Black Box Analog Design: HG-2 Tube Processor Tape Op Review by Scott Craggs. So, what we have here is a big (3RU-height), heavy (26 lb) black box filled with tubes and transformers, from a company called Black Box Analog Design. Feb 13, 2017 - The Black Box Analog Design HG-2 retails for $249 but it's currently on sale for $149. There's a 14 day free trial available. Check out the video.
Developed by Brainworx, the recognized plugin emulation of Black Container Analog Design's gorgeous $3000 portion of boutique hardware valve distortion will be constructed with mastering programs in mind, but is definitely also appropriate to team chartering and even single instrument and singing channels in need of harmonic swéetening, roughing up ór anything in bétween.AIong with modelled input and output transformers, four tubes are usually emulated within HG-2's i9000 (VST/AU/AAX) architecture: serial 6U8A Pentode and Triode versions, and a selection of two 12ATimes7s in a parallel vividness circuit, turned between with the Alt Pipe key.
As in thé true planet, the Pentode pipe generates even harmonics for ‘musical technology' distortion of the guitar amp kind, while Triode is all about the edgier third purchase harmonics that come from pushing a signal very hard onto record. Of the two AX7s, in the meantime, Alt-in is the even more aggressive.
0utside the bóx
With thrée separate get and distortion stages to think about and rest, using HG-2 should end up being pretty complicated, but it's in fact surprisingly intuitive.
The input signal strikes the Pentode tube very first, where it't combined with the output of the Vividness tube, before the sum is delivered through the Triode tube, with its harsher distortion, after that delivered back upward or straight down with the Result control.
The knobs arranged the insight get for each pipe, therefore if either thé Pentode or Triodé are usually set completely anticlockwise, the finish result can be quiet at the result, as the two are usually organized in series. With Saturation getting a parallel routine that nourishes into Pentode, though, zeroing that one simply prevents it getting any impact.
The Vividness stage operates in the broadband Flat mode by default, but changing it to Lower or Large concentrates it on the low/low-mid or high/high-mid rate of recurrence ranges.
The tiny bipolar Denseness button in the best pub overdrives or atténuates the Pentode ánd Triode pipes with compensatory result gain modification, for thickening up or thinning hair out the audio. Further get modification is usually on hand via the neighbouring Input Gain dial, offering up to 12dN of increase or attenuation at the very top of the pIugin. You wón't discover either of these - or the wet/dry Mix button - on the hardware HG-2.
HG's swell
Just like its hardware equal, HG-2 will be one of those brilliantly developed and calibrated procéssors with which acquiring the sweet place for your combine or tour bus is never a task; and it provides absolutely outstanding results every time.
Curved Air
The hardware HG-2 concludes its transmission circulation with the Surroundings routine - a 10kHz shelving increase for including high-end gloss and, well, air, triggered by a key on the front side panel. The plugin edition offers the exact same key, of course, but furthermore provides the inner trim handle out into the open up, enabling simple adjustment of the quantity of boost applied.
Completely exceptional to the software program HG-2, nevertheless, is the Calibrate menus, offering three configurations: Dark, Regular and Brilliant. The selection made here (Regular getting the default) impacts the high frequency response of the entire plugin, with Darkish tilting factors towards the reduced end and Bright emphasising the levels. The differences between them aren'testosterone levels anyplace near as prófound as the variants delivered into have fun with by the three Vividness settings, but Black and Bright are usually certainly helpful choices to have got when coping with mixes and noises that simply require a little drive in either path.
Thé Pentode tube functions in like sweet harmonic enhancement that you'll would like to make use of it on éverything, while cranking thé Triode will take factors into harsher textural territory. The Low and Great Saturation modes prove really efficient for plumping up weedy mixes or adding stand out to excessively dull ones, while the Air flow signal (find Curved Air) racks the best end nicely.
The variety of sonic colours that can end up being coaxed fróm this tubular triumviraté will be truly amazing, as are its general loudness-boosting impact.
It's not really specifically a wallet money purchase, that's for certain, but HG-2 can be significantly cheaper than its real- globe version, and stands as a formidable mixing and studying device for significant manufacturers, who are sure drop in like with its beefy ‘analogue' audio, remarkable versatility and primary handling paradigm.