this is the kinda thing that inspires something outta left field in a session. big enough for the whole band to twist knobs and do something unique. Ryan feel free to donate your plasma man!
always loved the plasma line. I wish somebody on talkbass or the like would open one up and get a schematic so us mortals can be able to afford one by building it
@@creativesoundlab gas discharge tubes tend to be safer than other high voltage applications because they have negative resistance, so the HV source is always going to have a balast on the output stage limiting the current. presumably the plasma uses a discrete component driver to be able to pass audio freqs cleanly
Wow I thought this was gonna be a really boring distortion gimmick just like the pedal but the added features makes this sound so killer on Vox and drums I can't believe it.
What are you talking about "boring gimmick"? I've used the pedal on all these things and it sounded amazing every time! The tremolo is a really nice sound shaping addition though, so might just go off and get the rack
It's got so much character, so much so that it's almost a one-trick pony, even though it can do more. The use-case in a production is limited I think, but it could serve as a staple unit for an artist or producer where this is a large ingredient to their overall sound. A bit unwieldy and limited use-case for my own productions, but would be super fun and is incredibly unique with the xenon vacuum, the fact that it's literal electricity affecting the signal.
wondering if pedals will become obsolete with the advent of Plasma Rack? Thanks for the review... This is unchartered territory w/ cutting edge consumer grade hardware.
Why are your signals SO loud going into them, and mine SOOOOooo quiet? I 'm feeding a wav file from VLC media player into virtual outputs into RME Totalmix and it's showing good levels into the I/O of my Plasma Racks, but i'm not getting solid audio through it.
What is the risk of overheating? Is it safe to stack a stereo pair like that? Honest question, not a judgement. Im asking because if the top & bottom ventilation holes making me feel apprehensive about stacking them the way I want to (like yours). I dont have a ton of spare rack space.
Wow that does have a very unique feel to it, it may be £1400 but it does impart something new in its own way. Lockdown has me a bit broke lol but something for the list....nice video
Not for me thanks, the only thing it adds is the clipping sound of the plasma wich is just a visual that does not actually add anything to the sound, it's just a trigger that requires the soundlevel to be above a certain db before discharging. To me it sounds like a boken DA or a missing earth connection, nothing I'd spend any money on if I can get the same result using a pair of 0.25$ diodes. Visuals yes, sound...not so much.
These are cool. But why wouldn’t I just own two of the eurorack modules and step the single up and down? All of the extra FX could be in a eurorack system, in stereo, for a great deal less. You can’t tell me that we’re worried about noise and dynamic range in any way with these units... eurorack would do just fine. 2X eurorack plasma $700 Way more advanced tremolo: Complex voltage controlled envelope generator/follower/LFO $250 (contour 1) And a VCA - $250 (intellijel quad, also Doubles as saturation and stereo insert loop.) Balanced I/O to unbalanced eurorack (Intellijel I/O) - $300 3U rackmount case with power - $150 (tip-top) $1650 for stereo. Add a filter and you also have a complete analog modular synth voice with stereo distortion. This could be done for several $100 cheaper as well. And before people complain, there are so many pro audio devices that attenuate and step down your signal to a lower voltage and raise it back up on the output stage. What do you think this very device is doing lmao? 5,500 volts? And line level to euro level is throwing you off? I have a $3000 Culture Vulture Super 15... a $3000 symphony... a $2500 Dangerous compressor... are these so valuable in rack form that any of these are worth replacing? If the market isn’t large, what about replacement bulbs? Are those easy to get? Cheap to repair? The tubes are reliable according to them, but are there any other parts of the circuit that are tough to repair? are they for the studio that has everything and can afford to tac on something that sounds similar to a fuzz factory (but obviously better imo). But that $1500 could probably get me 2 custom rackmount 24V fuzz factories.And I would still have $800 left over if I did it myself. Purchases like these are so expensive we obviously have to factor in the opportunity cost of $3000 f’ing dollars. And yes I’m trying to work out the budget in my head now and I can’t and it makes me sad.
