Tag: plugin

Headrush ReValver Suite on Sale (50% Off, Until 3/31)

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

Starting this week, Plugin Boutique is holding a sale on Headrush’s ReValver, an amp and effects simulation plugin that I think is seriously worth checking out. I’ve been impressed enough to write up a little intro for you all!

I got a 3-month demo code for this plugin from Plugin Boutique to try it out. Also, if you buy it through the links in this post, I’ll earn a small commission that really helps me keep doing what I do—so thank you in advance! 😊

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

What Makes ReValver Stand Out?

Click image to purchase Headrush’s ReValver

Headrush’s ReValver is up there with the likes of IK Multimedia’s Amplitube, Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig, and Positive Grid’s Bias FX—all of which I’ve used before. But what grabbed me right away is how intuitive its UI feels.

At the top, you’ve got a clear signal path laid out: Stomp (pedals) → Amp & Cabinet → Effects. Just click on any section, hit the “+” button, and add whatever you want. Super straightforward.

ReValver comes packed with 72 stompbox effects, 49 amps, 47 cabinets, and 20 additional effects. These days, most sims offer a ton of options, so I won’t bore you with a full rundown. Instead, let’s focus on the three big features that set ReValver apart from the crowd:

  1. Loading External Plugins (VST3, AU)
  2. ACT (Audio Cloning Technology) – Capturing audio characteristics
  3. Tweaking Schematic – Circuit-level adjustments

These give ReValver a level of flexibility that’s honestly pretty mind-blowing.

1. Loading External Plugins

Click image to purchase Headrush’s ReValver

This feature is straight-up wild—I mean it! If ReValver doesn’t have the exact amp sound you’re after, you can just pull in something from Amplitube, Guitar Rig, or any other VST3/AU plugin. You can also layer on filters, sound-shaping tools, or whatever crazy effects you’ve got in your arsenal to create totally unique tones.

Don’t like ReValver’s built-in compressor pedal? Swap it out for something like a UADx LA-2A right inside the plugin. The routing freedom here is unreal—you’re basically unlimited in how you can mix and match.

Honestly, this alone makes me want to recommend ReValver to everyone. With a little creativity, the possibilities are endless!

2. ACT (Audio Cloning Technology)

Click image to purchase Headrush’s ReValver

ACT is another killer feature. Short for Audio Cloning Technology, it lets you profile the sound of a real guitar or amp and transform it into a different instrument or tone. It’s like magic for tone chasers.

You can apply ACT in three spots:

  • Input Stage: Profile your instrument.
  • Amp & Cabinet: Clone amp tones.
  • Effects Rack: Shape the final sound.

At the input stage, it offers 43 default tones covering acoustic guitars, basses, and electrics. Play your instrument into the Source Profile to analyze it, then pick a Target Profile for the sound you want to achieve. The same process works for amps and effects racks too.

It’s a game-changer if you want to turn, say, an acoustic guitar into an electric vibe or match your amp to a legendary tone.

3. Tweaking Schematic (Circuit Adjustments)

Click image to purchase Headrush’s ReValver

When I first saw this, my jaw dropped. Right-click an amp and select Tweaking Schematic, and you’re literally tweaking the virtual circuitry—like you’re inside the amp itself. Some models support it fully, others only partially:

  • Full Support: Peavey and Budda amps, built in collaboration with ReValver’s developers, let you tweak almost everything thanks to detailed circuit modeling.
  • Partial Support: Non-Peavey amps (like Marshall JCM800 or Mesa Dual Rectifier) have limited tweaks—like swapping tubes or adjusting the output section—since only parts of their circuits are mapped.

If you’re a gear nerd who loves digging into schematics, this is your dream come true. It’s not just Impulse Response (IR) snapshots either—these amps are digitally modeled at the circuit level, which makes them feel more alive and tweakable.

Why I Recommend It

Purchase Headrush’s Revalver at Plugin Boutique

After playing around with it, I’m genuinely impressed. You can assign MIDI controls to any parameter, and the built-in stomps, effects, amps, and cabinets are all rock-solid. But the real kicker? That ability to load external plugins—it’s a total game-changer.

Right now, it’s 50% off until March 31st. Whether you buy from Headrush’s site or Plugin Boutique, there’s a 10% tax added. That said, I’d go with Plugin Boutique—you’ll get a free plugin and some bonus points, making it a smarter deal overall.

Wrapping Up

ReValver’s mix of top-notch modeling, cloning tech, and insane flexibility makes it a standout choice. Whether you’re a guitarist, a producer, or just starting out, it’s a tool worth having in your kit.

