Tag: mixing

Brainworx Saturators Overview & Sale (SPL Machine Head, SPL Vitalizer MK2-T, Elysia Karacter)

Hello everyone! I’m Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

Recently, Brainworx released a plugin emulation of the SPL Machine Head, a classic saturation device. Since it’s currently on sale, I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce not only this plugin but also two other renowned Brainworx saturators: SPL Vitalizer MK2-T and Elysia Karacter.

Purchase SPL Machine Head at Plugin Boutique

I received an NFR (Not for Resale) copy of this plugin from Plugin Boutique for review. If you purchase through the links in this blog, I receive a small commission, which helps me continue my work. Your support is greatly appreciated!

SPL Machine Head

The SPL Machine Head was originally released in 1997 as a tape machine saturation simulator. Unlike traditional analog tape machines, this hardware version was fully digital, eliminating wow, flutter, and noise while allowing precise control over the saturation process.

Brainworx has faithfully recreated this in plugin form, bringing its unique sonic characteristics to the digital domain.

Controls Overview:

  • The Original version has 4 knobs, while the Ultimate version has 5.
  • Besides Input and Output levels, the main controls include Drive, High Frequency, and Low Frequency.
Left one is original, right one is ultimate

In the default state, it slightly boosts the high frequencies and enhances third-order harmonics.

Left one is original, right one is ultimate

When increasing the Tape Speed, an actual tape machine would typically alter the frequency response by rolling off both low and high frequencies. However, in this plugin, it seems to achieve a similar effect by adjusting volume and high-frequency slope.

Key Takeaways:

  • Functions as an EQ (HF knob boosts/cuts highs, LF knob boosts/cuts lows)
  • Adds third-order harmonics for natural saturation
  • Slight compression effect at higher input levels

Compared to other saturators I’ve used, the effect is subtle and very natural. I find it particularly useful for enhancing high frequencies, similar to the Maag EQ4 or Baxandall EQ.

Purchase SPL Machine Head at Plugin Boutique

🔹 On Sale Until April 22 🔹

Plugin Alliance plugins typically see deeper discounts about a year after release, so if you’re not in a rush, you can wait for an even better deal.

🔹 Recommended Master Bus Settings: 🔹

  1. Ultimate mode
  2. Drive at 0.5
  3. High Tape Speed On (30 IPS)

SPL Vitalizer MK2-T

The SPL Vitalizer MK2-T is a tube-based saturator with versatile tone-shaping capabilities.

I once debated whether to buy this hardware unit or another compressor. I went with the compressor, but the Vitalizer remains an incredibly flexible tool.

The SPL Vitalizer offers four main processing areas:

  1. Drive
  2. Bass & High-Frequency Control
  3. LC (Inductor-Capacitor) Filter-based High Shelf EQ
  4. Stereo Expander

Control Breakdown:

  • Drive: Determines how much effect is applied, not just input gain.
  • Bass (Soft <0> Tight):
    • Soft: Boosts overall bass
    • Tight: Slightly reduces overall levels while enhancing only the bass region.
  • Compression: Works only on the bass frequencies, with automatic Threshold, Attack, and Release settings. The Compression knob adjusts the ratio.
  • Mid-Hi Tune: A shelving EQ for the mid-to-high range.
  • Process: Controls the overall amount of bass, compression, and mid-high tuning applied.
  • LC-EQ: A high-shelf EQ using LC circuits.
  • Stereo Expander: A stereo enhancement tool.

Initially, the controls may feel unfamiliar, but once you get used to them, you’ll find many creative applications.

Purchase SPL Vitalizer MK2-T at Plugin Boutique

This plugin goes on sale frequently, so check out the demo before purchasing!

Elysia Karacter

The Elysia Karacter is a highly regarded hardware saturator, now available as a plugin.

It features automatic oversampling:

  • 4x oversampling for sample rates below 50kHz
  • 2x oversampling for sample rates below 100kHz
  • No oversampling for rates 100kHz and above

It also includes MS mode, Turbo Boost mode, and FET Shred mode.

On the left, we have the default settings, while the right shows the FET mode, which emulates the classic “Smile EQ” curve.

