Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. In a mixing world where M/S is often overused out of context, here is a sensible application in a crucial part of the process.
Thanks for this excellent and useful demo of this plugin. Started using it immediately with very interesting effects on my tracks. Also loved the tune.
I Have been using the HG-2 for a couple of months now and have become hooked. It is now time to spring for the MS version! I'm quite sure I won't be disappointed... Nice going!
Woke up early this morning to try this one out, and like I expected the standard HG2 on steroids. Amazing plugin. Will be used on almost all my busses. Thank you Plugin Allience for creating these amazing plugins.
Thanks to your plugin sales I was able to finally purchase this beauty. 🙏 Thanks so much for all your hard work on the plugin development and passion you share with us 🍻🔊🎶
Thanks Eric - really well thought out overview... It's a great demo showcasing an amazing plugin. Love the track too - so thanks also to the artist Ashley Suppa & Producer Alex Salzman. I've been testing the free trial from Plugin Alliance on my own tracks and it lives up to the hype (and more)! Buying it right now!
Amazing walkthrough of this plug. Thanks Eryck for showing a breath of examples and how the new features were implemented- especially the auto compensation! Thanks PA for making this version of the plugin happen!
It is dizzyingly performing ... I bought it an hour ago and watching carefully this tutorial I already see that it is exactly what I needed to bring my songs to a high level of quality. It is extraordinary. The price really justifies the quality. .You can finish and clean with a millimeter precision any shade and the presets ..... already convince you of all the capacity. I recommend to everyone who really cares about the quality of the details!
Ok, guys. With the sale (and my voucher) you finally got me :-) I skimmed thriugh some reviews, all of them quite enthusiastic, so I finaly purchased it. 50 bucks seemed to be a good price :-) Looking forward to try it on my next material.
Thank you for giving us exciting owners a great upgrade price :) oh, and btw..great demo video, and the density explanation was very informative! Definitely gonna incorporate that into my day to day.
I own the previous version(paid for a license to use rather) and I’m very happy with it, The first thing I did with it is put in in a mid/side matrix for separate processing/saturation of the signal. I will test the trial of this new version to see if I can get a better result. Thx for the solid plugins.
Man... This looks great. I just bought the original a few weeks back... This is ridiculously tempting tho. I know it'll eventually make its way into the mix. This is what plugins are for, improving & or expanding upon the hardware. Other devs need to take a serious note
Offered for 69.99 on my account, added the 19 dollar tuner so i was able to use my monthly 50 voucher as your subnet needs to be 75 to use it, so a clever sale plan, but all in, just got it and the tuner for 30 uk pounds, an absolute steal with its original price of 329 dollars...
This is great! We need that Output knob on all the plugins though, SPL Iron for example would really benefit from this, but really most of the plugins would. :^)
If you're sure they didn't install with the plugin and punching 'presets' into the search box on our support page doesn't help, please contact our customer support: www.plugin-alliance.com/en/support.html
Owning the original HG-2, the updated price (including my $50 voucher) came to...20bucks. Fair enough considering I got the HG-2 for 30bucks. This update is worth for shift+clicking the Triode/Pentode and having the output gain compensate, alone...FINALLY! Joking aside the filters make this even more versatile, but I am still going to use the original for the tilt behaviour of the filters...not sure how I would exactly re-create the same effect with the HG-2MS.
Versatility was the idea. To keep the intuitive handling of the HG-2 Classic and add a plugin that allows you to play with that saturation sound. They are pieces of the whole. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I have the Ozone 11 mix and master advance bundle and this is the only other plugin that I've purchased. It still doesn't get any better than this for ITB saturation.
Does it have any internal oversampling? For sure, in the high end, the regular hg-2 plugin has some aliasing issues. I'm not saying it doesn't sound great--it does--but with ever faster processors, internal oversampling seems like a good idea. Thanks for the great introduction.
Haven't tried this new one yet, but I ABd the old HG2 with VSM and found HG2 is much more responsive to transients, while VSM is smoother and acts more on the sustain. Both useful I reckon.
