Loc-Ness V3

Name: Loc-Ness V3
Price: 99 USD
Author: Tone Empire

by Tone Empire · Saturation · Saturation and compression processor

Not rated yet

Loc-Ness V3 combines saturation, Level-Loc-style compression and filtering in one processor.

Four drive characters, pre or post filters, autogain and up to 8x oversampling are included, for $99 (free upgrade for V2 owners).

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

Keywords: drums, bass, auto-gain, electric guitar, heavy, oversampling, parallel processing, keys, subtle, A/B compare, gritty, synths, aggressive, bus processing, clean, CPU-light, destructive, drum bus, enhancement, free, mixing, room mics, samples & loops, single-band, thick.

What it does

Loc-Ness V3 is Tone Empire's "smash box": saturation, compression and filtering in one processor for drums, guitars, bass, synths and keys. It runs serially, from the Crust drive into the Smash compressor.

Crust: saturation drive with four characters (I to IV), from subtle thickening to full destruction.
Smash: Level-Loc-style crush compression, with Attack, Phase, Mix and Output controls.
Mix: blends the processed signal with the dry one for parallel use.
Filters: high-pass and low-pass filters that you can place before or after the processing, so you can keep the lows or the air intact.
Autogain and A/B: automatic level compensation and an A/B compare.
Oversampling: up to 8x, for cleaner results at high drive settings.

The upgrade is free for Loc-Ness V2 owners. A 15-day full-version trial with no feature limits is available.

Source: Tone Empire product page

When to use it

Loc-Ness V3 is the more flexible take on the Level-Loc crush sound. Compared with Soundtoys' Devil-Loc Deluxe, it adds four drive characters, filters you can move before or after the processing, autogain and oversampling. Compared with Decapitator, it pairs the drive with heavy compression, so one plugin handles both grit and squash. It is more of a colour-and-smash tool than a general bus compressor.

Best for: parallel crush on drums and room mics, reviving dull drum loops, and grit on bass and guitars.
Genres: rock, metal, hip-hop and electronic music.
Look elsewhere if: you want transparent compression; a clean bus compressor suits better.
Tip: Tape Op's reviewer found only a touch of Smash was needed for punch, and liked Type 2 on bass.

What producers say

The original Loc-Ness got a strongly positive Tape Op review; the main caution was how aggressive the Smash stage is.

Tape Op (Ben Bernstein, issue 132, 2019, first version) said it gives drums impact and is "not just a bus compressor", and praised the easy interface, low CPU use and the value.
Uses: Tape Op found it worked on drums, guitars, bass, vocals and keyboards, both in parallel and on single tracks, and said the first two Types suit subtle but edgier sounds.
Criticisms: Tape Op raised no real faults, but warned that the Smash function is "very aggressive" and needs restraint.

Tape Op review

Where to buy

Tone Empire: $99
Plugin Boutique: $99

Tutorials and reviews

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