Overloud

Using it with an i5 under Win7x64, and a UX2 audio interface. It only took me very little time to jump on it when I got the email from Overloud announcing the release of TH3. I can easily compare both TH2 and TH3 since I own both (well, almost: my TH3 is a 15-day free unlimited version) and I'll tell what I perceive as the good and not-so-good points of this new version. Pros: - Easy to use from the beginning, quite intuitive and as easy to use as TH2 - Sound appears more precise, cleaner and of a better quality than the previous version - Cab sounds seem wider and more diversified, with a better response to mic placement than was the case in TH2 - Original presets are more varied and different from those in TH2 - Great new stompboxes (such as a new, ISP-like smart noisegate) - Finally, pedals and amps look different from each other AND have a look reminiscent of their original counterparts - Ability to import TH2 presets (caution: sound is slightly different) - More bass-dedicated gear - Integrated multi-layer looper and metronome (better for recording) Cons : - A more precise sound also makes it more difficult to get a natural, organic sound, which won't serve some playing styles - Some new effects are either useless or gimmicky (an emulation of another emulation with bad-sounding effects) - The multi-layer looper doesn't seem to be moveable, it's impossible to put it before or in between effects: hence, no way to use it to record a track then play it to adjust your settings - No more copy/paste function - No more possible to change the background - No "minimap" for a global visualization of the whole effect chain - That's quite subjective, but I really prefer TH2's matrix-like preset organization compared with the way they are aligned in TH3. There's a great loss in visibility, especially when you have tons of custom presets. - Some freezes and choppy sound problems when launching some of the presets In a nutshell, I'd say TH3 has a neater sound that fits better modern playing styles and all sorts of rhythm guitar sounds. I have already to get farther than the (already heavy) sounds I had managed to get out of TH2 - and yet, for that matter, TH2 already delivered quite heavy yet precise tones. For slightly old-school (80s-90s) overdriven/lead solos, or even for less sharp, more organic clean tones, I still favor TH2 which may sound less neutral but seems warmer. With the current upgrade promo (at 79€ instead of 99€), it's a hard choice to make... I find the evolution to be quite noticeable but not a real revolution, there are new features but also new flaws. What a dilemma - wish they would provide us with a mix of both...

Overloud's BReverb is a high quality reverb plug-in for your Digital Audio Workstation. It is available for Apple and Windows systems and in VST, RTAS, or Audio Units plug-in formats. Getting the plug-in installed and up and running was pretty easy, as I didn't have any technical or other issues. Using BReverb isn't necessarily hard, but there's definitely a lot that you can do with it, so learning all the ins and outs will take some use. It has four basic modes for plate, room, hall, and inverse reverbs, each of which have their own presets and parameters to work with. It's a cool looking interface and is one that is also pleasant on the eyes. The presets are great starting points and it's also easy enough to make your own. I wouldn't think that too many users would need the assistance of the manual, but I can't say how well put together it is since I haven't seen it. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Within my current home recording rig, the Overloud BReverb plug-in runs just fine. I'm running it as an RTAS plug-in in Pro Tools LE 8 and on Mac Book Pro computer. The lap top has 4 GB of RAM and a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, while I'm running Pro Tools LE with a Digi 002R audio interface or a Digidesign Micro Box if I'm on the go. I always run reverb plug-ins on auxiliary channels to save processing power anyway, but within my system I could definitely run a number of them at once without issues. I'd think that as long as you have a system where you can currently run your DAW and plug-ins comfortably, you should be okay. OVERALL OPINION Overall, the Overloud BReverb is a great reverb plug-in. It isn't my first choice, but it's definitely on the quality of being a first choice reverb plug-in. I guess I'm just used to using TL Space and Altiverb, so I'll usually go with those first. Being fairly new to this plug-in, I'm still learning about it, but in the couple of months that I've had it I've definitely been using it more and more. It has a great sound and I love the interface and the way everything is set up as it makes it really easy to use. My favorite algorithm is probably the plate reverb since I'm a sucker for plates, but all of the modes are very useful and the presets are great as well. This plug-in really doesn't cost much relatively, so if you're in the market for a great verb plug-in, I'd definitely encourage you to try out BReverb.