I’d like to say, in terms of a future video... and given the fact you can possibly obtain free demo devices... that you might consider delving in to the awesomeness of eurorack modular synthesizers. This device you showed in this video gave me the idea, as there are modules implementing this technology in analog synth modules. Look... it’s really fun stuff, but can run in to serious $! But! Ha ha! Some companies are now putting out reasonably priced simimodular... or modular units at very reasonable cost, relative to what has been out there in the past. Point being... if you haven’t already experimented with any... you could get your feet wet, even without free demo units, without paying waaaay too much money for things you may end up not being that crazy about. Ok... now... side note/side chain. Ha ha! Many of these modules I speak of can be easily interfaced to the regular audio world, for uses similar to this “guitar dive” you showed us today. Lending themselves to your usage in very innovative ways... as you are known to do. Bam! There you go... I really hope this gets some inspiring gears turning for you... and at the same time provides you with many future ideas for areas of adventure in your videos... In conclusion... Eurorack modular synthesis is an aggressively growing area right now, with much of the impetus focused on taking things out of the DAW... and in to the realm of hands on buttons and dials/sliders and patching, that takes us back to the fun that all that kind of thing brings along from just that aspect alone. That is all.
Interesting. I’ve been interested but never inspired by the music that is made by it. Beeping and random noises. But if it can do something that is a little more mainstream then I’m in. Make Noise is here in Asheville. As well as Moog.
Creative Sound Lab Just woke up and was excited to find your kind responses. Thank you! Ok... The first module you will probably want, starting left to right, after your power supply, would be an audio to eurorack voltage level matching unit of some kind. I just picked up one by Mutabe Instruments called ears. I know... very innovative name, right?! Ha ha... but it does the job for a good price, as I looked around for a short bit and found one for $120. That’s super reasonable in the world of eurorack, believe me! There are more advanced units that do this out there... and this one requires some movement of jumpers on the back in order to tune its responses to your needs, so if that idea turns you off, look around, as there, as I said, are a few choices to be had from other companies. This Ears unit will provide you with a gate, audio and envelope... in order to operate the next modules in your chain. (Edit alert): injected here later I am, after tea, inserting the need for an ADSR! Attack, Decay, Sustain and release module! This also a great place to put the LFO topic, as this low frequency oscillator will do all manor of Cool things to any module you choose to inject a voltage to. Whew... glad I had the tea, man! Without this, you would be confined to only the envelope provided by the Ears device... and that’s not gonna be enough at all! Bam! So glad I came back and read this again! Then... at this point, You could get yourself an oscillator of some description, too... just so you have one for things other than only processing incoming audio sources. Polyphony ability is always best, as well as midi to CV conversion device as another consideration. See how fun this stuff is?! Ok... moving on: Next... a voltage controlled filter would be a good choice. Before continuing, I need to say I’ve been super impressed by everything Mutable Instruments creates... and they cover all these bases, but to keep cost down I’m suggesting you check out some of the new modules by Behringer. They have been, with almost superhuman regularity, producing clones of old synth units that have been well established as awesome at what they do. (Edit two): be careful in choosing modules that are clones of vintage synths, some were know to be controlled by gate voltages in reverse to today’s standards... and will require conversion to work correctly, so keep an eye out for this! Whew! Another thing I’m glad I saw I missed after reading this again! Moving on, again: One of the most used kind of filters is the low pass, but I suggest getting one with all three choice. Low pass, band pass and high pass, for max flexibility. Again... check out Behringer’s choices. Then in the chain will be the VCA. Voltage controlled amplifier, of course. On a short side note as we move along... units that contain multiples of these are your best bet, as there is a saying in Eurorack, “you can never have too many VCAs” or is it never enough? Anyway... try to get one with as many in them as you can. Reasons are obvious, so I’ll stop there on that. Look... at this point I could easily go straight to voltage controlled effects units of all kinds, but you can put anything you already have at the end of your output amp in your system... just know that voltage controlled effects are awesome... and something to research... and is quite the Rabbit Hole, all by itself! Mixer! Yeah... especially if you are going to have multiple channels of processing happening, get a good mixer for your rack. I picked up the Behringer CP3-M, which is supposed to be a direct clone of an old unit made by Moog way back when... and is known for its coloring of inputs after a certain level of gain is applied, which is the thing they say is Cool about it. For now, I’m gonna stop here and go make some tea... but I couldn’t end without telling you to go straight to some online seller and get a Moog rack/Skiff or whatever the Cool kids call them. That way we, to some degree, keep it in the family! I got their 104hp rack... and am very happy with it! Price is super reasonable, too. We will talk about LFOs later... as that’s very important... and can’t be overlooked! Alright... having just woken up, I need to get it together a little more... and possibly shoot you one or two more thoughts later. I’m with you on the bleeps and bloops, though! Not my cup of tea either... no pun intended. But you and I know there is much more that can be done with this stuff than that! Ok... off to make my tea....