Its so damned expensive. I downloaded the demo the other day and boy does it add a nice bit o beef to the tracks. Its on sale TODAY along with the older version. I can’t justify buying it but I just might anyway. I use masterdesk from plugin alliance and love it. I was also trying the newer shadowhills compressor and thats super nice too. I think ill save the compressor for a later date though.
We appreciate the feedback! Please also consider trying a bundle to save money and still use the plugins right away. You can cancel any time, if you feel it doesn't work for, or collect a voucher, if it does, to spend on full licenses later. www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products.html#subscription-bundles-monthly In case you missed it: SUMMER21-HG2MS - This code, valid until midnight Pacific Time, will bring the price of the Black Box HG-2MS down even further.
so with the band stop you are selecting frequencies you dont want to saturate? meaning that when you click the solo button you are listening to the frequencies that are not going to get saturated?
It's actually printed fabric stretched over a frame with bass trapping behind it. I can't remember how printed it but there are a bunch of companies who do large scale fabric printing.
Hi there. Could this be used in conjunction with Kazrog True Iron or not recommended/pointless? If so, would this sit after True Iron in the chain? Thanks!
You can try our entire catalogue and services for 1 month to see and hear how our plugins work for you and how they compare to existing plugins or hardware. Please head over to our new MEGASTORE and start your free month of MEGA: www.pa-megastore.com/mega/
I got this plugin & honestly don't know how to use it.To start off, can someone explain to this aspiring amateur how necessary this plugin is & where I should be using it.Any tips on this would be appreciated.Thanks
Got HG-2MS for 20bucks. I had a 50bucks voucher, already own HG-2 and the discounted price was $69,99. I needed some more to add to my cart to get to the minimum of $75 net shop and just added the infamous...BX tuner.
@@nectariosm Yeah I've got the tuner a million times by now haha! It's that 'add more for the coupon to work' which is the paints of all ! Anyway thanks to PA,the business is so much better than Waves!
VSM is an absolutely fantastic tool but it's entirely different in signal flow, topology, approach and user experience. It's helpful to think of the HG-2 and HG-2MS not as saturation devices that add harmonics or saturation on top of your signal but as a series of tube stages where the entire signal runs through them in series and an additional parallel path that feeds into the first stage. The pentode and triode controls come before their respective tube stages which gives you the ability to decide how hard to drive the entire signal into each tube stage and because they are in series, you can leverage what you do at one stage, at the next stage. This approach gives you the ability to "squeeze" the signal between the tube stages, giving you incredible control over the dynamics of the signal. It's referred to as a saturation device but the way it allows you to control transients and dynamics is probably an even bigger part of what it does.
@@ericracy4724 I mean the “selling” feature of this plug is the MS option! Of course they differ in signal processing ect but that’s all about the unit!
The HG-2MS is a massive evolution of the HG-2 platform. It’s a collaboration between Black Box Audio and PA/BX based on years of using the HG-2 every day (hardware and software), feedback from users and a reimagining of what it’s capable of. The HG-2 Classic itself is a faithful emulation of the original Black Box hardware. We’ve spent months going back and forth, exploring ideas and implementations and working together to incorporate the new features and routings in a way that still feels intuitive and aligned with the original HG-2, which has also been updated several times in the past. We therefore hope for your understanding that it's not possible to offer the crossgrade for free.
Ha! Fair! I have jokingly referred to it as "useless" as well but it was actually done that way intentionally. The idea from the beginning was to create a tool that felt intuitive and more like manipulating a musical instrument than technical device and for that reason we chose not to even put a scale on the meter. The idea was for it to simply give you an indication of the energy. The truth is that we also all have so many amazing and technical meters already that allowing it to be true to that design philosophy seemed ok. But we obviously understand your point.
