Goliath V2

Name: Goliath V2
Price: 79 USD
Author: Tone Empire

by Tone Empire · Channel Strip · Saturation, FET compression and EQ

Not rated yet

Goliath V2 combines four saturation characters with a FET compressor envelope and a three-band EQ.

The modes cover British transformer, valve, tape and vinyl colour, for $79.

Best for: Drums, Bass, Guitars, Drum Bus, Mix Bus. Genres: Rock & Indie, Metal, Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM.

Keywords: FET, tape, tube, vinyl, bass, drums, hardware emulation, transformer, British console, bus processing, character-heavy, electric guitar, inspired by, metering, warm, 70s, circuit-modelled, component-modelled, convolution, drum bus, full mix, gentle, impulse-response based, mix bus, mixing, smooth, subtle, vintage.

What it does

Goliath V2 is Tone Empire's saturation channel: four analog-style colour chains plus FET-style compression and EQ in one plugin. The developer says "the characters are obvious on purpose", and each mode works as a full processing chain rather than a simple filter.

Alloy: a 1081-style British transformer chain, with nickel, iron and steel characters.
Tube: valve warmth with an AIR circuit.
Tape: an ATR-700-style tape machine running at 15 ips.
Vinyl: a warm, gently compressed vinyl character.
Dynamics: a FET-style compressor envelope section for anything from transient shaping to obvious pumping.
EQ and filter: a three-band EQ and a low-cut filter, with drive and a VU meter.

The engine combines multi-convolution and component modelling. It comes with free updates. A 15-day full-version trial is available with no feature limits.

Source: Tone Empire product page

When to use it

Goliath V2 is the better pick when you want strong, obvious colour plus compression and EQ in one window. Compared with Black Box Analog Design HG-2, it adds tape and vinyl modes, a compressor and a three-band EQ. Compared with Decapitator, it has fewer saturation styles but adds a compressor and three-band EQ. It is far narrower than a full channel strip like Scheps Omni Channel or Neutron 5: there is no gate, de-esser or detailed EQ, just character, dynamics and broad tone.

Best for: bold colour on drums, bass, guitars and buses.
Genres: rock, metal, hip-hop and electronic music.
Look elsewhere if: you want subtle colour or a complete mixing channel; Scheps Omni Channel or SSL Native Channel Strip 2 give finer control.
Tip: Audio Plugin Guy suggested raising the drive until the effect is clearly audible, then switching modes, and engaging the low-cut to stop low-end build-up (advice from the original Goliath).

What producers say

We found no review of V2 itself; the original Goliath was well received.

Audio Plugin Guy (2018, original Goliath) scored it 4.4 out of 5, praising the immediate saturation, an envelope section that goes from subtle transient control to big pumping, a smooth EQ, a good manual and presets.
Criticisms: that review found the metal-themed parameter names confusing, warned of frequency build-up when used on many tracks, and wanted to place the EQ before or after the saturation.

Audio Plugin Guy review (original Goliath)

Where to buy

Tone Empire: $79
Plugin Boutique: $79

Tutorials and reviews

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