BIG AL
by NEOLD · Saturation · Dual-stage tube saturator
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A dual-stage tube saturation plugin based on original NEOLD circuitry.
Best for: Mix Bus, Drums, Vocals. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: tube, bass, drums, vocals, warm, broadcast, bus processing, colored, enhancement, full mix, hardware emulation, heavy, mix bus, mixing, parallel processing, single-band, synths, vintage.
What it does
BIG AL is NEOLD's dual-stage tube saturator, built around pre-amp and power tubes and modelled on vintage radio-era hardware.
- Two tube stages: pre and power tubes generate the coloration, from warmth to heavier saturation.
- Tone controls: a Low control (Baxandall shelf around 100 Hz) and a High control (peaking filter around 10 kHz) shape what gets saturated.
- Jumper matrix: three onboard mods: Emphasis Shift, Bass Compensator and Voltage Sag.
- Mix: a parallel control for blending in the dry signal.
When to use it
Reach for BIG AL when you want tube saturation that you shape with just a few controls, especially on the low and high ends. It sits nearer Decapitator or Saturation Knob in purpose than a tape emulation.
- Best for: adding warmth and density to drums, bass, vocals, synths and buses.
- Look elsewhere if: you want tape compression and head bump; a tape plugin is more direct.
Where to buy
- Plugin Alliance: $125
Tutorials and reviews
- Neold BIG AL - Playthrough
- Neold BIG AL: Walkthrough, Examples and Review
- Neold BIG AL - Tom Van Den Heuvel Demo
- Neold Big Al from Plugin Alliance Gear Review
- Plugin Alliance Neold Big AL Review
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