Review: PSP SpringBox

Product: SpringBox spring reverb emulator
Developer: PSP Audioware
Formats: Windows (VST, AAX, and RTAS), Mac (VST, AAX, RTAS, AU) - both 64-bit compatible
Price: $69
Demo: available on the product page 

PSP Audioware has long had a reputation for excellent, vintage-sounding plug-ins, and so far they show no sign of slowing down.  Today we're going to take a look at their latest release, a spring reverb plug-in called PSP SpringBox.

WHAT IS IT?
Back in the days before digital reverbs and high-end plug-ins, reverberation was still an important part of production, it was just produced in a more primitive way.  Back in those days, reverb was generally produced by amplifying an object that is vibrating from the music signal sent to it.  One method used a large, flat metal plate as the resonating body.  These were known as plate reverbs, and you undoubtedly have run into plate reverb presets on your favorite reverb plug in.  The sound of plate reverbs is generally quite smooth, and it became a favorite to use on vocals and percussion in particular.  The other main reverb of this type was the spring reverb.  In this case, instead of an amplified plate, a reverberating spring is used.  This results in a very distinctive "sproingy" reverb that has metallic and liquid qualities at the same time.  Spring reverbs were very popular in early electronic music as well as the Jamaican dub and Surf Rock movements.  Later on bands like Joy Division and Portishead would make spring reverbs an identifiable part of their sound.

PSP SpringBox, then, is an emulation of a spring reverb in plug-in form with a variety of features to aid you in sculpting the tone and timbre of the reverb.

INSTALLATION
Installation of PSP SpringBox is a two part process.  First, you run the plug-in installer, and once you've done that, you run the separate authorizer and you're good to go.  Helpfully, PSP also include de-installers.

DOCUMENTATION
Currently, there doesn't appear to be documentation for PSP SpringBox, but it's not an overly-complex plug-in, so it shouldn't be difficult for all but the noobiest of noobs to figure out.  I expect documentation is in process. [CORRECTION: Documentation is indeed included, it just wasn't where I expected it to be.  Full documentation is obtainable by pressing the '?' button on the interface.  I apologize for this oversight.]

INTERFACE
PSP SpringBox has a nicely-rendered interface that replicates the look of a two-rack unit with a brushed aluminum faceplate, and nice, shiny, black knobs (pause as all the people in Britain giggle).

Each instance of PSP SpringBox is actually made up of two different settings, an "A" and a "B" setting.  Only one may be active at a time, but it allows you to automate or switch between settings quickly in a live performance (for instance, if you wanted to switch between a short and long setting for accents in the mix).  Each of these features controls for the High Pass Filter. Presence, Damping, Time, and level Trim.  All of these settings do pretty much what you would expect from the name and give you a variety of options for shaping the tone of the reverb.

To the right of these two settings,  is a selector that allows you to use different amounts of virtual springs to create the reverb.  You can choose between two, three, four, and six spring configurations.  Low values tend to be sparser, more metallic, and "sproingier", while higher values sound more liquid and diffuse.

Below this, you'll find a bypass switch that allows you to turn the effect on and off - again, quite helpful for automation and live performance.

On the rightmost portion of the interface, you'll find global Wet and Dry levels, Diffusion (allowing rough sounding reverbs all the way to smoother ones), Spread (which allows widening of the stereo image), and Pan/Balance (which places the reverb to a specific place in the stereo image).

CPU USAGE
As you would expect from a high quality plug-in, CPU usage isn't negligible, but nor is it horrific.  Two quality modes (Low CPU and Brilliant) are available if CPU use becomes a concern.  On my 2.66 Quadcore MacPro, Low CPU mode ate up about an 1/8th of my processor load.  In Brilliant Mode, that went up to about a quarter.  Since this is the type of effect that is shared among many tracks via sends, this shouldn't cause problems for most people.

SO HOW DOES IT SOUND?
If you've used PSP's plug-ins before, it probably won't surprise you to know this sounds fantastic.  The various tone-scupting parameters are helpful in providing a surprisingly wide range of sounds.  Super lo-fi retro effects sound authentic and vintage, higher diffusion and spring count settings can provide smoother sounds that still ooze character, and even decent room and ambience sounds can be dialed in without much trouble.

