Funny timing, i just reinstalled the OG Sony inflator to see if it was rose tinted glasses. Unfortunately it was. From the days of when we never did equal volume comparisons this seemed like magic, now i have the ear training decades later , comparing at equal volume reveals it's not a nice saturation, in fact it just sounds like a wave shaper to me.
Spoton is good, but I've only used it on my processed vocals and all you might notice is them becoming slightly thinner. I turned everything to max, expecting to hear an autotuned vocal effect and I couldn't hear a difference at all. I don't sing out of tune though. It worked nicely on my harmonica tracks, I can't play harmonica very well and it cleaned them up nicely. I also tried it on guitar and it cleaned that up nicely too. If you select all of the notes, it just gives you a cleaner sound to work with, it seems to remove 'mud' from reverb or saturation. Definitely worth playing around with.
I find best free alternative for soothe and gullfoss. It's Robbert van der Helm Spectral Compressor. So far I haven’t found a better alternative than this plugin.😊
@@AudioReplica2023 you can find it there. But you may have to get through the worst experience ever: compiling a C software yourself! It's so frustrating!
Essentially masking is covering up something with something else. Masking plugins are quickly replacing traditional EQs and Dynamic EQs as an easier way to make one element of a track stand out more by masking another or even multiple elements aka turning down the frequencies that clash with the element you want to stand out
It's like when your listening to Tom tell a story and then his twin brother Jeff tells a different story simultaneously. The voices are difficult to differentiate, Jeff's voice is masking Tom's voice. If you take an EQ and notch out the masking frequencies of Jeff's voice then it's easy to tell which words belong to which story
Masking also occurs within the same source. Not only between 2 audio sources. All harmonics have multiples, so if you have resonant low harmonic at e.g 250 Hz, this could be what is causing most of your harshness at e.g. 2 kHz. This was a huge game changer for me as I was trying to fix midrange harshness, and once I really learned to EQ lows first before anything else, the higher midrange sorted itself out. Actually Sage has a great video on it, just type on “Sage Audio Masking” and it should come up.
Yeah, I might’ve preferred a different sample. This one sounds a little gritty once sample. Doesn’t really do it for me. Gets boring after a few different plug-ins would’ve preferred to hear a nice clean female voice as a counterpoint. Thanks all the same because I do appreciate your plug-in recommendations!
I always have problem when I try to run The Masker on my M1 Mac. The VST3 file doesn’t appear in Ableton browser and the AU file doesn’t run because the system says it can’t be trusted. Any solution?
That's always an issue with free plugins - you have to open up your Mac's security in the System Settings app, scroll down and either hit open anyway or trust this developer, etc. (Depends on your OS)
@@sageaudioI can verify that this works in TheMasker’s case, had the same problem but I used exactly this method and it worked! 1. install themasker & drag the .vst3 file to your designated plugin folder 2. open logic 3. it’s gonna show the pop-up message that it can’t be opened 4. whilst still on that pop-up, open your settings and go to security & privacy 5. click open the ‘general’ tab and click on the little lock 🔒 at the left bottom corner, fill out your password 6. u should now be able to click ‘open anyway’ next to a sentence reading that your computer wants to open TheMasker but it’s not verified! once u have done all that, re-open logic and go to your plugin manager. themasker should be verified and ready for use now!! if not, repeat all steps once u see the pop up😁
If you're trying to shape 2 signals around each other - for example kick and bass. Or maybe the guitars and vocals, etc. If you put Gullfoss on one track, sidechain the competing signal, then enable side-chain detection in the plugin, it'll shape the affected track "around" the sidechained signal.
sage please help brother, I installed JS Inflator but the developer just doesn’t show up as an option in my plugin list when im in a session…. I did the whole security thing and the plugin does show up in my plugin manager (successfully validated), just not in the plugin list, what do i do??
Interesting! At that point I'd try restarting the computer. Also, I've noticed that some free plugins won't show up unless there's a track in the channel, so maybe this is one of those situations.
@@sageaudioBoth of those options are out of the way and I tried them already😢 Still not working, how did u install it or get it to work? Is your plugin also registered under a weird dev name like ‘yg333’ ??? pls help I need it in my logic forreal😅😅
@@paulcho It's literally a sinoid waveshaper, most DAWs probably have the same functionality in a stock plugin. Not to say it's useless, it still sounds hella nice!