Creative Sound Lab I’m just going to hope I’ve been helpful... and wait for any other questions you may have. But... one last small suggestion, if you have a midi keyboard, you might consider getting yourself, aside from building a small rack... a Behringer Model D simimodular synth... or their Neutron... which are both great for different reasons. The Neutron is jam packed with tools you would pay a lot of money for individually... and thusly includes an amazing patching section placed on the end to the right, so you can patch away without getting cables going all over the place, but also come set up to work just out of the box, no patching required, if you want to just turn it on and go. It’s a well Loved unit that is its own animal... and a clone of nothing else. The Model D, on the other hand is a clone of the famous Moog synth, that needs no introduction, yet comes with less patching capabilities. Each is only $300... so they make fantastic introduction synths! I feel that the Model D has a more user friendly external audio section... so that had to be said, yet if you get an interface such as the Ears module I mentioned earlier, both will do the job in terms of taking real world inputs and making them do fun stuff. Chuk
Lmfao. You gotta be joking right? 😆 It's like someone goofed around with that bulb and thought, hey, I bet people will pay bucks for this just for the cool factor! And sadly, they're probably right. Is it cool for about 2 minutes? Yep. Is it worth 1500 bucks? Hell no..That thing sounds like absolute shit and I want to meet the goofball with money to burn who thought they really needed this...Holy shit. Probably why this guy doubled two of them up, to make it look like your getting more than you are.
Free Download for All 8 Years of CSL Downloads and PDF guides: www.creativesoundlab.tv/alldownloads
this is the kinda thing that inspires something outta left field in a session. big enough for the whole band to twist knobs and do something unique. Ryan feel free to donate your plasma man!
Yeah the Plasma def is a journey of sound.
Thanks for the video! :)
I'm gonna get one of these and always send my master bus out to it. No return. Just a cool light show. 😁
$3000 light show lmao
I am sure you can get a cheaper way, send a voltage to a plasma ball.
@@ryanpwm-oldaccount5923 tell me about overpriced dangerous music compressors, costing twice more😁 there are klark Teknik alternatives for twice less👍
@@stingcarlsson7988 What are those alternatives names?
The stereo bass and guitar examples are just awesome
How can anyone think it sounds good?
I am considering two of these to add as my main stereo distortion in the studio.........
Wonderful presentation.
always loved the plasma line. I wish somebody on talkbass or the like would open one up and get a schematic so us mortals can be able to afford one by building it
I don’t think I would ever DIY gear that runs at 5400 volts. Ouch. It’s such a unique sound that only it has.
@@creativesoundlab gas discharge tubes tend to be safer than other high voltage applications because they have negative resistance, so the HV source is always going to have a balast on the output stage limiting the current. presumably the plasma uses a discrete component driver to be able to pass audio freqs cleanly
@11:43 what happens if we use balanced cables instead of un-balanced?
What a perfect demo. Thanks man
Amazing video.
Wow I thought this was gonna be a really boring distortion gimmick just like the pedal but the added features makes this sound so killer on Vox and drums I can't believe it.
What are you talking about "boring gimmick"? I've used the pedal on all these things and it sounded amazing every time! The tremolo is a really nice sound shaping addition though, so might just go off and get the rack
Yeah the stereo ability is just unreal. That’s one of the coolest parts of the rack is the ability to link and do a ton of other things a pedal can’t.
Yeah, pedal is cool, one of the best fuzz pedals money can buy.
Brilliant. You just sold a pair to me. Thank you!