That’s all for now—catch you in the next post! 😊

Scaler EQ and Scaler 2 on Sale (Free Scaler 3 Update with Scaler 2 Purchase, Until 3/31)

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

Today, I want to talk about two standout plugins from Plugin Boutique that are currently on sale: Scaler EQ and Scaler 2. I’ve been lucky enough to receive these plugins as NFR (Not for Resale) copies from Plugin Boutique. Also, if you purchase through the links in this post, I’ll earn a small commission that really helps me keep going—so thanks in advance for the support! 😊

Let’s dive in!

Scaler EQ

Click image to purchase Scaler EQ

Scaler EQ is one of the flagship plugins from Scaler Music, distributed by Plugin Boutique. Sure, it has all the standard EQ features you’d expect, but what sets it apart are these three unique tricks up its sleeve:

  1. Key-Based Boosting and Cutting: It can boost sounds that fit the song’s key while reducing those that don’t.
  2. Magic Shelf Bands with Mid/Side Control: Adjust frequency responses using Mid/Side processing for a wider or more focused sound.
  3. Dynamic Control: Fine-tune the loudness with built-in dynamics processing.

Let’s take a closer look at how it works.

Play your track and hit the Detect Key button—it’ll automatically figure out the key of your song. You can also manually pick a key by clicking the middle key selection button. The Global button applies that key across all EQ bands.

In Scale Lock Mode, the In Scale setting boosts notes within the key when using Harmonic Peak mode (highlighted in white on the piano roll). Turn it off, and it’ll boost whatever notes you’ve selected instead.

The Flip Harmonics option comes into play when the gain is negative in Harmonic Peak mode—it cuts notes outside the key. Disable it, and it’ll cut the in-key notes instead.

The Dynamics section feels pretty standard for a dynamic EQ, but the real stars here are Harmonic Peak, Harmonic Peak +/-, and Magic Low/High Shelf.

  • Harmonic Peak: Emphasizes notes within your chosen key.
  • Harmonic Peak +/-: Boosts in-key notes and cuts out-of-key ones at the same time.
  • Magic Low Shelf: Highlights the Mid over the Side for a punchier low end.
  • Magic High Shelf: Boosts the Side over the Mid for a wider, airier top end.

These features might sound simple, but when used well, they can bring out the harmonics of your key in totally unique ways, adding fresh colors to your sound.

As far as I know, Scaler EQ is the only EQ out there that adjusts sound based on musical scales like this. It’s a rare gem, and with it on sale, now’s a great time to grab it! 😊

Scaler 2

Click image to purchase Scaler 2

Scaler 2 is a versatile tool packed with features to help you create music. Here’s the core of what it does:

  1. Extract Chord Progressions: Pull chords from MIDI or audio files.
  2. Rearrange or Reharmonize: Tweak and transform those chords however you like.
  3. Choose Presets: Pick lines or voicings from its built-in instruments.
  4. Export as MIDI: Capture everything and drag it into your DAW.

When you download Scaler 2, you’ll get three versions:

  • Scaler2: The virtual instrument version.
  • ScalerAudio2: An effect version tailored for analyzing audio tracks.
  • ScalerControl2: An AU MIDI plugin, perfect for controlling external instruments in DAWs like Logic Pro.

You could take chords from a song you love and use them to build something entirely new. Or start fresh with over 400 genre-based chord sets and 200+ artist chord sets included as presets.

Personally, I think it’s a lifesaver when you’ve got a rough chord progression but can’t figure out the bass, melody, or guitar lines. It’s also great for nailing piano or guitar voicings if those feel tricky. Plus, it’s a handy tool for studying music—perfect for copying and analyzing songs you admire.

It might look overwhelming with all its features, but spend about 30 minutes messing around, and it’s not hard to get the hang of it. On the left, under SRC, you’ll see three options: MIDI, AUDIO, and OPEN AUDIO FILE. MIDI and AUDIO let you record in real-time to extract chords, while OPEN AUDIO FILE pulls them straight from an audio file. Once you do that, chords pop up alongside the detected scale, like in the image above.

Chords in blue are within the detected scale, while those in gray are outside it. You can drag these chords down to create a pattern.

Once you’ve got a pattern, head to the top right where you’ll find Perform, Keys-Lock, Voice Grouping, and Humanize. These let you tweak the MIDI patterns—think arpeggios, strumming, or natural timing variations.