@@paavoilves5416 I enjoy reading manuals of plugins and every clone can’t match the clipping function of the inflator. It’s unique sound comes to life when you drive input and minus output + the other functions of the plugin
It has some features like band split, and hard clipping settings in addition to continuous controls. It also runs on UAD cards so you get reduced cpu load
It's a weird combo of things. I hear people describe it as a waveshaper a lot. It uniformly amplifies the range below about -3dB. Also, it always introduces odd harmonics (except when the effect is at 0%). But then it can clip at 0dB as well if that's enabled. So it has some flexibility
SOMETHIN MOVIN THRU THE AIR TONIGHT
the delay with the moon emulation is actually the coolest thing i’ve seen all week.
The masker is an alternative to track spacer by wave factory. not gulfoss. It doesn't do anything without any side chain input
ROLLING UP A BAGEL WITH UR PROBLEMS INSIDE
Funny timing, i just reinstalled the OG Sony inflator to see if it was rose tinted glasses. Unfortunately it was. From the days of when we never did equal volume comparisons this seemed like magic, now i have the ear training decades later , comparing at equal volume reveals it's not a nice saturation, in fact it just sounds like a wave shaper to me.
Lotus sound audio has 10 plugins now. Really great stuff.
Thank you for the upload and links.
Spoton is good, but I've only used it on my processed vocals and all you might notice is them becoming slightly thinner. I turned everything to max, expecting to hear an autotuned vocal effect and I couldn't hear a difference at all. I don't sing out of tune though. It worked nicely on my harmonica tracks, I can't play harmonica very well and it cleaned them up nicely. I also tried it on guitar and it cleaned that up nicely too. If you select all of the notes, it just gives you a cleaner sound to work with, it seems to remove 'mud' from reverb or saturation. Definitely worth playing around with.
I find best free alternative for soothe and gullfoss. It's Robbert van der Helm Spectral Compressor. So far I haven’t found a better alternative than this plugin.😊
That's funny I wanted to show that one but couldn't get it running!
@@sageaudio I use clap version on reaper windows 10. No problems
I couldn't find anything on GitHub
@@AudioReplica2023 here some block for posting links
@@AudioReplica2023 you can find it there. But you may have to get through the worst experience ever: compiling a C software yourself! It's so frustrating!
i think of TheMasker more as an alternative to Soothe2. thanks for this list!
Thanks so much for including Ripple Delay in this!! Maybe unpopular opinion but I liked the sample 😂
Absolutely! It's a great plugin - definitely one of a kind delay 😊
Pitchmunk is such an amazing plugin
Thanks for the video 🤝
I wouldn’t call The Masker an alternative to Gulfoss. It’s more similar to Trackspacer in function.
Is it just me, or does this vocal snippet sound like Neil Diamond joined Creed
Well now it does! 😂
Is this for Pyro?
nice vid
What happened to the links in the description?
Vox sample designers working ot, cute as a button!
Thank you
Is TheMasker plugin free for commercial use?
why won't it work to download moon echo??
What is "masking"?
When frequencies from an audio source "mask" or cover-up, another audio source.
Essentially masking is covering up something with something else. Masking plugins are quickly replacing traditional EQs and Dynamic EQs as an easier way to make one element of a track stand out more by masking another or even multiple elements aka turning down the frequencies that clash with the element you want to stand out
It's like when your listening to Tom tell a story and then his twin brother Jeff tells a different story simultaneously. The voices are difficult to differentiate, Jeff's voice is masking Tom's voice.
If you take an EQ and notch out the masking frequencies of Jeff's voice then it's easy to tell which words belong to which story
The masker is actually mimicking track spacer. You can side chain to other instruments to carve frequencies for tracks that you want to cut through.
Masking also occurs within the same source. Not only between 2 audio sources. All harmonics have multiples, so if you have resonant low harmonic at e.g 250 Hz, this could be what is causing most of your harshness at e.g. 2 kHz. This was a huge game changer for me as I was trying to fix midrange harshness, and once I really learned to EQ lows first before anything else, the higher midrange sorted itself out.
Actually Sage has a great video on it, just type on “Sage Audio Masking” and it should come up.
