Steinberg Releases Neve Portico 5033 EQ and 5043 Compressor Plug-Ins
The minds behind the popular Cubase and Nuendo DAWs have added more greatness to the Steinberg family – with a heaping helping of Yamaha VCM technology. First off, if the “Neve” name doesn’t ring any bells for you, you owe it to yourself to scan these next few sentences: Rupert Neve is legendary in the world of pro audio in the fact that, among other things, he is responsible for designing and producing the world’s first mixing consoles as well as the first fully functional automated fader system. His consoles are still widely used today, most particularly for their legendary sound consisting of one of a kind preamps, EQs and compressors.
The new Neve Portico plugins, 5033 EQ and 5043 Compressor, from Steinberg.
The new 5033 EQ and 5043 compressor emulate some of Mr. Neve’s most popular pieces of outboard gear by utilizing Yamaha VCM [Virtual Circuit Modeling] technology – essentially creating “highly accurate digital copies of analog hardware”. The new RND plug-ins are available now in VST 3, VST 2.4, and AU format (sorry, no Pro Tools!) both going for $499.99 USD. Want to know more features and specs from the manufacturer? Read on my fellow audio fiends…
“RND PORTICO 5043
The Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5043 is a high-end compressor that brings the legendary Neve sound to the world of digital music production. Incorporating Yamaha’s VCM technology, this plug-in exactly reproduces the analog punch, warmth and clarity of the hardware original.
FIVE PARAMETERS FOR EXCEPTIONAL SOUND
Following the hardware equivalent, the Portico 5043 houses five essential parameters: Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release and Gain. A minimalistic approach, that allows to focus purely on the sound that needs to be processed. Thanks to VCM technology, the depth and sonic character of Rupert Neve’s analog sound is directly transformed into the digital recording environment — without the need to deal with dozens of parameters to get that signature sound.
FEED-FORWARD COMPRESSION AND FEED-BACK COMPRESSION
The Portico 5043 features two working modes: Feed-Forward and Feed-Back compression. These modes provide two entirely different compression characteristics to choose from. While the Feed-Back mode is more musical and sweeter, the Feed-Forward mode works with even greater accuracy.
OPTICAL FEEDBACK
The compressor also includes two virtual LED metering displays, showing the level of the input signal as well as the amount of gain reduction. Another virtual signal LED shows whether a signal is currently processed or not.
RND PORTICO 5033
The Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5033 is a high-quality 5-band parametrical equalizer that brings the legendary Neve sound to the world of digital music production. Utilizing Yamaha’s unique VCM technology, this plug-in exactly reproduces the analog warmth and sonic finesse of its acclaimed hardware counterpart.
THREE FULL PARAMETRIC EQ BANDS WITH SUPERIOR PRECISION
The EQ includes three full parametrical bands: low-mid frequency, mid-frequency and high-mid frequency. Each band comes with adjustable filter-width, frequency selection and +/- 12 dB gain control for shaping the sound character with superior precision. Plus, one low-shelf and a high-shelf filter with frequency adjustment and +/- 12dB gain control allow to cut or boost high and low frequencies. By doing so, the VCM technology ensures that the behavior of the hardware and software model is exactly the same.
Apart from the low-shelf filter, each band also includes a virtual status LED, showing whether a signal is currently processed in the respective band or not. What’s more, the Portico 5033 provides an option to bypass all bands for quick A/B checks, and the TRIM knob allows an adjustment of +/- 12 dB for the entire audio signal.
THE DIGITAL ADVANTAGE
In the graphic EQ curve representation each band holds its own parameter point, which allows for simple and efficient manipulation of the frequency and gain values by moving the respective point with the mouse.”
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