

Until around mid July you can grab here the VoS plugin 64bit public beta package. Included are epicVerb, BaxterEQ, preFIX, NastyDLAmkII, NastyVCS and DensityMkIII in both 32 and 64 bit, VST 2 and 3 for Windows PC.

Please be careful using them since they are beta. They might crash, generate loud noises and things like that. Also do not use them in real productions since parameters and settings might change until release and break compatibility.

To report issues just create a comment right to this post and please include detailed information about the issue, which plugin is actually affected and in which host and version.

A brief update on the future of VoS plugins

First of all: I hear you!

While receiving so many questions and requests on this topic on all the different channels these days a brief update here seems to be overdue.

Plugin downloads might be online again as soon as I manage to find a decent free cloud space to offer hassle-free downloads without any traffic/bandwidth limits (or advertising). Hints appreciated.

There are no plans to make them payware.

Some of my plugin designs needs to be revised to assure that they will stand the test of time for yet another decade 🙂 and this means also that they are going to support 64bit of course.

With some selected VoS plugins, there will be a 64bit public beta which is planned to be held this July. I hope you’ll gonna join.

The story continues, stay tuned!

Herbert

out now: SlickEQ “Gentleman’s Edition”

Key specs and features

• Modern user interface with outstanding usability and ergonomics
• Carefully designed 64bit “delta” multi-rate structure
• Three semi-parametric filter bands, each with two shape options
• Five distinct EQ models: American, British, German, Soviet and Japanese
• Low band offers an optional phase-lag able to delay low frequencies relative to higher frequencies
• High pass filter with optional “Bump” mode
• Low pass filter with two different slopes (6dB/Oct and 12dB/Oct)
• Parametric Tilt filter with optional “V” mode.
• Six output stages: Linear, Silky, Mellow, Deep, Excited and Toasted
• Advanced saturation algorithms by VoS (“Stateful saturation”)
• Highly effective loudness compensated auto gain control
• Stereo, mono and sum/difference (mid/side) processing options
• Frequency magnitude plot
• Tool-bar with undo/redo, A/B, advanced preset management and more

SlickEQ is a collaborative project by Variety of Sound (Herbert Goldberg) and Tokyo Dawn Labs (Vladislav Goncharov and Fabien Schivre). For more details, please refer to the official product page: http://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-vos-slickeq-ge/

Related

• announcing SlickEQ “Gentleman’s Edition”

released: SlickEQ

TDR VOS SlickEQ is a mixing/mastering equalizer designed for ease of use, musical flexibility and impeccable sound.

Three (and a half) filter-bands arranged in a classic Low/Mid/High semi parametric layout offer fast and intuitive access to four distinct EQ modes, each representing a set of distinct EQ curves and behaviors. An elaborate auto gain option automatically compensates for changes of perceived loudness during EQ operation. Optionally, SlickEQ allows to exclusively process either the stereo sum or stereo difference (i.e. “stereo width”) without additional sum/difference encoding.

In order to warm up the material with additional harmonic content, SlickEQ offers a switchable EQ non-linearity and an output stage with 3 different saturation models. These options are meant to offer subtle and interesting textures, rather than obvious distortion. The effect is made to add the typical “mojo” often associated with classy audio gear.
An advanced 64bit multirate processing scheme practically eliminates typical problems of digital EQ implementations such as frequency-warping, quantization distortion and aliasing.

Beside the primary controls, the plug-in comes with an array of additional helpers: Advanced preset management, undo/redo, quick A/B comparison, copy & paste, an online help, editable labels, mouse-wheel support and much more.

SlickEQ is a collaborative project by Variety Of Sound (Herbert Goldberg) and Tokyo Dawn Labs (Vladislav Goncharov and Fabien Schivre).

