Recording - November 2011 - 38

PLUG-IN OUTLET
Softube TSAR-1 Reverb Plug-in
By Paul Vnuk Jr.

Your Music”, September 2011, for an explanation of what this means), and feature a photographic, 3D modeled LARC-style interface that is so realistic-looking that many folks on the Internet believed that a hardware controller was imminent. Nope, no hardware, but an intuitive interface that works like it. The full version of TSAR-1 features five large sliders on its front panel for control of predelay, reverb time, density, tone, and high cut. Each slider has its own alphanumeric parameter display, and above those are displays for five more parameters controlled by knobs or simple selection LEDs: early reflection size, early reflection mix, diffusion, tail modulation, and output volume. One last knob controls the wet/dry mix. The lighter version, TSAR-1R, offers two sliders for predelay and time, as well as controls for color, wet/dry mix, and output volume. The sound of the TSAR All the standard reverb fare is represented in TSAR; while other reverbs offer deeper and more esoteric programming, the bases are well covered, as you will see. The reason this reverb has become one of my three go-to reverb plug-ins is not because it or any one of them is better than the others, it’s because of how they complement one another. To put it in context, the Lexicon PCM Native reverb is easily the most pristine of the group and can really blend in seamlessly with the sound, or be big, wide and smoothly rich. By contrast, TSAR-1 is closer to the sound and function of the UAD Lexicon 224, but they still have completely different sonic signatures. The UAD 224 is recognizable and classic sounding with its telltale modulated tails and such, but the TSAR-1 is much weightier and more imposing. Even when I’m pushing the UAD 224 full out, I cannot get it to match TSAR-1’s meaty largesse. While we often classify reverbs as metallic sounding, I find TSAR-1’s base signature to be more woody by contrast, or even more concrete, as in “sounds like a cement room”, although it can have a pingy plate sound too when you need it. When pushed, it offers its own distinct smoky graininess, vs. the typical metallic ringing often found in other reverbs. If you are a sound designer or electronic musician, think of what you might imagine a dusty deep space nebula would sound like, and you would be close. In session I like how quick and easy it is to tweak and program the TSAR-1. The sliders have an extreme throw and, as on great hardware, small movements offer big changes, making TSAR-1 just as tweakable as other parameter-laden plug-in reverbs. My favorite control is the simple but effective Reverb/Early Reflection mix knob. This control allows you to tweak the distance of the source in the room in a fast intuitive way. Think of it as a room-object-reverb mix knob, or simply turn the knob and listen to the space grow and contract around the source.

If you’ve read any of my previous plug-in reviews, you’ll know that as a sound designer I am equal parts connoisseur and snob when it comes to reverb. A mere two years ago, I was still on the fence about whether a reverb plug-in could ever really compete with a hardware unit. Well, things change quickly—nowadays my hardware boxes sit largely in the Off position, thanks to three reverb plug-ins that I now use in almost every session, either alone or side by side. The first two have already been reviewed in these pages: the Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Delivery: Web download or electronic license from retail dealer Bundle (October 2010) and the Universal Formats: Windows XP or higher VST/RTAS; Mac OS X 10.4+ (PPC) or 10.5+ Audio UAD Lexicon 224 plug-in (August (Intel), VST/AU/RTAS; 32-bit version tested, 64-bit version shipped 2011). The third one is the TSAR-1 reverb as this issue went to press from Softube. Copy Protection: iLok USB key Bow to the TSAR License: single iLok/multiple computer installs Documentation: PDF download The TSAR-1 (True Stereo Algorithmic Price: web download $329; license from North American retail dealers, $299 Reverb) is actually a pair of plug-ins in one, the full TSAR-1 as well as a simplified, scaledMore from: Softube, www.softube.com; dist. in North America by MV Pro Audio, down version known as the TSAR-1R. Both www.mvproaudio.com models are algorithmic reverbs as opposed to convolution (see the article “Make Room For
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RECORDING NOVEMBER 2011

http://www.softube.com http://www.mvproaudio.com

Recording - November 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2011