UK-based Gareth Hester is a forward-thinking sound designer with Zero-G,
Sunderland Audio, and the VR gaming company Beloudest. Hester describes how
relies on Metric Halo Production Bundle plug-ins to get great work done quickly.

“One of the things I love most about making music is how rewarding it is to learn new
techniques that allow me to take sounds in a new direction,’ Hester said. “The Metric
Halo plug-ins have made that process faster and more direct. Especially when I’m
working as a sound designer, my sessions can often be spontaneous – I’ll just drop
the entire Metric Halo Production Bundle on a channel! Then I have everything I need:
ChannelStrip for fundamental equalisation and dynamics, Character to give it a
particular “sound,’ and then all of the more sophisticated dynamics and effects, like
TransientControl and Dirty Delay. Before I found Metric Halo, I found that I burned
through a lot of time messing around with plug-ins that ultimately couldn’t give me
what I wanted. I’m glad to be done with that.’

Hester cited Metric Halo’s unusually-low CPU demands as another great reason to load
them onto channel after channel in his sessions; they come at almost no CPU cost.
“Previously, running up against the limits of my CPU was a constant battle,’ he said.
“It’s nice to be able to focus on the demands of the audio alone.’ Hester also uses
Metric Halo’s affordable, stand-alone sound analysis software, SpectraFoo, which is
equally-easy on the CPU. SpectraFoo’s objective reference has helped to speed up his
already-speedy production time by helping to settle any questions about the technical
aspects of his music and sound design work.

Hester dug in on a couple of his favourite and unique Metric Halo Production Bundle
plug-ins – TransientControl and Dirty Delay: “Now that I’ve had Metric Halo
TransientControl, I cannot go back to processing snares or claps without it. It’s a
subtle, but critical effect. It preserves all of the sound’s character, but it gives the
snare room and takes any harshness away. I find that lot of the digital samples
commonly used in dance music can be very harsh. I’ve tried all the transient plug-ins,
and Metric Halo TransientControl is my favourite by far. The settings are so
straightforward and intuitive; I get the result I’m after in just minutes.’

He continued, “I keep Metric Halo Dirty Delay on a bus channel for pretty much
everything I ever work on. I send synths and pads to it. Just having that effect gliding
in and out of the mix at certain points can really add a unique aspect to a track. Like
all of the Production Bundle plug-ins, Dirty Delay comes with a bunch of useful presets
that give me a terrific jump-start to what I want to achieve, and it has a clean, clear
interface. Metric Halo has given me a quick way to make great sounds and great
music.’