Yeah, I might’ve preferred a different sample. This one sounds a little gritty once sample. Doesn’t really do it for me. Gets boring after a few different plug-ins would’ve preferred to hear a nice clean female voice as a counterpoint.
Thanks all the same because I do appreciate your plug-in recommendations!
Where would something like a demasker go in the chain?
I always have problem when I try to run The Masker on my M1 Mac. The VST3 file doesn’t appear in Ableton browser and the AU file doesn’t run because the system says it can’t be trusted. Any solution?
When you open it go to ur security settings and look for something that says “trust this developer”
That's always an issue with free plugins - you have to open up your Mac's security in the System Settings app, scroll down and either hit open anyway or trust this developer, etc. (Depends on your OS)
@@sageaudioI can verify that this works in TheMasker’s case, had the same problem but I used exactly this method and it worked!
1. install themasker & drag the .vst3 file to your designated plugin folder
2. open logic
3. it’s gonna show the pop-up message that it can’t be opened
4. whilst still on that pop-up, open your settings and go to security & privacy
5. click open the ‘general’ tab and click on the little lock 🔒 at the left bottom corner, fill out your password
6. u should now be able to click ‘open anyway’ next to a sentence reading that your computer wants to open TheMasker but it’s not verified!
once u have done all that, re-open logic and go to your plugin manager. themasker should be verified and ready for use now!! if not, repeat all steps once u see the pop up😁
How exactly would you use Gulfoss with a sidechain?
If you're trying to shape 2 signals around each other - for example kick and bass. Or maybe the guitars and vocals, etc. If you put Gullfoss on one track, sidechain the competing signal, then enable side-chain detection in the plugin, it'll shape the affected track "around" the sidechained signal.
sage please help brother, I installed JS Inflator but the developer just doesn’t show up as an option in my plugin list when im in a session…. I did the whole security thing and the plugin does show up in my plugin manager (successfully validated), just not in the plugin list, what do i do??
Interesting! At that point I'd try restarting the computer. Also, I've noticed that some free plugins won't show up unless there's a track in the channel, so maybe this is one of those situations.
@@sageaudioBoth of those options are out of the way and I tried them already😢 Still not working, how did u install it or get it to work? Is your plugin also registered under a weird dev name like ‘yg333’ ??? pls help I need it in my logic forreal😅😅
The masker don’t even work for me every single time it doesn’t come with an install. I’ve got lots of plugins and that’s one I wish I had
FL Studio?
What about Gullfoss Equalizer?
Yaaaah... The Masker EQ. Thanks.
Did they ever meet and talk? That would be fascinating to witness!!! They should organize a pay per view event like Mayweather/Pacquiao 😅
These are really cool and unique plugins. Free or paid
Which one was free gulfoss?
The Masker EQ
@@ileryon4019 masker eq is the same as trackspacer
So, the first one is basically a sine soft clipper.
*Half sine waveshaper
Comment for the algorithm
I just bought inflator like 2 weeks ago :(
Inflator > this free plugin
Inflator is still a fantastic plugin, we absolutely love it!
@@paulcho It's literally a sinoid waveshaper, most DAWs probably have the same functionality in a stock plugin. Not to say it's useless, it still sounds hella nice!
@@paavoilves5416 lmao prove it
@@paavoilves5416 I enjoy reading manuals of plugins and every clone can’t match the clipping function of the inflator. It’s unique sound comes to life when you drive input and minus output + the other functions of the plugin
"I'll include links to all of these plugins in the description"...
ONLY MOON ECHO IS AAX 😭😭😭
inflator looks different ...
most of them sound pretty bad, tbh, but the masker is something everyone should have
I never understood the inflator hype, its a soft clipper! There are hundres of free soft Clippers
Correct me if I'm wrong but on the surface it seems to give you a lot more control over saturation than your average free clipper
It has some features like band split, and hard clipping settings in addition to continuous controls. It also runs on UAD cards so you get reduced cpu load
It's a weird combo of things. I hear people describe it as a waveshaper a lot. It uniformly amplifies the range below about -3dB. Also, it always introduces odd harmonics (except when the effect is at 0%). But then it can clip at 0dB as well if that's enabled. So it has some flexibility
Would it not be adding the harmonics to the opposite side of the threshold as opposed to a typical soft clipper?
It’s a soft clipper with a very distinct curve. Like it or leave it.