AudioMedia - June 2008 - (Page 47)

SSL DUENDE No product is perfect, and some features in Duende could be finetuned. The virtual buttons could be clearer – I sometimes found myself peering at the screen or clicking on features to check they were on. DSP distribution could also be improved. If you Exact settings appear above the knobs as you move them – which is very nice. load a mix of mono and stereo plug-ins, you anything which hasn’t already been through > can find yourself with two spare slots on significant compression sounds more lively different DSPs, and no room for one more and involving after a trip through the Bus stereo effect. To fix this, you have to save Comp. You can also kill a mix by driving your project, restart the host and then a very heavy roller over the dynamics, reload your project, and there really ought but with more gentle settings it’s a very to be an easier and quicker option. musical effect. A more generous preset collection would X-EQ is a deceptively simple-looking be useful, and user preset sharing would be -band EQ. Two shelving and eight peaking more useful still. More technically, these are bands should be enough for anyone, but for all high latency plug-ins, and impossible extra sophistication each band can be set to use live. You won’t notice while you’re to one of five responses – Critical, Bessel, mixing, but you won’t be able to use these Gaussian, Chebychev, and Butterworth. plug-ins with live softsynths or samplers, Since most users won’t know the difference or for DJing. between Chebychev and Butterworth Otherwise this is an excellent product responses – unless they have a degree in and an easy sell for anyone making music. filter design theory – more musical labelling The appeal is more emotional than technical would have been useful here. The manual – these are musical plug-ins which add a tries hard to explain what’s going on, but it’s larger-than-life gloss to anything played best to spend time experimenting with the through them. Of the optional extras, different options until your ears can start to X-Comp is the most useful, followed closely tell them apart. An Analyse button brings up by the Bus Compressor. The X-EQ is a fine a useful FFT display, which makes it easier addition but not quite a must-have – you to see how your settings are altering the can find similar EQ functionality elsewhere. overall EQ balance. The metering gets bonus DrumStrip is the most specialised of all. points for showing peak, average, and With no surround support, Duende is dynamic range indications – exceptionally perhaps a harder sell for post. EQ works useful, and something it would be good to fine as + mono instances, but the Bus see copied elsewhere. Compressor, X-Comp and Channel Strip are stereo only. If you can live with that, S queeze And Twist Duende is good and can add an impressive X-Comp is a standard compressor with a cinematic gloss to projects, and X-EQ is a twist – two bleed filters allow high and lowgood tool for both surgical and creative end breakthrough. According to SSL most EQ effects. real compressors are frequency dependent, even when they’re supposed to be full-band, Conclusion and the bleed settings can simulate this. Overall the Duende range offers an Again the metering is very good, with a gain impressive-sounding collection of plug-ins reduction history and a difference display, which are an easy step or two up from those both of which give a clearer idea of what supplied with most DAWs. Some of the the compressor is doing than a line of LEDs. more expensive native plug-in collections Sonically, X-Comp can sound smooth or should consider being worried. If you want aggressive. It’s more controllable than the to give your projects some extra sonic Channel Strip dynamics and easier to work credibility and richness, Duende is well with. But there’s no gating and no sidechain, worth investigating. ∫ so it’s not quite as creative or flexible. The sound has some of the SSL feel, but I N F O R MAT I O N less than the Bus Compressor or the Channel Strip. £ Duende Classic £850, PCI-E £600, Mini £399 Bringing up the rear is the DrumStrip. (exc.VAT) This adds transient processing, gating, compression, and high and low emphasis. A Solid State Logic (HQ), 25 Spring Hill Road, It’s perfect for heavily processed effects, but Begbroke, Oxford OX5 1RU also gives plenty of play for acoustic drums. T +44 (0) 1865 842300 You can survive without it if drums and F +44 (0) 1865 842118 loops aren’t your critical focus, but you’ll find W www.solid-state-logic.com it very expressive and creative if they are. E sales@solidstatelogic.com AUDIO MEDIA JUNE 2008 http://www.mcdsp.com http://www.solid-state-logic.com http://www.mcdsp.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - June 2008

AudioMedia - June 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast AES Review What's Up UK? Geofocus: Australia For the Record Special Report: Videosonics Newstalk: DPA New Microphones Novation SL Compact Allen & Heath IDR-8 Eastwest Quantum Leap SD2 & Goliath Final Cut: Indiana Jones Merging ADR Module Koolworld SSL Duende Good Product Sampler: Microphones Video Guide AMSR Meyer Sound The Blue Planet Live! Royer Labs Mics R-121 & R-122

AudioMedia - June 2008

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