While it may be “over the top” for a mastering task, it may be just the thing for avocal track that needs enhancement or presence that cannot be achieved using EQ.Due to the processor’s unique phase behavior, modulations in frequency response may occur at certain AX MIX settings in MIX2 mode. MIX2 mode is based on the sound of the original hardware unit’s MIX mode, as an insert. We decided to provide both sounds in insert mode for the user’s convenience, by introducing an additional MIX mode. Since today’s users may prefer to insert the plugin directly on a track, we wanted to make this send/return sound available in insert mode. Val’s aux send/return setup delivers “the sound” that is forever etched on hit records of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. However, he also told us that he always used the device in a send/return auxiliary setup in AX mode. Producer/engineer Val Garay, one of the high-profile users who helped popularize the original Aural Exciter, listened to the plugin prototype and confirmed that the sound of our software corresponds perfectly with the hardware unit. This is primarily because the phase relation between the direct sound and the AX sound isreversed, and the signal that the AX is mixed with is a pure direct, while the device’s BP (bypassed) signal includes its own phase response which, while not fully inverted, does affect the sound of the mix. In the 1980s, no respectable recording studio would be without an Aural Exciter and, much like the SSL mixing console that came later, owning one could be the deciding factor in an artist’s decision to use your studio some went as far as boasting of its use in their albums’ liner notes.When we originally modeled the unit, replicating its sound in both insert and aux send/return modes, we realized that each mode had its own unique sound. Originally, the Aural Exciter was available only to hire, however its popularity led to the release of the lower-cost solid-state Type B and Type C models, which were available to buy. Unlike standard equalisers, this process of boosting perceived high frequencies does not alter level or produce the unwanted effect of increasing hiss, a problem often encountered with top-end boost, especially when mixing from analogue tape. The unit can be tuned to improve presence and intelligibility, as well as creating a sense of air and space at higher settings. During this process, a certain amount of phase shift occurs, which adds to the final effect. The Exciter enhances audio by adding synthesised harmonics to the existing high frequencies of the signal by way of Aphex’s patented ‘Transient Discriminate Harmonics Generator’. This is where an enhancer such as the Aural Exciter came in to its own, restoring some life and top-end sheen to the tired sounds.Īlthough the Aphex Aural Exciter could be regarded as a type of equaliser, it operates in a very different way from conventional EQ systems. The lengthy overdubbing process had a negative impact on the condition of the 24-track master tape, so by the time the project had reached the mixing stage, the worn tape had rendered many of the sounds dull and flat. One of the first successful albums to make use of the Aural Exciter was Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, which was recorded at The Record Plant in California in 1976.
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