@@PluginAllianceTV Since we are talking about respect. How about we call a spade a spade? Absolutely nobody can tell you guys how to run your business, that is entirely up to you but please let's not pretend this couldn't have been a legitimate update to HG-2. It all comes down to ethics. In a time of pandemic and financial stress you chose profit over what could have been a solid gesture towards your already loyal customers. A gesture which even in cold business terms would generate more profit in the long run. To answer your question though, no, I do not work for free. I am an independent artist struggling to live in a country where even working for an inhumane minimum wage isn't guaranteed. Yet I still find myself investing my hard earned money into your product. Who am I to bring ethics into a conversation related to business though? I must be insane, pay me no mind.
@@PluginAllianceTVhe meant you already have his money, so not free. Aside from that, what, if any the discount for existing owners? Usually PA does this even for mildly related plugs.
That faux soul vocal is soooo overplayed...... the dumbing down and chasing current ‘trends’ will be the death of these artists; ‘Timeless’ will not be a descriptor.
He means white girls making their voice artificially raspy or blackish...it's not their natural voice...Lipa..eilish...what else not ..they all do it..I think that what he means...
That maybe be true. But if that's the image they're pushing and they're getting positive monetary and image feedback from their audience, why stop? Just logic I feel
i don't get how they can implement TMT with this. If there isn't a hardware version of the M/S Black Box how can they mimic the hardware of different models?
I was thinking the same thing but demonstrator explains it well at 6mins into the video. Looks like they measure the tolerance of all components in the circuit and the TMT can randomly generate various combinations of the component tolerances.
If you look closely the presenter is sitting in front of a M/S model of Black Box. And like Steve mentioned they measure the tolerances of different components in the analog piece of equipment, so even if there wasn’t a M/S version (which like I said it’s right there in the video) as long as most of the components are the same they can measure the tolerances for each and then randomize the set of data twice (one for the Mid channel box and one for the Side channel box) to create various TMT profiles.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. In a mixing world where M/S is often overused out of context, here is a sensible application in a crucial part of the process.
That's really great feedback. We really appreciate it. Thank you!
This plugin demo is great, but damn that song needs to be released immediately, the chorus is firmly lodged in my brains ear
it is released now
@@ruslanr.6171 I know, its been out for months now haha, thank you
Thanks for this excellent and useful demo of this plugin. Started using it immediately with very interesting effects on my tracks. Also loved the tune.
yeah its fire! i gotta grab it asap!
The black box is total magic.
I Have been using the HG-2 for a couple of months now and have become hooked. It is now time to spring for the MS version! I'm quite sure I won't be disappointed... Nice going!
In a word, WOW! Amazing work by the PA team. again
Thanks a lot for this great feedback!
Woke up early this morning to try this one out, and like I expected the standard HG2 on steroids. Amazing plugin. Will be used on almost all my busses. Thank you Plugin Allience for creating these amazing plugins.
Thank YOU!
More like the HG2 on steroids, skincare routine, and a healthy diet. 😆😂
Thanks to your plugin sales I was able to finally purchase this beauty. 🙏 Thanks so much for all your hard work on the plugin development and passion you share with us 🍻🔊🎶
We're glad to be able to do this. Thanks for the amazing feedback and enjoy your sessions!
@@PluginAllianceTV very welcome and well deserved. 🤘🍻🎶
Eric, unrelated and kinda related but you need to do a mix breakdown for this record. It really sounds so beautiful
wowwwwww my favorite distortion finally has the versatility it deserves!!! So excited for when I can find this on sale :))))
Please log in into your account and you will see the discounted price.
Thanks Eric - really well thought out overview... It's a great demo showcasing an amazing plugin. Love the track too - so thanks also to the artist Ashley Suppa & Producer Alex Salzman. I've been testing the free trial from Plugin Alliance on my own tracks and it lives up to the hype (and more)! Buying it right now!
Amazing walkthrough of this plug. Thanks Eryck for showing a breath of examples and how the new features were implemented- especially the auto compensation! Thanks PA for making this version of the plugin happen!
Great video and explanation!
It is dizzyingly performing ... I bought it an hour ago and watching carefully this tutorial I already see that it is exactly what I needed to bring my songs to a high level of quality. It is extraordinary. The price really justifies the quality. .You can finish and clean with a millimeter precision any shade and the presets ..... already convince you of all the capacity. I recommend to everyone who really cares about the quality of the details!