THE VERDICT
A spring reverb is one of those things that I think everyone should have in their sonic toolbox.  Even if it's not the most cutting edge, surround-sound, convolution reverb, spring reverbs just offer so much character and near-instant retro credibility to a sound. It's not right for everything, but man, when it's right, it's really right.   Whether you're looking to dub out your drum kit, add some splashy surfrock shimmer to your guitar solo, or give your vocal track an authentic vintage vibe, you can dial it in to PSP SpringBox.  At $69. I think PSP SpringBox is well worth checking out if you're looking to add a spring reverb to your arsenal.  I can't wait to see what PSP does next!  [10/10]

PSP Releases Pianoverb 2

Developers PSP have announced the release of PianoVerb2, the follow-up to their highly-regarded freeware Pianoverb.  PianoVerb2 is a "resonant reverb" that uses multiple resonant filters to simulate the behavior of piano strings.  This allows everything from run-of-the-mill reverbs to unusual resonator-type effects.  The new version offers a modulation section, a high pass filter for tone-shaping, independent dry and wet controls, and more.  PianoVerb2's will regularly retail for $49, but for a limited time, you can save 20% and get it for only $39.

Review: PSP Echo

Product: Echo  Delay Plug-in
Developer: PSP Audioware
Format: PC (VST, RTAS, and AAX) and Mac (AU, VST, RTAS, and AAX)
Demo: Available on product page.
Price: $99 (introductory offer until September 17th, only $79)

PSP Audioware are no strangers to delay plug-ins, having previously released Lexicon PSP 42, PSP 85, and the PSP 608 Multi-delay, but until now they hadn't taken a swing at creating a tape delay.  That all changes with the newest member of the PSP family, the simply-named Echo.

WHAT IS IT?
PSP Echo is a feature-laden emulation of a tape echo unit.  If you're not familiar with this type of effect, back in the days before digital delays, echo effects were achieved with a unit that basically contained a specially modified tape recorder.  A record head would record the incoming signal to tape and an adjustable playhead would then play the signal back slightly later depending on the settings.  What made it special was that you could set it up so each successive delay either brightened or darkened in tone, which, with high feedback settings, could create some wonderfully degrading sounds.  This very warm, distinctive type of echo eventually became a hallmark of dub music.

INSTALLATION
Installation is simple as can be and authorization is performed by via use of an automatic authorization program downloaded from the PSP website.

DOCUMENTATION
Documentation consists of a 14-page illustrated PDF file.  It does a good job of explaining the function of each of the controls in a concise manner.  It does assume some degree of familiarity with how a delay works, but that's the sort of thing easily discoverable through some experimentation.  It's more fun that way, too.

INTERFACE
Like all of PSP's plug-ins, Echo mimics the look of vintage hardware, right down to the wood panels.  Controls are laid out in an easy-to-read and logic manner, making tweaking easy and fun.

The top line of controls consists of settings for the virtual "tape" that creates the delays including "wow" frequency and depth to imitate the warping experienced on old machines with inconsistent tape speed.  You can even set the IPS (inches per second) that controls the quality of the sound recorded to tape.  Slower speeds result in a darker, less hi-fi sound, with high speeds providing the opposite.  There is also an input knob that lets you trim the input levels of the signal, and settings that allow you to manually set delay times or have them automatically sync to your hosts tempo.  You'll also find the Ping Pong knob which allows you to control the amount of stereo ping-pong in the delays from quite wide to mono.

On the very right side of the top row is the Ducker button.  Depressing this switches views from the tape settings to the settings for the built-in ducker.  This is useful for preventing the echos from clashing with the original input sound and is a nice luxury not usually found on these types of effects.  You'll find settings for the Threshold (the level at which the ducker kicks in), Range (amount of signal attenuation), Open (how long it takes the ducker to open), and Close (bet you can guess what that does).

The center panel consists of all the controls for the timing of your echoes.  As mentioned previously, these can automatically sync to note divisions of your DAW's host tempo, or can be set manually in milliseconds like we did in the bad old days.  As a third option, there is a Tap Tempo control to allow you to manually tap in the tempo you'd like the delays to occur in.  Finally, if your delays get a bit out of control due to high feedback settings, there is a panic button that will stop the effect.

On either side of the center panel are identical sets of controls for both the left and right channels.  These include knobs for Drive (adds a tape-like saturation to the delayed sound), highpass, lowpass, and combined filters for altering the tonal content of each successive echo, Feedback (the number of echos), and FB-Pan, which allows you to set the pan for the delayed signal.

Finally, at the bottom is the Output section.  Here you'll find settings for Linking channels (so both left and right channels have the same settings), Spread (controls the stereo spread of the dry signal), Dry Balance (balance between the left and right channels), and your standard Wet/Dry controls.

