otiumFX :: Sonitex STX-1260 VST

"An ideal choice for anybody who likes their loops noisy and gritty. Sonitex STX-1260 is capable of a wide range of lo-fi treatments - from the sublime to the ridiculous - all within the one plug-in" Score: 9/10.

SONITEX offers a complete suite of processing dedicated to adding texture to digital audio. This allows you to bring the “gritty vibe” from vinyl records and vintage hardware samplers into your modern DAW environment.

• Dynamic processing to add initial punch and density.
• Mid/Side stereo adjustments.
• Distortion with pre-emphasis circuit and dry/wet control.
• 5 Distortion types (Saturation, Distortion, Amplifier, Digital 1 + 2).
• Flexible distortion pre-filter.
• Vinyl pitch instability with multiple warp shapes, and speed control (syncable).
• Sibilance processing to emulate high frequency distortion on vinyl playback.
• Overall bandwidth control with separate high & low frequency roll-off and “bump”
  control.
• Additional processing to mimic vinyl groove wear and the “phone”-sound on early
  systems.
• Flexible control over density, level and stereo spread on both vinyl “pops” and
  “clicks”.
• Optional program dependant density for pops and clicks.
• 20 noise types ranging from vinyl noise and hiss to mechanical noises.
• Option to load custom wav files with noise or other sounds. (syncable).
• Adjustable gate (with syncable delay) on noise channel allows many ways to   integrate noise.
• Flexible sampling section allows emulation of many types of sampler   configurations.
• Bit-depth reduction and 3 types of samplerate reductions (with adjustable   antialiasing filter).
• Dynamic lowpass filter section.
• Adjustable built-in compressor on output.
• 3 internal routing configurations.
• Intelligent design to reduce CPU on disabled sections.
• “Subsets” offers 6 fixed sub-presets on each page to allow fast workflow when   experimenting.
• Broad selection of categorized presets.

The Concept —————————————————————————————————————————

When sampling vinyl records on vintage hardware samplers you often get something more than the musical content itself. This "sonic texture" may be a subtle feel, or it may be something that actually plays a defining role to the sample. Sonitex is built on the idea that "texture" and "grit" is not a single effect such as noise or bit-reduction. Rather, it is the cumulative result of every process a piece of music goes through as well as the interaction of these. So instead of focusing on just a single effect, Sonitex focuses on the complete life span of a piece of music before it ends up as a sample in a contemporary track.

Sonitex includes processing to mimic the mixing stage, overall distortion, vinyl pressing & playback, vinyl noise, frequency fidelity and finally the resolution & characteristics in digital sampling.

Sonitex can be used to add a subtle feel to your material, to make homemade breaks & loops sound like they originate from a rare seventies record, or for sound sculpturing and creative effects.

"I wish I had discovered this plugin much sooner! This is all I need for distortion and saturation. Vinyl mode is very interesting. Not only does it sound lo-fi, it also sounds fat. It is a king of distortion."

"Its got the perfect feature set, its totally stable, and it sounds gorgeous!!! (...) I've been waiting for a plugin like this for a long while now. It actually compares very well to my EMAX I in sound quality, and I can go a lot farther with its extensive feature set."

"I just wanna say that this plugin is amazing....all the colours one could ever want...from wacky old vintage samplers to smooth vinyl vibes. Great for a working TV/Games composer to get those retro sounds from a computer very quickly...simply amazing."

"I just purshased the Sonitex, and from now on, I can't live without it anymore. Combined with the Compadre, it quickly gives my drums this warm, tight and boxy "Dr. Dre" sound without hours of struggling into these classical (expensive) hardwares. This is definitly the Hip-Hop DAW producer's secret weapons. "

"I have to say I'm very impressed by Sonitex. I've been wanting a plugin that does all these things for a long time. It's also by far the best sounding (and most advanced) vinyl emulation plugin I've heard."

"Oh my god, it's unbelievable, perfect work! Normally I created these effects with 3 or 4 plugs together.. This is a milestone."

"I just got out of the studio and wanted to let you know how much I am digging this. Noise channels are great and master with gate is an awesome feature. I tried this on vocals and instruments. Very cool.

With the drums, I inserted it on a Snare track, Engaged the "noise" button, pulled up a "hiss" type preset, set the gate to open on the snare hits and play with the release times, pull the Master fader down and then tuck it in as you wish. -amazing- . Many producers are trying to get this by side-chaining, using 3 tracks, recording white noise and then gating. This is so much easier.

I tried the Digital resolution on the Kick drum and it's amazing. Adds a presence that I've never heard before. The whole unit seems to be tight and solid. It is a lot of fun to try things I would never think of doing until I got this. It will inspire some incredible sonic idea's! Great job! I Love it!"

"In spite of the fact that a lot of the parameters deal with sonic degradation in one form or another, it's got this wonderful soft analogue-ish sound to it. Nice work."

"After a few hours now of treating drums: Brilliant plug-in- lots of room to shape and twist with all those parameters, very well laid out, and great sound!"

"I really like the sound of it, it's the first "vinylizer"-plugin I've tried that instantly gives THAT vinyl sound, very convincing! There is some sort of distortion happening that I've never heard in any other plugin."