⚠️ Caution:

  • If driven too hard, it automatically compresses the signal.
  • This isn’t standard compression but rather an emulation of analog clipping.

Increasing the Drive lowers the compression Threshold, so careful gain staging is crucial.

Color Knob:

  • Turn left: Boosts ultra-low frequencies (5–50Hz)
  • Turn right: Boosts overall low frequencies (below 100Hz)

I love the saturation in FET mode, but due to its aggressive nature, I recommend placing gain plugins before and after it to control input and output levels.

Purchase Elysia Karacter at Plugin Boutique

This plugin also goes on sale frequently, so keep an eye out!

Plugin Alliance vs. Plugin Boutique Pricing

Recently, Plugin Alliance started adding a 10% tax at checkout. Because of this, Plugin Boutique often offers a better deal, especially considering their loyalty points and free plugins.

That’s it for today’s review! Hope this helps you decide which saturator fits your needs.

See you in the next post!

SSL X-EQ 2 and DeEss Plugin Overview + 90% Off Sale (Ends 1/29)

Hello! I’m Juyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

It’s been a while since I shared plugin sale news, hasn’t it?
Over the holiday season and into early January, my manager was on vacation, and most major sales wrapped up at the start of the year. So, I didn’t have much to share.

One notable ongoing deal is IK Multimedia’s Total Studio 4 MAX sale.

That said, I recently came across SSL’s sale on X-EQ 2 and DeEss, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you!

Purchase SSL X-EQ 2 & DeEss Bundle at plugin boutique

Disclosure

This product was provided as an NFR (Not for Resale) through Plugin Boutique. If you make a purchase using the links in this post, I’ll earn a small commission, which helps me keep doing what I do.

Let’s dive in!

SSL X-EQ 2

The SSL X-EQ 2 is a feature-packed EQ plugin. These days, DAW-native EQs are so powerful that standalone EQ plugins need to have a competitive edge to stand out—and X-EQ 2 delivers.

Key features include:

  • Mid/Side processing
  • Presets to remove 50Hz and 60Hz hum (ideal for handling electrical noise)

You can double-click to create points and adjust EQ type, frequency (Hz), bandwidth (Q), and gain (dB) with ease.

A particularly fun feature is the knob-like interface—select a parameter (Hz, dB, Q) and adjust it by dragging your mouse, mimicking the feel of turning a physical knob.

It also includes an analyzer (activated via the top-right button) and lets you choose between parallel or serial processing from the top-left menu.

Additionally, you can activate Phase Analysis to see phase shifts (dotted lines) or enable Step Response Mode to view how signals evolve over time after passing through the EQ.

Heaviside Step Function

For those unfamiliar with Step Response:
The Step Response of a system refers to how the system reacts over time to a sudden change in input, specifically when the input shifts instantaneously from 0 to 1 (a Heaviside Step function). It demonstrates:

  1. The system’s transient behavior, showing how it initially reacts to the input change.
  2. The steady-state behavior, revealing how the system settles after the transient phase.
  3. The time it takes to stabilize, which indicates the system’s responsiveness.

In the context of EQs, a longer Step Response often correlates with ringing artifacts, where the EQ introduces unintended resonances that make the sound linger beyond its natural decay. This visualization helps engineers fine-tune the EQ to minimize these artifacts.

Purchase SSL X-EQ 2 at plugin boutique

I love all the features, but the only downside is that the window size can’t be adjusted. But if you see the price, it could be convinced!

DeEss Plugin

The DeEss plugin offers highly detailed sibilance control.

Key features:

  • Adjustable target range: 1kHz to 20kHz
  • Mid/Side processing
  • Compression intensity and Brighten (high-shelving EQ) controls
  • Lookahead capability for precise processing

A standout feature is the Auto Listen mode, which allows you to hear both the filtered signal and the original detection, making adjustments much easier.

Purchase SSL DeEss at Plugin Boutiuqe

This DeEss plugin is one of the most versatile I’ve come across, and it’s surprisingly lightweight unless oversampling is applied. If you don’t already have a dedicated de-esser, this is an excellent choice.

