In response to requests from first-generation users, host application and audio
effects developer Audified is proud to announce availability of the second-
generation version of STA Effects — an affordable bundle of new and improved
summing tube processing plug-ins based around its proprietary Summing Tube
Amplifier (STA) technology from which the bundle takes its name — as of August 1.
The STA technology benefits from using two signal paths, one being processed by
modulation or spectral change while the other remains unprocessed. Those two
signals are mixed via vacuum tube circuitry models, making more ordinary-
sounding effects like flanging or phasing sound extraordinary, with some unique and
warm analogue-type characteristics.
All six second-generation STA Effects plug-ins — including an all-new, self-
explanatory STA Delay addition with convenient control over tempo, decay, stereo,
ping pong, HPF (Hi-Pass Filter), and LPF (Low-Pass Filter) parameters — perform
pleasingly to the ear, thanks to improved algorithms, and also serving saturation
characteristics up to the discerning DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) user at a
painless press of one of the following five virtual buttons: P (Presence — higher
amount of mid-high frequencies to better cut through the mix), V (Vintage —
smoother highs and more even harmonics), B (Brown — an almost flat frequency
response with only light high-frequency rolloff and attractive higher harmonic
punch), W (White — higher amount of higher frequencies with balanced ratio
between the even and odd harmonics), and L (LoFi — less low and high
frequencies).
The easy-to-use STA Delay shares a number of controls with its bundled STA
Chorus, STA Enhancer, STA Flanger, STA Phaser, and STA Preamp plug-in partners
— namely, level in/level out (calibrated to provide saturation at a level of -9 dBFR,
corresponding to 0 dBVU on the metres), wet only (mutes the dry signal before the
STA circuit), saturation (drives the modelled tube circuitry into saturation), sync
(host application tempo-synchronisation settings), metres (switches between
metring the input and output stages of the plug-in), and bypass (turns off the
effects processing).
Audified Marketing Director Jakub Turecek reveals the company’s collective thinking
behind the plug-ins: “The digital audio world tends to be very accurate and overly
calculated nowadays. The lack of technical errors can lead to sterility in
contemporary music production, so STA Effects represent the combination of both
worlds. They are an exact simulation of vintage valve circuitry’s characteristic
behaviour, so bring more life to mixes.’
As a new and improved second-generation summing tube processing plug-in suite,
STA Effects takes some beating — and all without breaking the bank. Better still,
the GUI (Graphical User Interface) has been given a major makeover with retina
support, so users can clearly see and hear what they’re getting.
