- #Focusrite scarlett plugin suite free how to#
- #Focusrite scarlett plugin suite free upgrade#
- #Focusrite scarlett plugin suite free free#
The Red 2 EQ plugin’s character really became apparent when using it on the guitar track. No compression was used on the acoustic guitar. The Red EQ was used to filter out unwanted frequencies, boost desired frequencies and add air to the guitar tracks. The bass was heavily compressed to keep the levels strictly balanced whilst smoothing the overall sound. Subtle compression was used on the electric guitars to help keep the levels balanced whilst accentuating some of detail within the recording. The EQ plugin was able to boost high end frequencies to help the sounds cut through the mix without becoming harsh. Being able to add punch and attack to the drum hits whilst easily mixing in parallel compression makes Red 3 the go to compression plugin. To help retain the original tone of the hits the parallel compression (mix) function was used to add punch without compromising the recording.Īlthough subtle, the dynamic processing achieved using the Red 2 & 3 was impressive. Using the Red Compressor to heavily compress the drum hits achieved some serious punch. Using the Red EQ the lowpass filter was used on each drum track to remove any unwanted frequencies and then the sounds were shaped as desired. However there was a lot of low end ‘mud’ and not quite enough punch in the kick and snare hits. The drum track prior to dynamic processing was quite close to the desired sound. To show off the transparency of these plugins the levels have been kept as close as possible between comparisons. You will hear a drum track, guitar track, vocal track and finally the entire mix with/without these plugins. Now lets hear what these plugins can do in the context of a mix.
The Red 2 & 3 plugin suite will force any creative reliant on visuals to simply use their ears and achieve their desired sound, it just adds to the analog feel of these plugins. If you are used to visually seeing your frequencies on screen and surgically cutting and boosting you may feel a little lost at first with these plug-ins. However for any producers who have never mixed ‘out of the box’ using hardware these plugins may seem a little limited in comparison to alternate plugins with additional features. If you are used to tweaking the knobs on a physical piece of hardware you will instantly feel at home using these plugins. Keeping the same anodized aluminium design with the added warmth of the VU meter, these plug-ins are instantly recognizable and look great on screen. The Red 3 Compressor Limiter uses the same circuit topology as the ISA130 compressor module which is based around an innovative VCA design that earned Focusrite a TEC award for Outstanding Technical Achievement in Signal Processing Technology and is renowned for its natural sound. It boasts a flexible 3-band configuration with a high and low pass filter that has been explained as warm and smooth sounding.
#Focusrite scarlett plugin suite free upgrade#
The Red 2 Equaliser is derived from the ISA 110 EQ circuits designed as an upgrade for the Neve console at Sir George Martin’s Air Studios, London. Now lets take a look at the original hardware processors.
#Focusrite scarlett plugin suite free free#
Priced at £229.99 on the Focusrite website, this plug-in suite is currently free with with the purchase of any Scarlett, Saffire, Forte & Clarett interface. With more and more producers creating tracks entirely ‘in the box’ the Red Plug-In Suite is a great addition to any engineer’s arsenal.ĭuring this review we will showcase what the Red EQ & Compression plug-ins are capable of by mixing a track using just these plugins*. That classic anodized aluminium body with classic ‘ff’ detailing has been seen in studios worldwide and can be heard on countless recordings.
Introduced in 1994 the Red range of dynamic processors remains one of Focusrite’s most successful and recognizable hardware products. Great gate with trigger feature and the Reverb is excellent, but bear in mind in the reverb example/review on the vocal in the video is in mono on a mono vocal track, not stereo, (sorry, forgot to add stereo example), but it sounds even better in stereo, and remember using mono reverb as an effect on individual mix items is a technique anyway as it doesn't spread the same and makes less clutter.‘Almost every major studio owns, or has at some time hosted, a Focusrite Red.’ The compressor is nice and smooth but can 'thwack/crush' as well. You can forward to any plugin using the time-links in the description. I added the optical compressor explanation for noobs. Hi guys, this is a quick review, I didn't rehearse it. The Compressor: Optical compressor explained: 1:39 - The actual Compressor: 5:08 - The Equaliser: 8:06 - The Gate: 16:24 - The Reverb: 22:08 - Focusrite Scarlett Solo Review -
#Focusrite scarlett plugin suite free how to#
Full-on review of the superb Focusrite Scarlett Plugin Suite, showing how all plugins work, parameters etc, including how to use the Gate trigger and explanation of the EQ bands for noobs.