Omega 2 - Model A

Name: Omega 2 - Model A
Price: 39 USD
Author: Kush Audio

by Kush Audio · Saturation · API-style console saturation

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Omega 2 - Model A is a saturation plugin modeled on a 1976 API console, from slight sparkle to gritty breakup as you drive it.

It adds filters, parallel blend and gain-staging meters to the original Omega design, for $39.

Best for: Drums, Bass, Guitars, Vocals, Mix Bus. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: gritty, metering, 70s, bass, drums, enhancement, mixing, parallel processing, punchy, American console, bright, bus processing, electric guitar, hardware emulation, inspired by, auto-gain, full mix, glue, live performance, low latency, mix bus, built-in mix knob, oversampling, perpetual licence, polish, resizable UI, single-band, subscription, tracking, utility, vocals.

What it does

Omega 2 - Model A is a Kush Audio saturator that, in the developer's words, "vibes like a mic plugged straight into an API console from 1976." It adds sparkle and sheen at low settings and breaks into gritty, antique saturation as you push it.

Character: bright, punchy console colour that brings out attack and upper-mid presence, turning to a cloud of grit when driven hard.
Filters: phase-friendly high-pass and low-pass filters before the saturation, set on an XY control, to choose which part of the signal gets driven.
Blend and makeup: a parallel Blend control with pre-blend Makeup Gain, so the driven signal can be level-matched before mixing it with the dry one.
Metering: dual input and output peak meters plus an analog-style VU for gain staging.
Processing modes: Analog Highs with oversampling, or a Low Latency mode for tracking and live use.
Workflow: a resizable interface and copy/paste of settings across instances.

A perpetual license with free updates is available, an upgrade license is offered, and a free 10-day demo is available. It is also included in Kush's subscription to all its plugins.

Source: Kush Audio product page

When to use it

Omega 2 - Model A is a single, focused console flavour at a low price, aimed at adding edge rather than offering many saturation types. Compared with Decapitator it has one character instead of five styles, but its pre-saturation filters, blend and metering make that one colour easy to place. It is brighter and more forward than the tube colour of Black Box HG-2, which leans towards bus glue. Against Saturation Knob, which is free and almost controlless, it gives far more control over what gets driven. It is one of several Omega 2 models, with the 458a and N covering other flavours.

Best for: adding punch, attack and edge to drums, bass, guitars and dull leads.
Genres: rock, pop, hip-hop and any style needing console grit.
Look elsewhere if: you want many saturation styles in one plugin (Decapitator or Saturn 2 cover more) or a softer, darker colour for a mix bus (HG-2).

Where to buy

Kush Audio: $39

Tutorials and reviews

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