Springs is a plugin collection of eight vintage spring reverb emulations paired with a Baxandall EQ for authentic tone shaping, offering a diverse range of classic and unique reverb characters.
Vintage Spring Reverb Collection
Springs emulates eight distinct spring reverb units, ranging from a long six-spring pipe to a tiny battery-powered single-spring device. Each emulation captures the individual character of its hardware source, from modern eurorack modules to Japanese units from the 1970s.
The collection includes iconic models like the classic tape echo with reverb tank and a small guitar head amplifier known for its noisy, basic reverb. A pair of Accutronics tanks housed in a plastic drainpipe offers a unique, unconventional sound source.
Integrated Baxandall EQ
The plugin incorporates a classic Baxandall tone stack, typically found in guitar amplifiers, featuring bass and treble bands. AudioThing has extended this with a mid band and Q control, allowing for more precise shaping of the reverb sound.
The Baxandall EQ’s bands interact with each other, a characteristic that produces smooth, musical curves. This interaction is a key feature of its behavior, enabling users to shape either the mix of dry and wet signal or just the wet signal.
Input Bandwidth Filtering
A dedicated bandwidth control filters the input signal before it enters the spring emulation. This allows users to dampen undesirable characteristics of certain springs, such as a boomy low end or an overly bright, boingy tone.
By limiting the bandwidth of the input, the sonic character of each spring can be tamed or enhanced. This provides an additional layer of control beyond the EQ, offering flexibility in crafting the desired reverb texture.
Workflow and Practical Applications
Springs is designed for realistic vintage reverb sounds, ideal for adding depth and character to vocals, a use for which several of its source units were known. It is also suited for guitar processing, mirroring the original hardware’s typical amplifier pairing.
The combination of reverb and EQ in a single plugin streamlines the workflow, avoiding the need for external processing. The variety of springs covers a wide tonal range, from noisy and basic to rich and complex, suitable for instruments and mix elements.
Emulation Techniques
The plugin uses a combination of convolution and modelling to recreate the vintage character of each spring reverb. This hybrid approach aims to capture both the precise frequency response and the dynamic behavior of the original electromechanical devices.
Spring reverbs work by transmitting an input signal through a transducer to one or multiple springs, with the vibrations picked up by an output transducer. Multiple springs of different sizes and thicknesses create a more interesting and rich sound.
Key features
- Eight emulated vintage spring reverbs
- Baxandall EQ with bass, treble, mid and Q control
- Input bandwidth filtering control
- Hybrid convolution and modelling technology
- Includes notable models like RE-201 and GBS
- Dry/wet mix or wet-only EQ routing
Best for
Springs serves musicians and producers seeking authentic vintage spring reverb textures, particularly for vocals, guitars, and adding unique character to mixes. Its built-in Baxandall EQ simplifies tonal shaping, while the diverse collection of springs offers a broad palette of classic and quirky sounds.