That's great to hear. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Ok, guys. With the sale (and my voucher) you finally got me :-) I skimmed thriugh some reviews, all of them quite enthusiastic, so I finaly purchased it. 50 bucks seemed to be a good price :-) Looking forward to try it on my next material.
Let us know how it worked out!
Awesome plugin! If the original was already unbeatable, this advanced version will be a "must be" from right now in the audio world.
Thank YOU!
Thank you for giving us exciting owners a great upgrade price :) oh, and btw..great demo video, and the density explanation was very informative! Definitely gonna incorporate that into my day to day.
We're really happy to hear that. Thank you so much for your support!
"Piano Focus" - answer to my prayers
Great video! Thanks a lot for the tips!
I'm glad I subscribed to the Mega Bundle and when this came out I got it. This plugin is a beast! I nicknamed this plugin 'Beast Mode'!
I own the previous version(paid for a license to use rather) and I’m very happy with it, The first thing I did with it is put in in a mid/side matrix for separate processing/saturation of the signal. I will test the trial of this new version to see if I can get a better result. Thx for the solid plugins.
Thank YOU for the nice feedback and let us know how it works for you!
Beautifull time to be alive
Especially against the background of constant complaining about these times in basically every other field.
Man... This looks great. I just bought the original a few weeks back... This is ridiculously tempting tho. I know it'll eventually make its way into the mix. This is what plugins are for, improving & or expanding upon the hardware. Other devs need to take a serious note
Offered for 69.99 on my account, added the 19 dollar tuner so i was able to use my monthly 50 voucher as your subnet needs to be 75 to use it, so a clever sale plan, but all in, just got it and the tuner for 30 uk pounds, an absolute steal with its original price of 329 dollars...
Ps theres also a 20% dynamic discount for gettin the 2 plugins so the tuner is cheaper right away also...
@@DJeMo Thanks friend! Got the email & now I got the upgrade! It's awesome, can't wait to deep dive 💯
@@DJeMo same here 👌
This is great! We need that Output knob on all the plugins though, SPL Iron for example would really benefit from this, but really most of the plugins would. :^)
Amazing plugin! 👏🏾
Thank you!
This guy rocks!!!
Dua Lipa is gonna have to make room for this artist 👏
How do i get to the presets on this plugin?
If you're sure they didn't install with the plugin and punching 'presets' into the search box on our support page doesn't help, please contact our customer support: www.plugin-alliance.com/en/support.html
Bittersweet moment. I wish my hardware did this.
Owning the original HG-2, the updated price (including my $50 voucher) came to...20bucks. Fair enough considering I got the HG-2 for 30bucks.
This update is worth for shift+clicking the Triode/Pentode and having the output gain compensate, alone...FINALLY!
Joking aside the filters make this even more versatile, but I am still going to use the original for the tilt behaviour of the filters...not sure how I would exactly re-create the same effect with the HG-2MS.
Versatility was the idea. To keep the intuitive handling of the HG-2 Classic and add a plugin that allows you to play with that saturation sound. They are pieces of the whole.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Groovy.👌
whats that sound interface he using
I have the Ozone 11 mix and master advance bundle and this is the only other plugin that I've purchased. It still doesn't get any better than this for ITB saturation.
That's really great feedback. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your sessions!
Does it have any internal oversampling? For sure, in the high end, the regular hg-2 plugin has some aliasing issues. I'm not saying it doesn't sound great--it does--but with ever faster processors, internal oversampling seems like a good idea. Thanks for the great introduction.
Trying this out on my mixbuss as we speak...
Really impressed with this... ;)
Thank you!
It sounds really good. Time to retire my Vertigo VSM-3 ?
Haven't tried this new one yet, but I ABd the old HG2 with VSM and found HG2 is much more responsive to transients, while VSM is smoother and acts more on the sustain. Both useful I reckon.
They are quite different animals. Please check our 14-day free trial and let us know what your think!
