SSL have announced the latest addition to their growing range of plug-ins. Described as the ultimate tool for bass generation and low-frequency enhancement, SubGen is a four-band subharmonic synthesizer that couples a natural-sounding synthesis algorithm with the company’s renowned drive and compression sounds.
The plug-in’s synthesis algorithm utilises wave inversion to generate a bi-polar waveform an octave below that of the source material, with four bands with independent frequency, bandwidth and gain controls provided to allow users to precisely dial in their additional bass content.
A graphical display above the parameters also provides a visual indication of the content being added by each band, and it is also possible to limit the overall bandwidth that processing will be applied to thanks to a pair of 12dB/octave low- and high-pass filters. The frequency cutoff for each filter can be controlled via a pair of horizontal sliders placed along an analyser display at the top of the GUI.
Some saturation can be introduced using a Drive knob, and there are three modes on offer: Bass, Kick and Pre. The first two, as the name suggests, have been tailored to suit kick drum and bass sounds, whilst the third offers a 50s valve-style overdrive well-suited to a range of different sources. A simple compressor with fixed attack and release times and a smooth knee can be operated via a single Compress parameter, with the compression section also capable providing up to 32dB of make-up gain. Instant parallel processing can also be carried out directly from within the plug-in thanks to a wet/dry mix control.
“SubGen delivers yet another sonic dimension to our SSL Complete portfolio of plug-ins. It can be used in a highly creative capacity as a generative sub-bass synthesizer to add depth to almost any instrument, it can also quickly remedy tracks suffering from a weak low end, whilst being a great tool for generating LFE content for a film mix.” - Jon Sandman, Plug-ins Product Manager, SSL
Compatibility
SubGen is supported on Mac and Windows systems, and is available in VST2, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in formats.
Pricing & Availability
SubGen is available now, priced at $79.99£65.99 excluding VAT. It is also included in the company’s growing SSL Complete subscription, as well as being available via a rent-to-own plan, details of which can be found on the SSL website.