The Overloud SpringAge is a very complete spring reverb emulator effect plug-in for your DAW. I don’t own this plug-in, but the studio that I work at recently picked it up as it’s a fairly new plug-in and we try to stay up on the newest plug-ins, or at least from brands that we have other plug-ins from as we do Overloud. I wasn’t the one to install the plug-in, but will say that since it’s compatible pretty much across the board and for this reason I can’t imagine too many people having any sort of installation trouble with it. The configuration of the SpringAge plug-in isn’t necessarily hard to use, but there’s definitely a lot going on with it. It gives you three different models to choose from here, as well as the ability to control the amount of drive and time. It also has some more ambiguous parameters, like those for ‘boingy,’ tension, and bright. It also has two bands of equalization, and dry and wet controls as well. I haven’t had a need to look at a manual for this plug-in, and don’t think that most users will need it. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE The studio that I work at has the plug-in running right now just on our A room system. We have a number of different rooms, so I’m sure we will be installing it on all of them soon. The main room that we’re running it on consist of Pro Tools HD, a Neve console, Apogee converters, and a Mac Pro desk top computer with dual 2.66 Ghz Intel Xeon processors and 10 GB of RAM. This system is more than adequate to run many instances of this plug-in at once, but no matter the system you’re running it on it’s still a good idea to save space by using it on auxiliary channels. OVERALL OPINION Overall, the Overloud SpringAge definitely does not disappoint. It’s got an incredibly realistic sound to it and is hands down the best spring reverb emulator that I’ve used before in a plug-in. It’s cool that this only focuses on getting a spring reverb sound, as zeroing in on this has made it a more specific plug-in than you’d get with a more general reverb plug-in. I love how much control over your sound you’ve got here as well, making it possible to get all sorts of different spring reverb sounds right here. One of the best parts about the SpringAge is the price, as it’s a professional plug-in at an amateur price. It’s at least worth checking out the demo version of this plug-in if you’re at all interested.

Overloud's TH1 is an in depth guitar effect suite and amp modeling plug-in. It's pretty much a one stomp shop for getting guitar tones. I don't own this plug-in, so I wasn't involved with installation or anything to do with getting started with the plug-in. In my time using the plug-in at the studio that I work at, I've found it to be a pretty user friendly interface considering how many different processors there are available here. You've got all sorts of different amps, cabinets, and effects of all types to choose from. The interface is awesome as it will show you everything laid out that you've got going on, showing you everything in a realistic looking display. The plug-in can be used on Mac or PC operating systems and is available as either an AudioUnit, RTAS, or VST plug-in, in addition to the fact that you can also use it as a standalone piece of software. A manual might be a good idea so you can have all of it's pertinent information right at your finger tips, but I haven't seen it myself. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE The studio that I work at has the Overloud TH1 running on a number of different systems, all of which are Pro Tools HD based. The software doesn't seem to take up much processing power to begin with considering how much is in here, but it doesn't matter much anyway since our HD systems can handle pretty much anything. I can't say how well this might run in Pro Tools LE, as that's a whole different ballgame from our HD systems. OVERALL OPINION The Overloud TH1 is definitely one of the most in depth and complete guitar based pieces of software out there. It's got virtually every type of processing that you'd want with a virtual guitar rig, consisting of a ton of amp modeling processing and endless effects to choose from. I love the way the interface looks, as it looks just like a real guitar set up! The sounds for the most part on the TH1 are very good, but there are times when it doesn't sound too realistic in my opinion, but this is mostly with some of the effects in there. While there is amp modeling software out there that sounds better than this in my opinion, you won't find many out there that are complete as this at this price...