The gain compensation/linking with the output seems not to work (Alt-Key on PC and with Cubase)
Its so damned expensive. I downloaded the demo the other day and boy does it add a nice bit o beef to the tracks. Its on sale TODAY along with the older version. I can’t justify buying it but I just might anyway. I use masterdesk from plugin alliance and love it. I was also trying the newer shadowhills compressor and thats super nice too. I think ill save the compressor for a later date though.
We appreciate the feedback! Please also consider trying a bundle to save money and still use the plugins right away. You can cancel any time, if you feel it doesn't work for, or collect a voucher, if it does, to spend on full licenses later. www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products.html#subscription-bundles-monthly
In case you missed it:
SUMMER21-HG2MS - This code, valid until midnight Pacific Time, will bring the price of the Black Box HG-2MS down even further.
so with the band stop you are selecting frequencies you dont want to saturate? meaning that when you click the solo button you are listening to the frequencies that are not going to get saturated?
love love love
forget the plugin, where did you get that ocean backdrop?
It's actually printed fabric stretched over a frame with bass trapping behind it. I can't remember how printed it but there are a bunch of companies who do large scale fabric printing.
@@ericracy4724 cool, thanks for the reply!
Hi there. Could this be used in conjunction with Kazrog True Iron or not recommended/pointless? If so, would this sit after True Iron in the chain? Thanks!
You can try our entire catalogue and services for 1 month to see and hear how our plugins work for you and how they compare to existing plugins or hardware. Please head over to our new MEGASTORE and start your free month of MEGA: www.pa-megastore.com/mega/
Hello... And for those that we bought the BB first edition... is there any upgrade please??. Thank you.
Will you ever update the original HG-2 with the autogain feature?!!
The gain compensation does not work here in Studio One 5.2 on windows 10. Hmmm?
I got this plugin & honestly don't know how to use it.To start off, can someone explain to this aspiring amateur how necessary this plugin is & where I should be using it.Any tips on this would be appreciated.Thanks
Well, I know what I’ll be doing today ☕️🎶✨
Me too ...!
From now on I am referring to Eric as the Saturation Surgeon.
It crashes my M1 Macbook on Studio One (Rosetta) every time I make a few tweaks (every movement extremely delayed).
If you have technical issues, please contact our customer support: www.plugin-alliance.com/en/tech-support.html
Something to try whenever there's another $29 sale. Certainly no reason to look at it for $250.
Please log in into your account and you will see the discounted price.
I'm with you bro, I don't spend more than $50 on a plugin... So who knows in a year or two...
Got HG-2MS for 20bucks. I had a 50bucks voucher, already own HG-2 and the discounted price was $69,99. I needed some more to add to my cart to get to the minimum of $75 net shop and just added the infamous...BX tuner.
@@nectariosm Yeah I've got the tuner a million times by now haha! It's that 'add more for the coupon to work' which is the paints of all ! Anyway thanks to PA,the business is so much better than Waves!
using a Mac.. the shift click doesn't work... I tried option and the other buttons and still nothing... thoughts?
Great song, who is it/name of song, love this stuff, and I’m a Rocker go figure😅
Thank you! Please check Ashleys Instagram: instagram.com/ashleysuppa/
Please track name 😭😭
Ashley Suppa 'Trouble'
Ooh god the plugin sounds better than the hawdware
We're glad to hear it's working so well for you!
Vsm had the main features of this already
VSM is an absolutely fantastic tool but it's entirely different in signal flow, topology, approach and user experience.
It's helpful to think of the HG-2 and HG-2MS not as saturation devices that add harmonics or saturation on top of your signal but as a series of tube stages where the entire signal runs through them in series and an additional parallel path that feeds into the first stage.
The pentode and triode controls come before their respective tube stages which gives you the ability to decide how hard to drive the entire signal into each tube stage and because they are in series, you can leverage what you do at one stage, at the next stage. This approach gives you the ability to "squeeze" the signal between the tube stages, giving you incredible control over the dynamics of the signal. It's referred to as a saturation device but the way it allows you to control transients and dynamics is probably an even bigger part of what it does.
