Tag: XLN Audio

XLN Audio DB-30 (Drum Butter) Intro Sale (~4/30, 23%)

Hello, this is Jooyoung Kim, an engineer and singer-songwriter.

Today, I’m introducing the newly released DB-30 from XLN Audio. This company is also well known for their saturation plugin RC-20 Retro Color, and I’ve actually written a brief review of it in the past.

Purchase XLN Audio DB-30 at Plugin Boutique

As with my other plugin reviews, this product was provided to me as an NFR (Not For Resale) copy. If you purchase it through the links in this blog, I receive a small commission, which genuinely helps support my work.

Alright, let’s dive in.

As the name suggests, DB-30 is designed specifically for drums. It features six main modules, along with additional EQ and tone-shaping tools. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Boom adds weight and power to the low-end, making it especially effective for kick drums. Acid introduces harmonics, giving you that characteristic “acid” tone—similar to what you’d hear in classic acid bass sounds.

Shack adds texture and noise to elements like snares and hi-hats, helping them stand out more in the mix.

Shift allows you to manipulate frequency and formants, making it possible to reshape the tone or even create pitch-drop style effects.

Space applies reverb to your drums, adding depth and ambience.

Compress offers six different compressor types, each with very distinct frequency responses, harmonic behavior, and compression curves.

For a clearer comparison, I’ve included images of the compression curves above.

The Saturate section also includes six different saturation types, each with its own strong and unique character in terms of frequency response and harmonic distortion. Interestingly, each saturation mode also exhibits slightly different compression behavior. Personally, I really liked how it subtly recreates the kind of compression you’d expect from analog tape.

More is designed to increase loudness and add harmonics, making the overall sound more aggressive and impactful. In my opinion, it works particularly well for genres like rock and metal.

Additional features include the Magnitude control at the top, which lets you adjust all six effects simultaneously. You also get access to EQ, an “Air” control for added high-end presence, and transient shaping tools.

Overall, it’s a very solid plugin for adding texture and character to your sound. If you’re already a fan of RC-20, I think you’ll find this one just as useful in your productions.

Purchase XLN Audio DB-30 at Plugin Boutique

If you purchase through Plugin Boutique, you’ll usually receive a free plugin as well, so it’s definitely worth taking advantage of that.

Also—was it yesterday or today? I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve completely lost track of time… The enclosure for the hardware I designed has finally arrived!

Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to assemble it until next week due to my schedule. If everything goes well, I’ll share a detailed update soon.

Before that, I’m also planning to post another article about synthesizers.
I think I might wrap up the basics after covering just one more topic.

Anyway, I’ll see you in the next post. Thanks for reading!

XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color Flash Sale! (~Oct 11, 60% Off)

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

I’m excited to share that XLN Audio’s RC-20 Retro Color—the creative effect plugin famous for adding that authentic ‘Retro’ coloration to your sound—is having a flash sale this weekend!

I’ve received a Not-For-Resale (NFR) license to produce a thorough review for you. And if you decide to pick up the plugin using the links I provide, I’ll earn a small commission—Honestly, that small commission is a monumental help in keeping my work going and putting food on the table…:) Your support means the world to me.

Let’s start!

RC-20 Retro Color

Click image to purchase RC-20 at Plugin Boutique

RC-20 Retro Color has earned its place as one of the true ‘modern classic’ coloration plugins. Despite having been released nearly a decade ago, it remains incredibly popular, with producers all over the world still loving it. It has definitely become a steady seller in the world of creative effects.

These are the six distinct effects modules that make up RC-20’s sound design capabilities:

  1. Noise: This generator adds texture by letting you select various noise types (like vinyl crackle or tape hiss) and allows the noise level to follow the amplitude of the source material (using the Follow parameter).
  2. Wobble & Flutter: Use this to introduce the pitch inconsistencies associated with unstable analog playback (like a worn cassette or vinyl). You can also expand the effect from mono to stereo width.
  3. Distortion: This module is straightforward—it makes things sound distorted, offering a range of saturation from subtle warmth to heavy fuzz.
  4. Digital: Degrade the audio to recreate the sound of vintage digital gear by lessening the sample rate or bit depth to provoke that classic digital noise and artifacting.
  5. Space (Reverb): Simply put, this is a reverb module for adding depth and dimension.
  6. Magnetic (Volume Drops): This simulates the wear, flutter, and volume loss artifacts associated with magnetic tape recording and playback.

You also get helpful visual scopes that show you exactly how each effect module is transforming your sound in real-time.

To manage the overall vintage intensity, simply use the Magnitude fader, which controls total amount of the effects.

Finally, the bottom of the plugin offers essential final controls, letting you adjust the Input/Output Gain and apply a crucial EQ filter to shape the final tone of your colored sound.

Final Thought

Really simple, isn’t it?

The core effects are incredibly powerful, yet the parameters are streamlined and intuitive. With a plugin this effective and this easy to use, there’s truly no reason not to add it to your collection!

Purchase XLN Audio RC-20 Retro at Plugin Boutique

I especially recommend it for sound designers who frequently work on music for advertisements, as well as music producers of all genres. You’ll be able to inject a huge range of interesting and fun effects into your tracks. I think it would be particularly cool for adding grit and vibe to Rock vocals, and it’s already a staple in the production of Lo-fi music.