Best Service has released Halls of Fame 3 – Free, a freeware convolution-based reverb VST/AU/AAX plugin based on the full version of Halls of Frame 3.
Halls of Fame 3- Free is a stripped-down version of the latest Halls of Fame convolution reverb plugin by Best Service. Whereas the flagship Halls of Fame 3 – Complete Edition (€169) features over 1,500 presets sampled from thirteen different hardware reverb units, the Free Edition contains only a couple of presets from each sampled reverb. In other words, the freeware version of Halls of Fame 3 contains a total 26 different convolution reverb presets.
Even though it is very limited compared to the other versions of HoF 3, the free edition still offers great value, especially considering the quality of the included convolution reverb presets. Featuring the sounds of classic hardware reverbs such as the EMT 240, AKG BX 20, Lexicon PCM96, and Bricasti M7, this is a great little reverb unit to add to your arsenal completely free of charge. Take a closer look at the included reverb presets on the screenshot below.
The tone of the active preset can be adjusted using the built-in 3-band equalizer and the damping controls. The user can also adjust the pre-delay time (0-300 ms), as well as the length of the convolution sample and the attack/release times. The majority of the included presets were designed for use on vocals, but there are also several reverb settings which are suitable for use on drums, guitars, and various other instruments. I was impressed by the sound quality on offer and will definitely see myself using Halls of Fame 3 in future projects.
The installation and activation procedures are a bit complicated, though. After completing the checkout process for Halls of Fame 3 – Free on the product page linked below, you should download the Free Edition content from your Best Serice user account, as well as the Halls of Fame 3 installer which is located on this page. Once you’ve installed and launched the software, open the Settings page and click the Add Content button. Locate the Halls of Fame 3 – Free folder on your hard drive and click the Open button. Now, double-click one of the available presets to launch the license manager. From here, you should copy the product code to your user area and then paste the activation code to finally activate the software.
All things considered, Halls of Fame 3 – Free is a quality piece of software which is held back by the complicated activation procedure. I will definitely add it to my plugin arsenal but there’s no doubt that some users will be annoyed by the installation/activation process of this otherwise excellent freeware plugin. To hear the plugin in action, check out the demo video created by our reader Petter Dessne (the video is embedded above).
Halls of Fame 3 – Free is available for free download via Best Service (26.1 MB download size, ZIP archive containing EXE installer, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU/AAX plugin format for Windows & MacOS).
