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Studio Units plugin collection |
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The Studio Units plugin collection provides a framework for effortlessly combining instruments and effects, in ways that overcome many of the restrictions traditionally placed on plugin interaction. It is organized in two parts: the SU plugins are building blocks that can be combined with each other, or with plugins from other manufacturers, to form more sophisticated sound processors; the SU library is a collection of patches, composed of SU plugins, which perform a variety of audio engineering functions.  |
The Studio Units plugin collection is available as a set of VST 2.4 plugins for Windows (XP, Vista, 7). |
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Some of the SU plugins can be used to design patches containing other plugins: SU effect, SU synth and SU oversample. Another category of plugin provides tools that facilitate communication between the host application, a patch, and the plugins inside a patch: SU thru, SU level, SU parameters, SU lag, SU transmit and SU receive. Other plugins perform sound processing functions: SU valve (vacuum tube emulation), SU FIR filterbank, SU IIR filterbank, SU follower, SU rms, SU average and SU transform (signal transformation). Finally, there are plugins that can be used for interactive control, visual feedback or patch decoration: SU keyboard, SU scope, SU fader, SU knob, SU button, SU interface, SU label and SU image. |
When designing patches using these, or any other plugins, the sound never stop flowing. This allows every decision to be based on its effect on the project in which the plugins are being used. Extensive undo and redo features, amongst others, encourage uninhibited experimentation with new ideas.
The SU library contains the pre-defined patches described below, arranged in the following categories: equalizers, delay, filters, compressors and special processing.
The analog equalizer provides a ten-octave equalizer modeled on analog electronic circuits. This offers almost no latency (9 samples), but some overlap between frequency bands (24 dB/octave roll-off).
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The mastering equalizer exhibits linear phase characteristics and almost complete inter-band separation, at the cost of nearly a second of latency. The latency should be compensated for by the host application, except when processing live signals. In some hosts, plugin latency compensation may need to be explicitly enabled. |
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The delay equalizer is a feedback delay that offers panning, rectification, ping pong and filtering options. This effect provides full control over the level, time, location and frequency content of the delayed signal. By default, the delay time is defined as a percentage of a beat, according to the host application's tempo. Delays measured in milliseconds or samples may also be specified. |
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The low-pass filter is a filter with a smoothly variable cutoff frequency, which can be modulated to reveal more or less of the input.
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The low-pass follower modulates filter cutoff frequency based on the envelope of the input. This effect offers a fine degree of control over signal dependent frequency shaping, with settings that manipulate the speed and sensitivity of its amplitude detector. The output stage, which emulates the response of an overdriven vacuum tube, provides further opportunity for sound colouration. |
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The mastering limiter provides a way of increasing perceived output levels in a neutral-sounding way, offering simple control over the signal level and release time.
The tape compressor emulates the compression characteristics of analog tape recorders, with effects ranging between analog warmth, harmonic enhancement and saturation distortion.
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The multiband compressor applies vacuum-tube compression to the individual octaves of a signal. This allows control over the amount of compression, overtone addition and the relative signal level, for ten distinct frequency bands. Due to the linear-phase filters that it employs, this effect may also require that latency compensation is enabled in the host application. |
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The transient controller separates a stereo audio signal into attack, decay and sustain components. It mixes these three components according to the settings of its cut-or-boost controls to produce its first stereo output pair. This allows any audio signal with discernable note beginnings to be automatically reshaped.
When used in its SU effect 8 configuration, the other three stereo outputs pairs provide separate signals for each transient component, enabling the application of specific processing to each one.
The tube follower modulates vacuum-tube saturation based on the input signal's envelope, allowing independent modification of the shape and colour of the processed audio.
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The tube vocoder performs two mirror-image ten-octave vocoder processes at once. Possible uses include dynamic stereo drum processing, auto-wah type guitar effects and other, more radical, voice and/or instrument combinations. The control that this effect provides over response time, envelope shape, frequency balance and valve gain reveals a multidimensional landscape of sonic possibilities. |
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The Studio Units installer includes all of the SU plugins, the SU library and a full reference manual. It is available for immediate download here.
There is also a getting started guide to help you to get up and running quickly.