THE VERDICT
Echo is one of those plug-ins that clearly had a lot of thought put into it.  Sure, it does what you expect it to, but they throw in nice extras like the ducker or the tape speed selector that take it a step beyond.  It's easy enough to use for beginners, but there is plenty to be tweaked under the hood for more experienced users, so it's a plug-in that will grow with the user.

Soundwise, the quality is every bit as excellent as you would expect from PSP's rather sterling reputation.  The tape effects sound extremely convincing and exhibit all the artifacts of the real deal as you change settings on the fly.  In terms of flexibility, you can achieve just about any kind of delay effect you might need from short, rockabilly slapbacks for vocals and guitar, to trippy, evolving dub echoes.  The tape wow emulation also sounds great on pads and sustained sounds for making them sound like they're coming from a piece of gear on its last legs.

For many years, my tape echo plug-in of choice was the excellent one built in to Logic.  I think that all may change, though, now that Echo is on the scene.  [10/10]

PSP Audioware Releases Echo

PSP Audioware has released Echo, a new high quality tape-echo plug-in available in AU, VST, RTAS, and AAX formats for both Mac and PC.  Until September 6th, you can pick up Echo for $69 as opposed to the usual $99 price.  Buy it before September 17th for just $79.

PSP Announces Buy One Get One Free Offer

Plug-in developers PSP Audioware have announced a buy one, get one free offer for the holidays. Here are the details:

"1) Buy one of our plug-ins for the regular listed price before December 31, 2011

2) After you receive the confirmation email, send an email to sales@PSPaudioware.com with the following information:

* your userID

* reference # of your order

* name of a plug-in of equal or lesser value

3) We will then add that plug-in to your account at our registration center.

4) Note that it can take up to 24-hours for your requested plug-in to appear in your user account."

PSP Releases Noble Q and Noble Qex

PSP has announced the release of NobleQ and NobleQex, both based on vintage passive EQ designs. Here is what they say about it:

"PSP NobleQ combines the most beloved features of classic passive program equalizers, but adds a wide range of frequency settings and cutting-edge functionality. To make this plug-in a more versatile tool we added several modern features such as an adjustable high pass filter, and the ability to switch high peak and shelf filters to Boost or Attenuation operation. PSP NobleQ sounds excellent either as a transparent or a color EQ.

PSP NobleQex is an extended version of the PSP NobleQ. It offers all the features of PSP NobleQ with an additional middle bell filter and adjustable low-shelf dip frequency shift. Download the demo and try it out today!

The fully operational 14 days demo (which doesn't require any hardware dongle) is available now on our download page.

Introductory offer!

Until 31st August 2011 you can buy PSP NobleQ at the special introductory price of $59* (15% off). Starting from 1st September 2011 regular price $69* will be applied. (*all prices exclude taxes)

You can buy PSP NobleQ at an even better price if you already own current version any of our processor plug-ins (the more PSP plug-ins you own, the better discount you get). To see your price, log-in to your account at our user area."

Review: PSP Audio N20 (aka Nitrous)

Product: N20 filter and semi-modular multi-effects plug-in
Developer: PSP Audioware
Formats: PC (Windows 2000 and higher) and Intel Mac (10.4 and higher) RTAS, VST & AU
Price: $149 (crossgrade for existing Nitro users - $99, although crossgrades are cheaper until January 21st. See site for details.)
Demo: Downloadable demo version available.

For many years, PSP Audioware's Nitro filter plug-in was one of my favorite sound manglers. It did standard filter duties quite nicely, and it had more than a few surprises up its sleeve as far as serious sonic deviancy goes. But Nitro was a flawed gem. Although it sounded great, the interface suffered from trying to cram too much stuff into too small a place and programming it was anything but intuitive. Given that Nitro had been out awhile, it was probably inevitable that we'd see Nitro get a facelift some time soon, and now we do in the form of N20 (pronounced "Nitrous").

WHAT IS IT?
Calling N20 a "facelift" to Nitro probably isn't fair. In fact, along with a heavy visual redesign, this plug-in goes far beyond mere filtering by adding effects like reverb, delay, bit reduction, and many more, all of them semi-modular and freely routable in any configuration you like. Add this to a significantly flexible series of modulators including step-sequencers and you can see the potential this plug-in has for taking whatever you feed into it a long way from home.

INSTALLATION
Installation is nothing unusual. Follow the instructions in the installer, enter your serial number to authorize, and you're done.

