With so many of them already on the market, you might wonder if we actually need another reverb plugin. What could a new one offer that all the other ones don’t?
Baby Audio’s Crystalline, however, isn’t Just Another Reverb plugin. In fact, you could argue that it represents the culmination of 60 years of reverb development.
Taking its lead from some of the greatest reverbs of the 20th century - we’re thinking of hardware bearing names like Lexicon and EMT - but offering improved clarity, definition and versatility thanks to the power of today’s computers, Crystalline has all the hallmarks of a modern classic. It gives you the tools you need to create the reverb you’ve always dreamed about - or perhaps the reverb that you can’t even imagine.
The first killer feature is the option to hard-sync the reverb’s attack and decay time to your DAW’s tempo, ensuring that the reflections are in time with the music. This should give you a cleaner mix, though you can do it the old-fashioned way - by setting the pre-delay and decay times in milliseconds - just by flicking a switch.
You have in-depth control over the size of your room, too. In fact, the Size and Length controls operate individually, enabling you to create esoteric combinations that deliver unusual results. Other parameters in the Reflections section enable you to add Sparkle to the high frequencies and set the width of the stereo image.
It’s also possible to dive deeper into the reverb algorithm, adjusting its complexity and creating pitch variations inside it. Adding Shimmer, meanwhile makes the high frequencies decay slower than the rest of the spectrum, creating an almost otherworldly halo effect.
There’s a dedicated Clean-Up section, too: the Damping control is great for removing high and low frequency content from the reverb reflections, clearing up any clutter in your mix, and there’s a high-pass filter that removes stereo information from the low end of the reverb while keeping the mono information intact. Try this when you want wide lead vocal or instrument reflections without muddying things up in the lower frequencies.
We just have to mention the Gate, too: offering threshold and release controls, this gives you an instant ‘80s gated reverb sound that Phil Collins would be proud of.
Need more? How about a Shape section that enables you to adjust the tone of the reverb, smooth it out, or shift its emphasis to the attack or sustain transients (very useful on percussive sounds). We can also tempt you with the Output section, which offers a Ducker (this lowers the reverb signal when the dry/incoming track is playing), a Reverse option and a Freeze button that, when pressed, takes a granular snapshot of the reverb and holds it until you release. This is great for adding interest to transitions.
Despite this heavy feature set, Crystalline has a GUI that’s as clean and clear as its sound, making creative exploration a pleasure.
So no, Crystalline isn’t just another reverb plugin - it’s a next-gen algorithmic reverb that blends the sounds of the past with the technology of today. You can download a free demo right now, and a special introductory offer means that Crystalline can currently be purchased for just $49 (regular price $99).
Find out more on the Baby Audio website.