The catch? You can only preview sounds using Scaler 2’s built-in virtual instruments. That said, there’s a decent variety, so you can get a rough idea of how it’ll sit in your track.

When you’re happy with everything, hit the MIDI CAPTURE button at the bottom right, play it back, and record the pattern as MIDI.

Then, drag the DRAG button into your DAW’s MIDI channel, and boom—your pattern’s ready to go!

Beyond that, Scaler 2 can suggest modulation paths (like where and how to change keys) and even hook up external instruments via MIDI routing—though that’s a bit trickier to set up.

Having used it myself, I can say it’s a super useful tool in tons of ways. It’s especially awesome for beginners learning to compose—it takes the intimidation factor out of chord progressions and music theory.

Bundle Deal and Final Thoughts

Purchase Scaler Bundle at Plugin Boutique

The sale runs until March 31st, and bundling Scaler 2 and Scaler EQ together gets you an even better deal. Plus, if you buy Scaler 2 now, you’ll get the upcoming Scaler 3 update (slated for this month) for free. It’s a steal at this price, so I’d highly recommend jumping on it while it lasts.

That’s it for now—hope to see you in the next post! 😊

Brainworx Mixing Month Plugin Sale (3): Mäag Audio EQ4, SPL Transient Designer Plus (~3/31, $31.90)

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

Brainworx Mixing Month Plugin Sale (2): Black Box Analog Design HG-2 (~3/31, $31.90)

This month, Brainworx is holding their Mixing Month sale, featuring six plugins at a discount:

  1. Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor – Compressor
  2. Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A – Compressor
  3. Black Box Analog Design HG-2 – Saturator
  4. Black Box Analog Design HG-2MS – Saturator
  5. Mäag Audio EQ4 – EQ
  6. SPL Transient Designer Plus – Transient Shaper

Following my last post, today I’ll be introducing the Mäag Audio EQ4 and SPL Transient Designer Plus.

As I’ve mentioned before, I personally bought and use 1, 3, and 5. For this round, I received NFR (Not for Resale) licenses for 2, 4, and 6 from Brainworx via Plugin Boutique.

If you purchase through the links in this blog, I’ll earn a small commission, which really helps me keep going—so thank you!

Let’s dive in!

5) Mäag Audio EQ4 – EQ

Click image to purchase maag eq4

The Mäag Audio EQ4 is a plugin recreation of the iconic EQ4 hardware from Mäag Audio. I’ve mentioned this EQ a few times in my mixing basics series, and its standout feature is the AIR BAND.

Just loading the plugin already shapes the frequency response a bit—it’s slightly bumpy, right?

Here’s what happens when you nudge up the 20kHz band. This EQ excels at lifting those ultra-high frequencies to bring out a pleasing “air” in your mix.

I often choose between this Mäag EQ4 and Slate Digital’s Fresh Air when I want to give vocals that shiny, polished feel—it depends on the track. There’s no harmonic distortion here, which keeps it clean and super easy to tweak. That’s why I highly recommend it. Honestly, I love this vibe so much I keep thinking about getting the hardware version too… haha! If you grab it during this sale, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of uses for it.

6) SPL Transient Designer Plus

Click image to purchase SPL Transient Design Plus

The SPL Transient Designer Plus is a plugin inspired by the TD (Transient Designer) module from the discontinued SPL RackPack, a 500-series rack format.

Photo: RackPack 8

It’s incredibly simple to use:

The Attack knob boosts or softens the attack phase, while the Sustain knob boosts or reduces the sustain phase. That’s it!

Below that, the Link button decides whether it processes stereo channels together or independently. The Limit button adds a limiter to prevent clipping if the attack gets too aggressive. And Parallel Mix? Well, that just blends the processed signal with the dry one.

The Side Chain Filter lets you use a sidechain signal to trigger changes in the original source’s transients—think of it like a compressor’s sidechain. Hit the SC ON button to activate it. By default, it uses an Internal Side Chain, copying the input signal and applying a filter. You can press SC SOLO to hear what’s being used as the trigger. The SC EXT button switches it to an external sidechain signal instead.

For composers or engineers like me, a transient-shaping plugin like this is a must-have. A great composition or mix depends on instruments locking together just right. You can’t always achieve that by simply sliding tracks around in your DAW.

I’ve got transient tools from Sonnox, Metric Halo, Native Instruments, SPL, iZotope, and more in my collection. This one’s another solid option—pick it up during the sale, and I bet you’ll use it all the time.

That wraps up my coverage of this month’s Brainworx sale. See you in the next post!