Key specs and features

• Intuitive, yet flexible semi parametric EQ layout
• Full featured, modern user interface with outstanding usability and ergonomics
• Carefully designed 64bit “delta” multi-rate structure
• Three EQ bands with additional 18dB/Oct high-pass filter
• Four distinct EQ models: “American”, “British”, “German” and “Soviet” with optional non-linearity
• Four output stages: “Linear”, “Silky”, “Mellow” and “Deep”
• Advanced saturation algorithms by VoS (“stateful saturation”)
• Highly effective and musically pleasing loudness compensated auto gain control
• Oversampled signal path including stateful saturation algorithms
• Stereo and sum/difference processing options
• Tool-bar with undo/redo, A/B, advanced preset management and more

Availability

TDR VOS SlickEQ is a freeware audio plug-in available for Windows and Mac in VST and Audio Units format (both 64-bit and 32-bit). VST3 and AAX formats will follow later.

All downloads are available via the Tokyo Dawn Labs website.

Related Links

• vladg/sound
• KVR page
• forum talk
• SlickHDR – final teaser & release info
• what I’m currently working on – Vol. 12
• sharing the same vision …

what next?

Thrillseeker XTC – behind the scenes

The basic idea to build a VoS style Enhancer/Exciter was already there way earlier but to that time it simply wasn’t doable until my ‘stateful saturation’ approach emerged. Later on and when I asked “how a modern exciter/enhancer should look like“, several concepts were laid out on the drawing board and I knew that with this exciting (sic!) new approach they all would be accomplishable w/o any compromises. Finally, one of them made it into a prototype which led to ThrillseekerXTC.

Old or modern approach?

So, is the audio Enhancer/Exciter just an ancient relict from the days of dull tape recordings or still a valid concept today? In the digital age, technology and production techniques completely changed and of course the production aesthetics did also. Opposed to the old approaches of audio excitation which mostly were focusing on high frequency loss restoration, the demand shifted towards other tasks as well. Presence and definition in the (upper) mid range is the name of the game and getting the low-end right is the key in a modern production. Instrument separation in a busy mix is a tough challenge, also.

What the heck is Mojo?

In some other cases (mostly digital productions) – definition, presence and transparency is all there but at the cost of a rather thin or sterile sounding production. Even worse, the HF department might be exaggerated too much during the processing chain and taming and sweetening is a challenge then. Some of the artifacts that we’ve found in certain analog devices might add tonal qualities described as thick, fat and round by ‘pleasingly degrading’ a sound source. This is what Mojo is all about. Whether that’s some circuit crosstalk, tape flutter or transformer distortion stuff alike.

64bit without compatibility problems

We all want 64bit for getting access to (almost) unlimited memory, unfortunately that means we’re stuck in a maze of compatibility problems, bit bridges and the like – even worse, there is no end in sight.
Right ?
Wrong !
Let’s look at the problem from a fresh angle:

• what do we need 64bit for? Correct, only the real heavy RAM hogs, i.e. samplers.In my case that’s exactly two VSTis, Kontakt and Superior II. You might use different ones, maybe a few more, doesn’t matter. So those would benefit from 64bit access.
• all the remaining FX and VSTis combined will probably never even get close to the magic 4GB limit a 32bit project has, unless your name is Hans Zimmer.
• so it makes sense to keep potential compatibility issues to those few RAM hogs instead of fighting the wars for every little FX plugin in your arsenal again and again …

Here’s what you need :

64bit

susiwong kindly provided this brief article about using 64bit supporting hosts.

64bit is one of the most asked for “features” nowadays – justified in a few special situations, not really needed in most scenarios imho. We’re not talking about 64bit data path atm, that’s a completely unrelated phenomenon not connected with a 64bit OS. Let’s compare the possible scenarios using Cubase as an example, other hosts in Windows are similar/identical :

so, whats on the horizon?

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After a rather frosty start into 2010 everything is slowly warming up here again and of course all the audio plug-in connoisseurs out there – aka gearslutz aka you – deserves some more answers on the stuff that really matters: Where are the updates, whats next and more important when and obligatory: why no [add your favourite vintage brand here] emulation?