Syntler has introduced Bonch-Bruevich Tube, a freeware tube exciter effect in 32-bit VST plugin format for Windows based hosts (made with SynthEdit).
Bonch-Bruevich Tube is a fun little exciter effect. Definitely not a precisely modeled tube preamp emulation like SGA1566, but still a useful effect to have at your disposal in a variety of mixing and sound design scenarios, mostly for distorting sounds in fun ways and adding a bit of that lo-fi feel to your tracks. The signal quality on the output instantly reminded me of that distinctive crunchy sound of vintage radio gear, so I was pleasantly surprised afterwards when I read that the developers actually modeled Bonch-Bruevich Tube after an old radio unit from 1924 (or they were at least inspired by that sound when building the effect). They did a pretty good job.
The plugin is very easy to use, featuring only four tweakable parameters and a simple bypass switch. The Input knob controls the gain of the incoming audio signal and the Filter knob controls the frequency of the peaking filter which is used to shape the overall tone. Finally, the two Harm knobs are used to control the amount of added harmonic content, resulting in a more or less saturated sound on the output. Bonch-Bruevich Tube doesn’t sound like a real tube amplifier, but it does have a certain character to it that I really liked on drums and even some electronic bass sounds. It breaks up easily when you boost the input, but that can also work very well for parallel processing, in certain situations. The Filter knob gives a great radio-style sound quality when set to around 1 o’clock, especially in combination with the Harm 2 parameter.
The same developer has released another interesting freeware plugin earlier this year, a cool little drum machine plugin called Drumper. It’s a rather unusual drum instrument, but really cool for experimentation and coming up with new musical ideas when you’re not feeling too inspired. Definitely worth checking out if you’re into weird electronic gear and unconventional drum sequencers.
Download
Bonch-Bruevich Tube is available for free download via Syntler (2.07 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit VST plugin format for Windows, made with SynthEdit).
