HD Cart

Name: HD Cart
Price: 199 USD
Author: LiquidSonics

by LiquidSonics · Reverb · Vintage digital reverb emulation

Not rated yet

A recreation of a rare high-density expansion cartridge for a classic digital reverb unit, originally from Reverb Foundry and now part of LiquidSonics.

It brings that vintage digital sound to surround formats up to 9.1.6 and adds modern dynamics, EQ and chorusing with a low CPU footprint.

Best for: Vocals, Drums, Keys & Synths, Guitars. Genres: Pop, Rock & Indie, R&B & Soul, Ambient & Cinematic.

Keywords: digital classic, hardware emulation, vintage, classic, 80s, modern, chorus, CPU-light, downward expansion, vocals, digital-sounding, ambience, cinematic, drums, ducking, external sidechain, hall, lush, mixing, plate, sidechain input, snare, tempo-synced, wide.

What it does

HD Cart is LiquidSonics' "vintage digital reverb for modern Atmos workflows." It recreates a rare expansion cartridge for a seminal digital reverb unit (identified by Production Expert as the Lexicon 480L HD cartridge) and extends it well beyond the original's channel count.

Channel formats: mono, stereo, LCR, quad, 5.0 to 5.1.4, 7.0 to 7.1.6 and 9.0.4 to 9.1.6.
Space controls: spread, size and reverb time, with early and late reflection roll-off at 6, 12, 18 or 24 dB slopes.
Modulation: the classic spin and wander effect plus independent reflection and reverb chorusing.
Dynamics and EQ: ducking, gating and compression with external sidechain, and low, mid-band and high EQ with several modes.
Workflow: tempo-synced pre-delay, parameter locking and more than 200 presets, with a low CPU and memory footprint.

The current version is 1.3.8.

Source: LiquidSonics product page

When to use it

HD Cart is a vintage digital reverb in the 1980s hardware tradition. Relab LX480 Dual-Engine Reverb and Universal Audio's Lexicon 480L Digital Reverb and Effects model the same family of hardware in stereo, and Valhalla VintageVerb offers a broader set of vintage-inspired modes at a lower price. Choose HD Cart when you want that dense, modulated digital sound in surround or Atmos, with modern dynamics built in.

Best for: lush vocal and snare plates and halls, classic 1980s digital ambience, and surround music mixes.
Genres: pop, rock, R&B, soul and cinematic work.
Look elsewhere if: you want a clean, realistic room (Cinematic Rooms or Valhalla Room) or a full 480L with all its programs.
Standout: classic spin and wander modulation carried across up to 9.1.6 channels.

What producers say

Coverage is limited: Production Expert rated its accuracy and efficiency highly, while an early KVR user was unimpressed.

Production Expert (2022) Paul Maunder wrote that it "accurately recreates the sound of the original hardware" with a low CPU and memory footprint.
Gripe: one KVR user (2017, version 1) gave it 2/5, saying they were "a bit disappointed" and did not find it better than their existing reverbs.

Where to buy

LiquidSonics: $199

Tutorials and reviews

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