Bonus: Free Plugin Offer

If you purchase any plugin from Plugin Boutique this month, you’ll receive Klevgrand’s Richter Compressor Plugin for free. Don’t forget to claim it when checking out!

Final Thoughts

Both the SSL X-EQ 2 and DeEss plugins are incredibly versatile and user-friendly tools for mixing and production. The 90% discount makes this deal even sweeter—don’t miss out before the sale ends on January 29!

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Until next time!

Basics of Mixing – 13.2 Types of Analog Cables and Connectors

Hello! This is mixing engineer and music producer Jooyoung Kim.

Last week, while I was writing my paper, I discovered logical structure and measurement errors. As a result, I had to export data several times and couldn’t post anything on the blog. However, the first article at 2025 is Basics of Mixing! This article is based on “Basics of Mixing“, published in South Korea.

Today, we’ll find out types of analog cable and connectors. Let’s dive in!

Types of Cables

Cables can be divided into two categories: Analog & Digital.

Analog:
1) Balanced
2) Unbalanced

Digital:
1) AES/EBU(AES3)
2) ADAT
3) S/PDIF
4) MADI
5) LAN(UltraNET, CobraNet, Dante..etc)

In this article, I’ll talk about analog cables and connectors.

Analog Balanced Cable & Unbalanced Cable

First, you have to know difference between balanced cable and unbalanced cable.

Generally balanced cable has 3 lines: Hot(+), Cold(-), Ground. The hot and cold lines carry identical signals but in opposite phases, which helps cancel out noise.

Unbalanced has 2 lines: Hot(+), Ground.

You can convert a balanced cable into an unbalanced stereo cable by assigning the hot and cold lines to the left and right channels, respectively.

Analog Connectors

Left: TRS, Right: XLR

Representable connector, for balanced cables, are TRS and XLR. You could see 3 parts for hot, cold, and ground.

Left: RCA, Right: TS

RCA and TS cable is the most used connector for unbalanced cable

AUX

Common consumers easily find this AUX connectors at headphones or earphones.

Left: Banana, Right: SpeakON

Banana and SpeakON connectors are also used at unbalanced cable, for passive speakers.

Left: DB 15, Right: DB25

If you purchase audio interface, sometimes you could find those connectors. Those connectors called D-Subs. DB25 connectors could connect analog balanced 8 channels. DB15 connectors are not used usually.

There is also a proprietary patchbay-specific standard called TT cable.

These guys are so small and expensive, so unless you’re working with an analog mixer, I think it’s better to just buy a TRS patch bay and use TRS.

Well, in fact, if it’s copper, you can use it as an analog cable. You can cut the power cable that you don’t use at home and use it as a balanced cable. I haven’t tried it, but you can probably cut the USB cable and use it.

In the studio I used to work at, we used to connect the talkback microphone via LAN port and LAN cable..!

There is no disagreement about digital, but there is a lot of talk about the difference in sound quality depending on the type of analog cable and connector. This depends greatly on the specific situation.

Guitarists will feel the difference in cables quite a bit when performing or playing together, but this is mostly due to the high impedance of the electric guitar and the impedance of the amplifier. When recording directly connected to a proper DI box or audio interface, you won’t be able to feel the difference. So, to compare properly, you should record by micing the connection to the amplifier.

For the same reason, you may feel it a little in the cable connected to the microphone preamp and the microphone.

However, it is actually meaningless for cables at line level. If you are connecting speakers or outboard, you don’t have to think about this. I also bought a slightly expensive Telefunken STMC cable and used it on the microphone, and… I thought… haha..

I should have bought several pizzas or hamburgers with that money.

There are many expensive cables like this for both pro audio and hi-fi. If you want peace of mind by buying them, then they are fine, but there are quite a few studies that show that they are not very meaningful in terms of measurements or audibility.

If you are an engineer, you will probably end up soldering it yourself because you don’t want to waste any extra wires or connectors. If you look inside, you will see that it is a very simple structure. Don’t hesitate to try it yourself—you’ll find that it’s simpler than it looks!

I will end it here for today. Then, I will see you again in the next article!

