PSP Audioware VintageWarmer 2

The Vintage Warmer is a plug-in that has become incredibly popular recently thanks to the fact that it offers musicians the ability of having a processing unit which can create an Analog sound, as well as many other warm effects. The sound of analogue has always been desired since software has become more and more popular and now devices such as the Vintage Warmer are being developed so as to create an artificial sense of warmth that resembles that of hardware. In this review I will take a look at the Vintage Warmer and will outline its main features.

Features

I acquired the Vintage Warmer with the hope that it would warm up my mixes and my individual sounds. It has an effect of creating a virtual analog simulation and has saturation effects when it is over driven which is similar to that of analogue. The Vintage Warmer is essentially a multi-band compressor that has a selection of features that imitate analogue devices.

The thing that I first noticed about the Vintage Warmer is that it doesn't really look like a modern plug-in and has quite a good traditional visual style. It was however easy to use and I quickly started getting good results.

Pros and cons

I really liked this plug-in thanks to its cheap price and its effective use on a wide range of sounds. I found it to be exceptionally good on sounds such as drums, bass and vocals and began also experimenting with it on the master channel for a warmer mix.

What I've found to be really nice about the Vintage Warmer was that it was a very dynamic plug-in which could be used on many different sounds for a positive effect. It can also be used on the master channel to boost a mix and add warmth. The problem that I think it will bring to many producers who use this device is that they will become reliant on in all of their mixes and will not be able to decide when to use it and when not to use it. This may become a problem because I found that sometimes the Vintage Warmer did make certain sounds more muddy and this was especially true when I used it on the whole mix for certain tracks. It is important that you use your ears when doing drastic processing like this so that you can be sure that you're not detracting from the mix rather than adding to it.

Comparisons to the Vintage Warmer

I found the Vintage Warmer to be in a league of its own when comparing it to other multi-band compressors. However, I found that there were several other plug-ins that are now imitating the design of the vintage warmer, but none are quite as good. One of those that was good was that of the URS saturation plug-in. This is a popular device that has a slightly more crunchy sound than that of the vintage warmer.

Summary

The Vintage Warmer is a brilliant plug-in that I really appreciate, thanks to its cheap price and its access to demos around the web which also allow individuals the ability to test it out before they buy. I also liked the ease-of-use and was able to add it to sounds and tweak the plug-in very quickly in order to get a good result. I think that it may get overused if the individual does not pay attention to the sound and it is important to stay vigilant with the plug-in when you do choose to use it on your mix and on certain sounds. However, if you use a sequencer which allows plug-ins, then investing in the Vintage Warmer is certainly a good idea.

Transparent installation, no setup problems. The manual is clear, it explains the use of each of the controls. The software comes with lots of good presets that can be used right away to find your personal sound.

PERFORMANCE

I use a PC, P2 350 with 384 mb ram, which is pretty old for current standards, with Logic Audio Gold 4.8.1 and Wavelab: No issues whatsoever.
In terms of performance, it's a bit resource-intensive, I can only use one when mixing with Logic. Hence I use it for pre-mixes as soon as I have more then 20 audio tracks, EQs, compressors, and two reverbs, so no surprises in that respect. With a more modern setup, you should be able to use it on several tracks without a sweat.
So, considering this limitation, I have a good stability.
As far as Wavelab is concerned, it's more of a coloration and mastering tool, so no problemo...

OVERALL OPINION

I just bought it after having abused the demo, especially to give some warmth to vocals. The sound is awesome, I no longer have to pass my recordings through a tape recorder, it's very effective!
I tested Steinberg's tape recorder, but it sounds like a toy compared to the PSP, it's cold an aggressive: It seems they wanted to emulate a distortion...besides, I think it's more resource-intensive.
So, for a similar price, the Vintage Warmer gives you better quality and delicacy for mixing and pre-mastering: It's amazing!

Bottom line, I haven't found anything better in its genre and, even if it's new, I feel I won't be able to do without it.

Quick installation.

Irreproachable manual (it's PSP).

PERFORMANCE

The best software compressor I have ever tried.

If you are looking for the ultimate transparency for pre-mastering, you'd better turn to Waves (C-4) or Oxford.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it systematically on every track for two years, this plug-in is indispensable!

It's not transparent...It's simply beautiful.

Value for money: 150 euros for a download it's not easy to stomach. Two years later, it's a bargain, free, zilch!

It's the only plug-in I'd take with me to a desert island!

One thing I can say about PSP plugins is that they are stable, light, and quick to install. I've never had a single issue and I've been using them for years. Well, I used 1 forever and finally got 2 because I liked the original so much. The manual is great and informative, although I must say after all these years of using Vintage Warmer I'm still not entirely sure what it is exactly. I'm fairly sure it's a tube compressor or preamp emulation. At this point I really don't care because I know what it does, and I like what it does. The manual isn't totally required because if you've used anything like this before you won't have trouble figuring out the controls.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

I originally used Vintage Warmer as a mastering plugin. It just makes the mixes POP more to my ears. I use it with Cubase and Pro Tools sometimes. I later found that if I used it on tracks that sounded muffled or bland it would magically liven them up and bring them into the mix with a lot more grace. It really became my "last resort" plugin before I forced myself to do a retake of a bad track. Just when I think a track is beyond saving, I put vintage warmer on it and I swear more times than not it's suddenly usable. Not only usable but actually really great. Usually there's not even much tweaking involved. I can actually run a bus with VW in it and run whatever bad tracks I have through that bus. It does the same magic to all of them.

When I got Vintage Warmer 2 I was a little upset at first. I felt like I couldn't get the same sound out of it that I got with 1 and I didn't like that. However once I figured out the new controls it won me over. I now like it even more.

OVERALL OPINION

I think Vintage Warmer might be my favorite plugin. Okay, that's a stretch. But in terms of most used plugins, it's probably in the top 3. There's always one or two tracks on every song I do that want to be difficult. PSP VW fixes them right up most of the time. A warning though, too much of this plugin can really kill a mix big time if you aren't careful. Especially if it's in your master bus. It's a supplemental plugin. Not made for extreme use.