Brainworx Mixing Month Plugin Sale (2): Black Box Analog Design HG-2 (~3/31, $31.90)

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

Brainworx Mixing Month Plugin Sale (1): Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor (~3/31, $31.90)

Today, I’m picking up where I left off to talk about more of the Brainworx plugins on sale this month:

  1. Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor – Compressor
  2. Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A – Compressor
  3. Black Box Analog Design HG-2 – Saturator
  4. Black Box Analog Design HG-2MS – Saturator
  5. Mäag Audio EQ4 – EQ
  6. SPL Transient Designer Plus – Transient Shaper

In this post, I’ll be diving into the Black Box Analog Design plugins from that list—specifically HG-2 and HG-2MS.

As I mentioned last time, I personally bought and have been using 1, 3, and 5. For this round, I received NFR (Not for Resale) licenses for 2, 4, and 6 from Brainworx via Plugin Boutique.

Also, if you purchase through the links in this blog, I’ll earn a small commission, which really helps me keep going—so thank you in advance! ㅜㅠ

Ready? Let’s get started!

3 & 4) Black Box Analog Design HG-2 and HG-2MS

https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/44-Saturation/10203-Black-Box-Analog-Design-HG-2/?a_aid=622ea9ee9160
Click image to purchase Black Box Analog Design HG-2Ms

When I tested these two, I noticed that with the same parameter settings, their responses are pretty much identical. The differences are outlined in the manual, but since they’re so similar, I’ll explain them together using the HG-2MS as the reference point.

First off, these plugins are recreations of the HG-2 hardware from Black Box Analog Design. As you’d expect, it’s all about those glorious vacuum tubes front and center. The HG-2 uses a combination of pentode and triode tubes, running your signal through both for that signature tube saturation—that’s the core of what this hardware (and plugin) is about.

It also has an extra triode tube you can blend in. The original hardware’s signal routing looks something like this:

The output stage features a Sinemag transformer, while the parallel saturation path uses a pair of 12AX7 triode tubes.

Looking at the parameters, the “Saturation” knob on the far left controls the amount of parallel saturation. The IN/OUT button toggles whether this parallel processing is active, and the ALT TUBE button switches the tube manufacturer for the parallel saturation path, altering the harmonic distortion character.

Even if you turn off the Saturation knob, the signal still passes through the pentode and triode tubes in series, so this is a piece of gear (or plugin) that’s inherently heavy on saturation. That means if you set either Pentode or Triode to 0%, you’ll get no sound at all.

Let’s break down how it works:

Photo: Frequency response—Default state, Saturation In, Alt Tube pressed, from top to bottom

This shows the frequency response in the default state, with Saturation turned on, and with Alt Tube engaged.

Photo: Frequency response—Dark vs. Bright calibration, from right bottom

Here’s the response with the Calibration knob set to Dark and then Bright.

Photo: Frequency response—Air Amount at 100%

This is with the Air Amount cranked to 100%.

Photo: Harmonic distortion—Default state, Saturation In, Alt Tube pressed, from top to bottom

These show harmonic distortion in the default state, with Saturation on, and with Alt Tube pressed. You can see the distortion really jumps when you add parallel saturation—it’s noticeable in the harmonics, and you can hear it too; the overtones come alive.

Photo: Default state vs. Saturation In, left and right

Interestingly, even though this isn’t a compressor, it starts to subtly compress when the input gets loud enough. The left is the default state, and the right is with parallel saturation active.

Now, these parameters let you shape how the parallel saturation sounds. Hit the Solo button, and you can isolate just the parallel saturation signal.

Photo: Frequency response by parameter—High Pass, Band Pass, Flat, Band Stop, Low Pass, from up to down

I measured the frequency response for each setting to show which frequency bands they affect—High Pass, Band Pass, Flat, Band Stop, and Low Pass.

purchase Black Box Analog Design HG-2Ms at Plugin Boutique

Add colorful, frequency-selective tube saturation with M/S processing. Made by Brainworx, this is your mix bus’ best friend. Celebrated mix engineers like Dave Pensado, Bob Horn, and Jack Douglas rely on the sweet tubes and creamy-sounding transformers of the HG-2.

Personally, I like setting the Saturation to Flat, dialing back the Pentode a bit, and boosting the Triode. It gives a really nice sound—perfect for adding a touch of saturation at the final stage, like a sweet seasoning for your track.

If you’ve been thinking about a tube saturation plugin, this is a great chance to snag one at a discount.

That’s it for now—see you in the next post!