Another classic tool that’s hard to drag out on the road is a real plate reverb.
These large units operate by inducing vibrations into a large plate of sheet metal with an electromechanical transducer and then using a pickup (or two for stereo) to capture the vibrations.
Elektro-Mess-Technik (EMT) introduced the EMT 140 in the late 1950s, and it became a popular model featured on many hit records.
But instead of lugging around a 600-pound plate reverb to gigs (and ticking off the stagehands), you can load up the EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverberator plug-in from Universal Audio. It replicates the sonic signatures of three different EMT 140s that are installed at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, CA.
Classic Squeeze
Compressors are sometimes tricky, with each different model subjectively better or worse than others depending on the source material and the expected results. Most engineers have their favorites for use on vocals, bass, drums and percussion, and I’m no exception. Some of these classic hardware units are still popular in the studio today, but aren’t too practical for live use due to cost and durability factors.
One solution stepping up to meet these need from a plug-in standpoint are Waves CLA Classic Compressors bundles, providing numerous emulations created with the aid of multiple Grammy Award winning mixer and producer Chris Lord-Alge. They offer takes on the classic Teletronix LA2A and Urei 1176 units that I love for giving a “classic squeeze” on both live vocals and instruments.
Softube has teamed up with hardware manufacturer Summit Audio to develop the Softube Summit Audio TLA-100A, based on the Summit Audio Tube Leveling Amplifier, another staple in many studios.
This plug-in adds a saturation control, allowing the user to pump up the character of the processing without overdriving the input that was required on the hardware version to get the same effect. It should find many uses onstage, especially with acoustic guitars and vocals.
Need more choices? Look no further than the new McDSP 6030 Ultimate Compressor, an AAX plug-in offering 10 different compressors in a single interface. Some of the units are emulations of existing gear with unique variations by McDSP and other units were designed from the ground, providing a wide range of processing and dynamic options in one package.
For those who are doing live broadcast remotes or needing to tame the feeds to live webcasts and video recording, the Waves MaxxVolume may be just the ticket.
It combines the technologies from the L2 Ultramaximizer, C1 Parametric Compander, Renaissance Vox, and Renaissance Compressor, offering up a slew of versatile processing. From leveling dialogue at the podium to helping control acoustic instruments in the mix, MaxxVolume is handy indeed.
Senior contributing editor Craig Leerman is the owner of Tech Works, a production company based in Las Vegas.