@@ericracy4724 I mean the “selling” feature of this plug is the MS option! Of course they differ in signal processing ect but that’s all about the unit!
The original version had some serious design flaws, this update makes it usable. Strange though that you would have to pay for such an update.
The HG-2MS is a massive evolution of the HG-2 platform. It’s a collaboration between Black Box Audio and PA/BX based on years of using the HG-2 every day (hardware and software), feedback from users and a reimagining of what it’s capable of. The HG-2 Classic itself is a faithful emulation of the original Black Box hardware.
We’ve spent months going back and forth, exploring ideas and implementations and working together to incorporate the new features and routings in a way that still feels intuitive and aligned with the original HG-2, which has also been updated several times in the past.
We therefore hope for your understanding that it's not possible to offer the crossgrade for free.
Hopefully it isn't another brick-wall production.
Plugin Alliencce did a great job. But it still has a stupid VU Meter which is useless
Ha! Fair! I have jokingly referred to it as "useless" as well but it was actually done that way intentionally. The idea from the beginning was to create a tool that felt intuitive and more like manipulating a musical instrument than technical device and for that reason we chose not to even put a scale on the meter. The idea was for it to simply give you an indication of the energy. The truth is that we also all have so many amazing and technical meters already that allowing it to be true to that design philosophy seemed ok. But we obviously understand your point.
You're all that and a super-size bag of chips, want to be youtube friends?
This should have been a free update for customers who already own the original Black Box. But hey, capitalism.
Or at least a cheaper upgrade price than $69.99 which is over 4x the price of what I paid for the original.
This is an entirely new plugin. With all due respect: Are you working for free?
@@PluginAllianceTV Since we are talking about respect. How about we call a spade a spade? Absolutely nobody can tell you guys how to run your business, that is entirely up to you but please let's not pretend this couldn't have been a legitimate update to HG-2. It all comes down to ethics. In a time of pandemic and financial stress you chose profit over what could have been a solid gesture towards your already loyal customers. A gesture which even in cold business terms would generate more profit in the long run. To answer your question though, no, I do not work for free. I am an independent artist struggling to live in a country where even working for an inhumane minimum wage isn't guaranteed. Yet I still find myself investing my hard earned money into your product. Who am I to bring ethics into a conversation related to business though? I must be insane, pay me no mind.
@@PluginAllianceTVhe meant you already have his money, so not free. Aside from that, what, if any the discount for existing owners? Usually PA does this even for mildly related plugs.
@@PluginAllianceTV Cardinal rule #1. Never attack customers with sarcasm.
You dont actually need an output. Just program your 350€ Plugin to do the gainstagiging already. Please.
Ads on a demo of a product? not a smart move
Can never have enough saturators in the tool box
Yes you can.
Hmmm, this piano was simply very much out of phase...urrgh. Helpful Video though, thanks you!
That faux soul vocal is soooo overplayed...... the dumbing down and chasing current ‘trends’ will be the death of these artists; ‘Timeless’ will not be a descriptor.
He means white girls making their voice artificially raspy or blackish...it's not their natural voice...Lipa..eilish...what else not ..they all do it..I think that what he means...
That maybe be true. But if that's the image they're pushing and they're getting positive monetary and image feedback from their audience, why stop? Just logic I feel
even if you were right .. who cares? I like the song and its one of the best demo songs for a plugin
i don't get how they can implement TMT with this. If there isn't a hardware version of the M/S Black Box how can they mimic the hardware of different models?
I was thinking the same thing but demonstrator explains it well at 6mins into the video. Looks like they measure the tolerance of all components in the circuit and the TMT can randomly generate various combinations of the component tolerances.
If you look closely the presenter is sitting in front of a M/S model of Black Box.
And like Steve mentioned they measure the tolerances of different components in the analog piece of equipment, so even if there wasn’t a M/S version (which like I said it’s right there in the video) as long as most of the components are the same they can measure the tolerances for each and then randomize the set of data twice (one for the Mid channel box and one for the Side channel box) to create various TMT profiles.
This is Black Box, they can even "Ride on time"