Black Rooster Audio releases RO-GOLD, a freeware vintage-modeled reverb effect in VST, AU, and AAX plugin formats for compatible DAWs on Windows and macOS.
RO-GOLD emulates the EMT 140 vintage plate reverb. But that description doesn’t tell the whole story.
You have a good eye for detail if you’re wondering where the Gold in the plugin’s name comes from. Black Rooster Audio attempted to simulate the sound of an EMT 140 fitted with a 24k gold plate.
Whether or not the gold plate thing is a joke, RO-GOLD definitely has a warm, lush, and expensive sound, despite being freeware. I know that vintage is an overused term in the audio gear realm, but this free reverb plugin describes such a description.
UPDATE: Black Rooster Audio reached out to confirm that the gold plate isn’t a joke. Here’s more info from the developer: “We’ve created a physical model based on the plate from the legendary EMT-140. With this technique, it’s possible to customize parameters like material, plate size, pickups, and driver positions, among others. In the case of the RO-GOLD, we used the physical model with gold as the plate material. This gives you a different sound (decay, stereo image, tone, etc.) compared to the classic steel plate.”
I like when a reverb sounds good right out of the box and doesn’t offer too many customization parameters. Thankfully, this is the case with RO-GOLD.
The plugin only features four editable parameters: Bass Cut, Damper, Pre/Delay, and Dry/Wet. The first two are responsible for the tone and reverb length, so you really don’t need to spend much time fine-tuning the reverb.
RO-GOLD is suitable for use on different audio sources, but plate reverbs are best known for sounding amazing on vocals. You can hear some examples on the developer’s website. They provide several demos, including vocals, drums, synths, and a banjo.
If you’re bored with your DAW’s built-in reverb or you simply want to try something new on your vocals, give RO-GOLD a try. After all, reverb is the most important spice in a good mix, and it never hurts to keep a secret spice in your kitchen.
Speaking of vintage reverbs, you might also want to give our free BPB Dirty Spring a shot. It’s a freeware spring reverb emulation with a built-in bitcrusher. Sounds a bit crazy, but it does wonders on drums and synths that lack character.
RO-GOLD is available in VST, AU, and AAX plugin formats for 32-bit and 64-bit plugin hosts on Windows and macOS. You can download the software for free from the product page linked below. A valid email address is required to receive the download link.
The download is around 500 MB in size because the installer includes all Black Rooster Audio products. You can choose which ones you want to install during the installation process.
Download: RO-GOLD
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