PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: Closely collaborating with founding partner JMG Sound, independent development teams federation United Plugins is proud to announce availability of DarkFire — an analogue-like preamp and saturator plug-in providing complete control over added harmonics by allowing them to be detached after saturating a signal then processed separately before being blended back with the original audio signal — as of December 10…
Added harmonic sculpting
It is fair to say that harmonics — frequencies that are integer multiples of a fundamental frequency produced when a musical note is played — are a crucial component in music production, adding richness, depth, and character to sounds, as well as defining the timbre that makes each instrument unique. Ultimately, enhancing harmonics makes for more dynamic and engaging audio. And manipulating harmonics results in a more professional and emotionally resonant sound in music production. Professionals flexing their music production muscles more often than not worship the warmth and character that saturation brings to the production table, so it stands to reason, then, that there are those who wish to have complete creative control over what exactly is added to their audio. And now they can, for JMG Sound’s DarkFire effectively enables anyone to sculpt only the added harmonics before blending them back with the original audio signal, adding depth, width, and movement for a more dynamic and expressive sound.
Start at the beginning
Complete control over added harmonics As an analogue-like preamp and saturator plug-in providing complete control over added harmonics, DarkFire’s HARMONIC SHAPER represents the being processed signal’s next — albeit all-important — port of call; EQ — of the LOW, MID, and HIGH variety, all modelled on a classic passive tube equaliser enabling warm and musical tone-shaping — combined with other notable controls — namely, INPUT DRIVE (controls the amount of gain applied to the saturator’s input), HARMONICS LEVEL (controls the level of processed signal added to the dry signal), COMP (controls the amount of dynamic compression, modelled on classic FET and VCA compressors known for their fast attack times and distinctive tones), STEREO (controls the amount of stereo content), DEPTH (controls the amount of ’3D depth’, based on a multiple short delays-driven psychoacoustic trick), and MOD (controls the depth of the modulation effect) — combine to make it possible to sculpt and shape the harmonics, allowing users to place them only where needed.
Over and out
On the face of it, though, the DarkFire-processed signal’s controlled journey ends at the plug-in’s OUTPUT FILTER section — also featuring HP controlling the frequency of its high-pass filter and LP controlling the frequency of its low-pass filter — that is deployed for processing that added signal still further before being layered with the original dry signal.
Are we there yet?
Saying that, clicking the ADV (advanced) button on the toolbar at the top of the GUI (Graphical User Interface) introduces additional INPUT FILTER and HARMONIC SHAPER settings: SLOPE — selects the filter types for each filter (also available as additional OUTPUT FILTER settings); TAPE/TUBE — selects the saturation type; 60/100, 300/700, and 4K/10K — selects the frequencies for the three-band EQ; PRESS ON/OFF — enables a compander that applies more saturation to the quieter levels; VCA/FET — selects the compressor type; FULL/HIGH — selects if the STEREO widening is applied to the FULL frequency range or only the HIGH frequencies; TIGHT/DEEP — selects the delay length for the DEPTH effect; and SLOW/FAST — selects the MOD rate.
Click to apply
Apply to pretty much everything could well be DarkFire’s musical motto. After all, separately processing harmonics enhances mixing by improving clarity and definition, allowing for precise tonal shaping. Since presence, depth, and creative effects are added, it clearly benefits instruments including bass, drums, guitars, pianos, strings, and synths, as well as vocals — pretty much everything, in other words!
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Generates additional harmonics that are separated from the original signal
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Sculpt and shape harmonics to place them only where needed
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Adds depth, width, and movement for a more dynamic and expressive sound
JMG Sound’s DarkFire is available to purchase for a time-limited introductory promo price of only €15.00 EUR until January 12, 2025 — rising thereafter to its regular price of €69.00 EUR — as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in (using internal 64-bit audio processing capable of handling any sample rate) directly from its dedicated webpage (https://unitedplugins.com/DarkFire), where a 15-day, fully-functional trial version for macOS 10.10 and newer and Windows 8/10/11 can also be downloaded for free.
Note that no iLok, dongle, or internet access is required for DarkFire activation. (All United Plugins software uses license files for activation and owners can freely use purchased software — with free-for-life updates — on all their computers for as long as they are the user.)
