Sinew
TL;DW: Sinew combines sines and slew clipping for a tape bias effect!
Looks like I’m working on three major fronts at the moment, and here’s a key advance on at least one of them :)
Sinew is the answer to the question, ‘what if slew clipping, but it was more restrictive the closer you got to what would be regular clipping?’
I realize the answer is typically going to be ‘slew what now?’ but Airwindows fans are long aware of the strange pleasures of slew clipping. What you don’t know is, the real answer to that question is ‘then you get something that acts like analog tape’s inability to capture super loud high frequencies’… but without the actual tape saturation!
This might have all kinds of uses: I know it’s going to find its way into a ToTape update. For now, you can have the raw version, the one where (like other Slew-oriented plugins) you can set it to extreme values and screw up the sound in interesting ways. Sinew might be just the thing for making heavy guitars louder, or adding guts to drums, but you can try it on whatever you like.
It’ll hang on to brightness for quite a long time, until suddenly it’s really stepping on the sound. What’s happening there is, you can’t hear it doing more subtle work, so you only hear it when it’s turned up too far. Listen to the character of things and you might hear it kicking in without apparently cutting back brightness at all! This is the farthest thing from a simple filter. Good luck experimenting with Sinew!
download 64 Bit Windows VSTs.zip
download Signed M1/Intel Mac AUs.dmg
download Signed M1/Intel Mac VSTs.dmg
download LinuxVSTs.zip
download LinuxARMVSTs.zip for the Pi
download Retro 32 Bit Windows VSTs.zip
download Retro PPC/32/64 Mac AUs.zip
download Retro PPC/32/64 Mac VSTs.zip
Mediafire Backup of all downloads
All this is free and open source under the MIT license, brought to you by my Patreon.
VCV Rack module
Hi Chris, just wanted to say that this is absolutely awesome. I already heared how good it does the emulation at the beginning when you are showing it on the drums though that verb (which also sounds amazingly tasty and I can’t wait on what you’re cooking in your labs ;-) ). It sounds so familiar when thinking of the good old days using different kind of cassette tape decks and reel to reel. I rarely write comments but, following you for some years already, I just wanted to thank you for all your work and – giving it to the masses for free! Keep it up and all the best for you.
Hi Chris,
I have this strange problem: All your plugins seem not to work on my MacPro 2013 with Sierra. I have Logic 10.4.4. and Live 10.1.43. While the VST versions work in Live, the AU versions don’t work in either of the apps. I get a message that the plugin cannot be opened. Maybe my computer or my software are too old?
Thank you for your help!
Best,
Edoardo
Nice one for the Highs! Perfect companion for Creature (used subtly) or Subtight.
Thanks!
If you’re using retro software, try the retro versions of the AUs? It’s that or the signed versions. Retro AUs are in a zip file, signed modern ones are in .dmg files.
this plugin is saving my life right now, was looking for a solution to brightness across a stereo multitrack with a vocal that desperately needed to sit better in a mix but EQ always shifted the original track too much.
Sinew at the lowest possible amount did 90% of that work!!! between this and your clipper plugins i’m sold for life you’re incredible