Emulsion

Not just about quality

Conversion to the analogue domain is not just about quality; it is also about recreating that sonic cohesion that makes all the difference across every musical genre. Emulsion not only recreates this cohesion but also allows you to ‘blend’ sounds together in a way that would be either impossible or extremely costly in the real world.

Saturation chains that are impossible in the analogue domain

Create them here — whilst retaining the analogue sound in your DAW.

Emulsion is a subtle-sounding processor, but BEWARE: during countless listening tests and calibration sessions, we noticed something: in blind tests comparing the bypassed signal with the processed sound, in 99 per cent of cases — even at the lowest settings — the processed signal was preferred. Emulsion excels both on individual instruments and on the master bus, tightening up the sound and creating that ‘produced’ sound we’re all looking for.

Five models

GREEN, GOLD, GREY, OLD PCM and DIGITAL — the last one being the pure THD stage without the AD conversion. Some of the machines that inspire us have only the AD stage, whilst others have a full AD/DA chain — just like in the real world.

The pure THD algorithm, without the colour of the conversion

Here’s the best bit: unlike in the real world, where it would be impossible to do so, this saturation level is available on all conversions — an extra touch of colour that isn’t possible with hardware.

Drive Level

Turning the control clockwise gives you the neutral, balanced sound of the emulated unit; turning it anti-clockwise makes the sound brighter and less rich in harmonics. If you turn it clockwise, the sound becomes richer and slightly darker. This parameter affects the amount of signal that modulates the transformers or the pre-conversion circuit.

The colour this control adds to the sound depends very much on the input level: if you’re mixing individual tracks and have plenty of headroom, you’ll have more leeway; if you’re inserting the module at the end of the mastering chain, you’ll immediately notice the effect on harmonic distortion. In this context, it’s best to set it to zero or turn it anti-clockwise, unless you want to create a super-saturated, clipped effect — which is sometimes just what a mix needs, isn’t it?

A/D Circuit mode selector

Where available, this mode switches the saturation level to either the transformer or pre-conversion mode. I don’t have any specific advice to give you — just use your ears depending on the music source. What I can tell you is that the ‘green −22dB’ mode is perfect for achieving RMS levels without raising the peak… brilliant… I’m curious to see how you’ll use it in your productions.

Green Emulation

This mode emulates a famous and beautiful effects unit that can really colour the sound; I’d recommend trying it on the drum bus and on the guitars.

Gold Emulation

…do I really need to give you a clue as to which hardware this mode is inspired by? It’s a brilliant algorithm for producing that crisp, controlled Polish sound — less colourful and more compact than the ‘green’ one…

Grey Emulation

This mode is inspired by another historic design — an extremely musical conversion, but with an added twist: the central digital THD section is positioned as in the original module.

Digital technology in the 1980s

What can I say… despite its age, this module has a very distinctive sound and musicality — a much sought-after feature: that sound we all grew up with on records with great dynamics, that precise and clear sound. Even today, it’s a really useful tone. Try turning it anti-clockwise to give the sound a bright, recognisable tone — you’ll thank me later.