MANUAL
Alright, I hate to start off with a beef, but I feel this needs addressing. There is no manual for N20, per se. Or rather, there is, but it's just a single page with a link on it to PSP's YouTube channel where a series of video tutorials for N20. Now don't get me wrong, the tutorials are well done and helpful, but they should be available in addition to a written manual, not instead of one. Sometimes I need to look up a specific bit of information on a plug-in when I'm working in the studio, and I don't always have time to sit through a bunch of loosely themed videos just to find that one nugget of information. Not to mention that it means you can't even do that unless you are hooked up to the internet. I hope PSP will reconsider this decision and release a printed manual. I know they're probably a drag to write, but they're necessary.

INTERFACE
The first thing you notice upon opening up Nitrous is how much cleaner and less cluttered the larger interface is. It's safe to say that PSP addressed the rather significant problems with Nitro's interface and have made it significantly easier to understand right off the bat.

At the top of the interface you'll find the Global section. This area is used for selecting which modulators and operators are being displayed in the windows below, selecting the mode of the center window (it can be used to view the mod matrix, the routing of the effects, or the preset browser), as well as adjusting preferences.

Below the Global section are a series of 3 equal-sized displays. The one on the left displays info on the modulators being used, the one in the center functions as described above, and the right displays info on the operators (modulation destination) being used. The displays are easy to read and the less-cramped spreading out of information makes it a lot more pleasant to use than its predecessor. They also provide visual feedback in the form of animated displays of, for instance, the shape or phase of an LFO, the envelope of the incoming signal, etc.

At the bottom of the interface, you'll find realtime input and output meters, knobs for adjusting input and output levels and mix, as well as 8 user-assignable knobs - 4 on the operators side and 4 on the modulators side. The assignable knobs give N20 a lot more real-time tweakability the Nitro, and should be a favorite feature of live performers.

So a big thumbs up from me on the new interface. It makes so much more sense than before and is a lot easier on the eyes.

IN USE
The basic idea behind N20 is that you have 4 modulators (LFO, envelope follower, and step sequencers are available) being used to modulate effects parameters on up to 4 effects (operators). And boy did they expand the toy box of goodies you have in that department. In addition to various state-variable, Moog clone, and biquad filters, you'll find a compressor/expander, a very flexible delay, a reverb, a pitch shifter, a phaser, bit reduction, distortion, panners, a formant filter, and more. None of this would matter if the effects were crap, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that every one of them sounds excellent. So often with 'multi-effects' plug-ins, it's a case of quantity over quality, with effects that are merely passable, but each of these effects is worthy of PSP's reputation for high sound quality.

Building your effects consists of setting up your modulators and operators as desired via a very standard mod matrix. How these operators are routed obviously has a big effect on the resulting effect, so a Routing area lets you define the order of the effects as well as the ability to feed back effects into themselves and others. N20 comes with a number of predefined algorithms, but you can edit these and create your own giving you complete flexibility as to how your sound is routed. Amazing!

THE VERDICT
You can probably already tell that I really loved N20. It took everything that was good about Nitro and expanded it and then fixed everything that made Nitro a bit of a bear to use. The flexibility of the routing is phenomenal, and some of the presets are absolutely awe-inspiring on the right material. The addition of a step sequencer as a modulator was something that should've been on the original and adds a new level of rhythmic fun. I feel like PSP has raised the bar for sound-mangling multi-effects with N20. If you like to beat your sounds beyond recognition, you'd do well to start here. [9.5/10]

PSP Audioware Launches N20

PSP has released N20, a drastic update to its excellent Nitro modular filter plug-in. A special upgrade price is available to existing Nitro users.

PSP Re-releases Updated Free PianoVerb for Xmas

Plug-in developers PSP have re-released their freeware PianoVerb plug-in updated to work with all the most recent operating systems. You will need to register the plug-in to use it, but it is still absolutely free. Here's what PSP has to say about it:

"PSP PianoVerb reproduces special kind of reverberation originally provided by piano strings. It generates reverberation using twelve string operators with adjustable damping and decay time. Each of them is tuned to a particular note starting from A(55Hz) to a G#(103.8Hz). The PSP PianoVerb string system can be transposed in the range of +-24 semitones, tuned within a range of +-100 cents and be detuned as well. Transposing to lower octaves produces a bigger and less resonant sound similar to traditional reverbs, while in turn transposing to higher octaves produces a very bright harp-like effect."