PRODUCT
TESTS
Acustica Audio El Rey & Taupe Plug-Ins
By Adam Gallant
Acustica Audio is an Italian company that produces some of the
world’s most inspired plug-ins. Up for a test this issue we have two
of their celebrated releases from 2018: El Rey and Taupe. El Rey is a
take on the iconic RCA BA-6A compressor and Taupe, in my opin-
ion, is the most creative and comprehensive analog tape simulator
on the market.
El Rey Overview
Created by Acustica Audio and Studio DMI in collaboration with
Grammy-winning Canadian producer, songwriter, musician, and
mixing engineer Greg Wells, this plug-in is modeled after the RCA
BA-6A Limiting Amplifier that lives atop Greg’s hardware rack in his
L.A. studio. Known for its smooth response time and weighty, rich
tone, the hardware has been meticulously reproduced with a few
helpful features that the modern mix world calls for. For controls,
we have an input trim/gain knob with an auto gain switch, at-
tack and release knobs, threshold, a side-chained high-pass filter,
makeup gain, a mix knob, and a bypass switch. El Rey can behave in
a versatile way and was very useful on a variety of sources through
a variety of techniques.
In Use
El Rey is a smooth compressor with a next-level gluing quality. It
doesn’t pump or hype, but rather glues and adds depth. These
qualities served the country music drums and vocals I’ve been
into very well. The mix knob makes for easy decision-making, and
the most prevalent benefit is the hefty low end, which is void of
muddiness. The traditional “single” and “dual” switch on the original
hardware has been replaced with a more flexible and conventional
attack and release control, which makes dialing in tempo-specific
compression needs a very musical experience.
Also worth noting are the presets, which have been provided by
some of the most revered names in mixing and production – Serban
Ghenea, Dave Pensado, Alan Meyerson, Spike Stent, and Joe Chiccarelli
are just a few names on the long list of the world’s top mixing talent
who have supplied go-to settings for a variety of applications like the
mix bus, drum bus, vocals, acoustic guitars, and more.
Taupe Overview
Taupe is a plug-in suite that serves primarily as an analog tape
emulator. The visuals are inspired by the Netflix hit Stranger Things
and the sounds are inspired by tape machines of all types and eras.
A total of 21 analog and digital tape machines have been sampled
with a variety of tape speeds and stereo configurations. Under the
hood, Taupe boasts everything from cassette decks to digital tape
machines to the most sought-after multitrack analog recorders
in history. In addition to the tape emulation, this plug-in contains
three EQs and a fabulous-sounding compressor/limiter.
On the Acustica Audio forums, you can find a list of all the specific
tape machines and EQs that were sampled (over 10,000 hours’ worth)
to develop this software. It’s a staggering list, with EMI, MCI, Otari,
Studer, and even Nagra and TEAC making an appearance. The pallet
is inspiring and the plug-in suite is applicable to the mix bus, instru-
ment group, or any specific instrument in need of character or focus.
In Use
Perhaps the most eye-catching plug-in in my arsenal, the layout
for Taupe is immersive and makes room for lovely illustrations. The
first of three modules contains the tape machine emulations. From
24 PROFESSIONAL SOUND
ACUSTICA EL REY
ACUSTICA TAUPE
there, we have an input control, output control, and a unique mix
knob that blends between the preamp section of the sampled
hardware all the way to full tape colouration/saturation.
Taupe started out as a mix bus processor for me and it eventu-
ally made its way onto drums, vocals, and acoustic guitars. I found it
particularly successful in rounding out attacky acoustic transients, all
the while brightening the overall sound. The EQ section is extremely
flexible with three different hardware emulations available, all of which
produce quick results with broad strokes.
Finally, the plug-in contains a compressor/limiter that is mod-
eled after a Studer and sounds fantastic on drums, bass, synths, and
guitars. Worth noting is that each of the three modules (Tape, EQ,
Compression) can be loaded independently, so if you’re just after the
Tape section, you can load that module exclusively and save on CPU.
Summary
Acustica Audio is on the cutting edge of plug-in design. Their plug-
ins are colourful and powerful (which does come at a CPU cost).
Both El Rey and the Taupe suite are available in AU/VST/AAX and
come in a standard version and a ZL version, which operates at near
zero latency and is thus suitable for use when tracking. I recom-
mend these two products very highly and encourage you to check
out Acustica Audio's complete offerings.
Adam Gallant has worked in all facets of digital audio production,
from music composition to location and post audio for television and
film. He currently owns and operates The Hill Sound Studio in
Charlottetown, PE.