Synesthesia Experimental Build PB5 03

This is a new, experimental build of Synesthesia. The file name is different for now so you can test it without disturbing ongoing projects.

Download Link, Synesthesia PB5 03

If you click on the Synesthesia logo and then go into "advanced options" you will see a new list box called "Overdrive" where you can change how aggressively synesthesia generates overtones. This is different than the "drive" parameter and modifies the core behavior of the plugin regarding how many harmonics are generated. Synesthesia employs a strategy that suppresses certain harmonics in order to minimize unwanted artifacts (aliasing). Lately I have realized that this strategy is a bit on the conservative side, so now you can change it if you want.

- Legacy mode will bring you the same sound as previous versions and is a default on all presets (except the linear one)

- Improved is the new recommended default: this mode generates more harmonics without any perceivable aliasing. (Barely measurable on a 120 dB scale). Now this build is experimental for a reason: please check this mode, and indicate if you would be unhappy with the sound of the plugin if the default mode of operation would be changed to this on all presets. Personally I think there is a slight to moderate improvement compared to the legacy mode, but I am really interested about your opinion as well.

- Soft, Hard and Brutal modes are there for you to experiment with, they are not "foolproof" settings for every program with every configuration, but "if it sounds right..."

Synesthesia PB4 released!

Update 02: Dukane A preset fixed!
Download Synesthesia PB4

What's new:

- Advanced options: configurable pre and post processing limiters (the former to protect Synesthesia from overload, the latter to keep output levels under control). Two algorithms are supported: a soft clipper for darker / more analogue-is sound and a brickwall limiter for transparency.



- Drive slider now controls both static and dynamic waveshaping (depending on the state of the DYN GRAPH switch)
- Red bracket around DRIVE slider indicates input overload (just decrease the drive until it goes away and you're set).



- Some bugfixes (don't ask, I don't remember any more :), but some little things has been spotted/corrected)

- Altec 1612b preamp presets
- Dukane Medallion 5 channel presets

Special thanks to Langston Masingale for the measurement data.

Synesthesia

This one was in the queue for some months now, so I thought it's time to share some info about it. As always :) the project started out to facilitate my own needs (for a flexible, CPU-light but still high quality saturation/distortion unit), but then it evolved way beyond my original expectations.

Synesthesia is a combined waveshaper / EQ / dynamics processor that is designed to be very light on the CPU, but sounds hi-fi enough to be put on the master buss without hesitation. A special combination of frequency-dependent harmonics generation and oversampling reduces aliasing way below audible levels, allowing smooth coloration of input material free of unwanted artifacts.

Synesthesia features highly flexible - per harmonic definition of distortion / waveshaping characteristics, opening up possibilities to emulate static distortion of many nonlinear devices. It is also possible to use it as a dynamics processor by setting up the dynamic waveshaper curve with respective attack and release time constants.

Some basic facts:
- VST 2.4 effect plugin
- Win32
- 2 ch in / 2 ch out
- All parameters subject to automation except for the distortion characteristics graphs
- Demo is fully functional but injects a burst of white noise every 120 seconds

Download link to revision PB7

(just unzip it to your vst plugins directory)

Download link to Quick-start manual
Download link to Quick-start manual (mirror)

Known limitations:
- no detailed manual (yet)

Roadmap (informational):
- A: all bugs fixed (check)
- B: linear-phase oversampling, RMS detection modes, more presets
- C: hysteresis-based detection, more presets

You can purchase a full license here. Price is `whatever think it is worth to you`, with a minimum set to EUR 5 to cover for overhead costs. You will also get Resurrect, a track of mine released at Soft Phase netlabel as a bonus gift ;-).

I will do my best to fix any errors as ASAP, but all potential customers are encouraged to try the plugin in demo mode first and go ahead with the purchase if - and only if - the demo seem to work without any issue in their environment.

The copy protection itself is based on a keyfile that needs to be placed where the .dll is installed and is tied to the user name alone. No re-authorization will ever be required and one license shall be valid for all future versions.

Courvoisier released!

Update: Revision C released with fixed M/S matrix.

Download link
Download link #2

Courvoisier is a single-band universal dynamics processor with adaptive attack and release algorithms optimized for complex program material (mixes and submixes). Courvoisier uses free-form curves drawn over the histogram of incoming audio material (as opposed to traditional ratio and threshold parameters) to determine the transfer function of the processing.

Courvoisier is available for free.

Features:

- Histogram representation (sliding-window statistics)

of incoming program material and the resulting gain change
on which the transfer function can be drawn

- Free-form upward and downward compression and/or expansion

- Spline interpolated control curves

- All performance-critical code optimized in assembly
(utilizing SSE2 flow instructions)

- Two different adaptive attack algorithms (program dependent)

- Adaptive release algorithm (program dependent, scalable)

- Additional user defined adaptive release behavior

- Side chain filtering (low and high pass)

- MS operation
(with support for different transfer curves for Mid and Side channels)

- Stereo operation (adjustable stereo link)

- Dry mix option for parallel processing

- Peak, RMS and Hybrid level detection

- Very low harmonic distortion
(THD during normal operation is below -105 dB FS)

- Lookahead processing for minimizing distortion
with extremely fast attack settings

- Complex mode (oversampling with a twist)