2024 Year in Review

Hello! I’m Jooyoung Kim, an engineer and music producer.

It’s already the last day of 2024…
It feels like I’ve barely done anything, yet the end of the year has come around again. 😊
This year, I want to take a moment to look back on what I’ve done.

First Half of the Year

In January, I started writing introductory posts about mixing techniques.
I’d been wanting to publish articles elsewhere, but after receiving rejections from various outlets, I decided to focus on writing consistently on my blog instead.

I lost count of how many times I revised those posts! Eventually, I submitted them to Kyobo Bookstore’s POD (Print on Demand) service. To my surprise, Joongpil Goo, an engineer from Klang Studio with extensive experience as an SM engineer, graciously wrote a recommendation for the book. Even now, it feels surreal! 😊

This was finally completed by late September, and it was quite an intense journey just to publish a single book.

From January to April, I worked with a studio called Studio Dolphin, producing YouTube videos where AI collaborated with indie musicians to create songs.
We used Soundraw for the AI-generated music, ChatGPT for lyrics, and melodies were composed by indie musicians. The challenge was to create a full song in just 90 minutes.

I participated as both an engineer and a panelist, but unfortunately, the videos didn’t garner much attention, and they’ve since been taken down.

At the start of January, I was extremely busy with various recording and mixing tasks for school projects. In February, I spent a lot of time preparing paperwork to apply for government-sponsored projects. Sadly, none of these applications were successful, which left me feeling rather deflated.

In March, I returned to school, and things got busier from there.

In May, I launched my English blog and started promoting Plugin Boutique products more actively, which kept me even busier.

Summer

From July to August, I worked on producing Danny Boy’s EP from start to finish.
I handled everything—recording, arranging, mixing, and mastering. 😊

At the same time, I collected measurement data for my thesis. The data turned out well enough that I’m now preparing to submit it to an international academic journal.

While processing the data, I found myself delving into coding—a field I never thought I’d explore! Surprisingly, tools like Copilot and ChatGPT were lifesavers. At first, I barely understood anything, but after asking countless questions, things started making sense. 😊

Second Half of the Year

September was tough. I applied for several positions but didn’t get any of them. My final interview was with the Gyeonggi Arts Center, but, well… things didn’t work out. Back in May, I’d also made it to the final round for a position at Kumho Art Hall at Yonsei University but was ultimately rejected. I guess that’s just how life goes. 😊

In October, I filmed a music video, and November passed without anything particularly noteworthy.

In December, I wrote a short paper about loudness in audio and submitted it to a domestic academic journal. It was accepted and will be published in early January.

Also, during this semester, a professor from Sorigeo joined the faculty, and I took his class. In collaboration with him, I gathered data for another research paper, spending two days on measurements. The data looks promising, but I haven’t organized it yet. Once I do, I plan to publish another paper and share the details. 😊

In addition to all this, I continued working on my own music, doing external mixing/mastering, composing/arranging, and providing guide vocals.

Unforgettable Projects

One of the most memorable projects this year was mastering the EP for the Bulkuksa Team’s Random Game. My favorite track was definitely “Microdust.”

A heads-up: the song contains explicit language. 😊

A friend had asked if I could master the track using only an MP3 demo, as they’d lost the original files. I was initially concerned about the sound quality but was blown away by how creative the music was. I couldn’t say no!

Some tracks were well-balanced, while others were completely off, but I managed to improve them significantly through proactive mastering. While the sound quality wasn’t ideal due to the limitations of MP3, the sheer fun of the music made up for it. 😊

Gear Purchases

  1. Stam Audio SA-4000 MK2 Compressor
  2. KEF Kube 15 MIE Subwoofer
  3. Stam Audio SA-2A Compressor
  4. Earthworks M30 Measurement Microphone
  5. Rack Cabinet and Patch Bay
  6. Wharfedale D310 Passive Speakers
  7. Cort A4 Bass
  8. A broken Heritage Audio Successor Compressor

I bought quite a bit this year…

Next year, I’m thinking of adding a tube microphone preamp and an EQ. Maybe another compressor or a mic too? The gear wishlist never ends! 😊