MusicRadar Verdict
This engaging plugin is easy to use, with very desirable saturation-style effects. Just plug-and-go for instant analogue charm.
Pros
- +
Huge variety of distortion and saturation effects
- +
The user interface is a total delight
- +
Solid state meets tape-based saturation
- +
Helpful set of presets included
Cons
- -
Only allows basic control
- -
It’s not cheap (look out for discounts)
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
Universal Audio Verve Analog Machines: What is it?
macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer
Windows 10 and 11
Buy at Plugin Boutique
Distortion comes in many shapes, sizes and colours, and while it immediately conjures images of rock guitarists, subtle degrees of distortion can enhance everything we hear, from the sound of a cool synth to an entire mix.
Many of the more desirable distortion-based effects reside in the hardware domain, costing a small fortune, even at secondhand prices. Thankfully Universal Audio has been on a plugin crusade for many years, providing the analogue colour we yearn to hear, in a DAW-based world.
Enter Verve Analog Machines, a compendium of 10 differing but complementary models, each in the style of a particular piece of hardware.
Universal Audio Verve Analog Machines: Performance and verdict
The 10 options are selected via a beautiful graphic, which forms the central component of the user interface. It’s easy enough to work out the style of emulation from the picture, but the models breakdown to six different examples of tape machine, and four examples of solid state devices.
• SSL Native X-Saturator
A simple but exceptionally useful plugin, designed to add a couple of saturation styles to the mix.
• Soundtoys Decapitator
Great for everything from subtle saturation to full-on overdrive. Drives synths to a chaotic frenzy!
Unlike other Universal Audio plugins, there are no particular device names attached to the machines that you see in the plugin window. You can certainly make some educated guesses, but the description of your chosen effect is provided by way of an adjective. Most of these are obvious enough, but for further embellishment or clarification, you can visit the UA website for a more detailed critique.
One thing that all of the 10 models have in common is that each deliver a degree of graphical interplay, once engaged with a track. The tape machine reels whirr, while the solid state devices tend to display some form of response by way of a reactive light, to demonstrate signal strength.
You activate a model by clicking one of the associated coloured buttons, from the top of the plugin window, or you can shuttle left and right, clicking on the next obtainable graphic.
The control you have over the outputted signal is relatively basic. Each of the solid state devices provides a Drive pot with an accompanying Tone control. There’s no input control, only metering, but you can change the outputted signal via a fader below the meter.
Mostly, the resultant tone is engaging and exceptionally effective. Like many similar plugins, you do have to be a little careful. The models described as Edge and Distort can certainly be driven to an unhealthy extreme. Pair this with the option of harsh high-end colours, which can be engineered from the Tone control, and Verve can sound exceptionally overbearing. However this serves as an invite to pull back from the brink, settling on something that feels far more pleasing and refined.
The tape models, on the other hand, provide a Drive control and a Warble effect. The latter is associated with wow and flutter, and can induce substantial degrees of tape-based modulation, if required. With model descriptions such as Sweeten, Warm and Thicken, these models vary and contrast nicely against the solid state definitions, although there is a fair degree of crossover. The resultant second harmonic-style tape distortion is really effective and very workable, especially if used as part of a mastering or output chain.
In terms of outputted quality, it’s a plush suite; it could easily become a regular feature of a DAW template
Overall, Verve Analog Machines is a beautifully compiled set of effects, which are perfect for applying at the individual instrument level, or better still, at the mix level. Combining subtle saturation on the output of your DAW with some back-end compression, could substantially enhance the quality of your emitted audio. In terms of outputted quality, this is a very plush suite, which could easily become a regular feature of a DAW template.
MusicRadar verdict: This engaging plugin is easy to use, with very desirable saturation-style effects. Just plug-and-go for instant analogue charm.
Universal Audio Verve Analog Machines: Hands-on demos
Universal Audio
Dom Sigalas
Audio Tech TV
Sweetwater
Universal Audio Verve Analog Machines: Specifications
- macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer
- Windows 10 and 11
- CONTACT: Universal Audio
“With the room calibration and support software, it's the most flexible mini monitor we’ve tried”: IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor Pro review
“Maybe I’m writing a song and it doesn’t follow the exact rules of songwriting. Or maybe this word doesn’t make sense next to this one, but that’s how I speak”: Beabadoobee says that “missteps” are more important than perfection in songwriting
“It’s been road-tested, dropped on its head, kicked around, x-rayed, strummed, chicken-picked, and arpeggio swept!” Fender and Chris Shiflett team up for signature Cleaver Telecaster Deluxe