The vocal surprised me 👍
It's got so much character, so much so that it's almost a one-trick pony, even though it can do more. The use-case in a production is limited I think, but it could serve as a staple unit for an artist or producer where this is a large ingredient to their overall sound.
A bit unwieldy and limited use-case for my own productions, but would be super fun and is incredibly unique with the xenon vacuum, the fact that it's literal electricity affecting the signal.
Sooooooo cool wow thanks for showing these ideas
That song sounds awesome, anywhere we can hear the finished version?
great video my dude
do you think it sounds electric?
Anyone got one of those plasma globes? Wonder if you could run a signal into it, then pick that up with a...pickup?
Very awesome tool to get more creative with ,,,, sounded awesome
Thanks Raul!
I really dug it on bass honestly. Could work for synths in a similar respect.
holy shit that bass
this is way more impressive than the pedal version
wondering if pedals will become obsolete with the advent of Plasma Rack? Thanks for the review... This is unchartered territory w/ cutting edge consumer grade hardware.
This is nice
Why are your signals SO loud going into them, and mine SOOOOooo quiet? I
'm feeding a wav file from VLC media player into virtual outputs into RME Totalmix and it's showing good levels into the I/O of my Plasma Racks, but i'm not getting solid audio through it.
You should try patching a delay(s) from the loop of Plasma to another!
Should I get 1 or 2?
What is the risk of overheating? Is it safe to stack a stereo pair like that?
Honest question, not a judgement. Im asking because if the top & bottom ventilation holes making me feel apprehensive about stacking them the way I want to (like yours).
I dont have a ton of spare rack space.
Do I need one? No.
But do I *need* it?
Yes.
Trashcan/non-standard drumset recorded with wacky processing using this device and some of your other interesting recording techniques
Wow that does have a very unique feel to it, it may be £1400 but it does impart something new in its own way. Lockdown has me a bit broke lol but something for the list....nice video
same. this is surprisingly cool given that i wasn't that ecstatic after trying the pedal. but low on my 'hardware to get' list.
10:46
Trent Reznor would have killed for these things 30 years ago.
Dead End Parade rocks
Man the impact of this thing is tremendous, wow!!!!!
I suppose it kills with mono drum rooms, or parallel etc.
Not for me thanks, the only thing it adds is the clipping sound of the plasma wich is just a visual that does not actually add anything to the sound, it's just a trigger that requires the soundlevel to be above a certain db before discharging. To me it sounds like a boken DA or a missing earth connection, nothing I'd spend any money on if I can get the same result using a pair of 0.25$ diodes.
Visuals yes, sound...not so much.
These are cool. But why wouldn’t I just own two of the eurorack modules and step the single up and down? All of the extra FX could be in a eurorack system, in stereo, for a great deal less. You can’t tell me that we’re worried about noise and dynamic range in any way with these units... eurorack would do just fine.
2X eurorack plasma $700
Way more advanced tremolo:
Complex voltage controlled envelope generator/follower/LFO $250 (contour 1)
And a VCA - $250 (intellijel quad, also
Doubles as saturation and stereo insert loop.)
Balanced I/O to unbalanced eurorack (Intellijel I/O) - $300
3U rackmount case with power - $150 (tip-top)
$1650 for stereo. Add a filter and you also have a complete analog modular synth voice with stereo distortion.
This could be done for several $100 cheaper as well. And before people complain, there are so many pro audio devices that attenuate and step down your signal to a lower voltage and raise it back up on the output stage. What do you think this very device is doing lmao? 5,500 volts? And line level to euro level is throwing you off?
I have a $3000 Culture Vulture Super 15... a $3000 symphony... a $2500 Dangerous compressor... are these so valuable in rack form that any of these are worth replacing? If the market isn’t large, what about replacement bulbs? Are those easy to get? Cheap to repair? The tubes are reliable according to them, but are there any other parts of the circuit that are tough to repair?
are they for the studio that has everything and can afford to tac on something that sounds similar to a fuzz factory (but obviously better imo). But that $1500 could probably get me 2 custom rackmount 24V fuzz factories.And I would still have $800 left over if I did it myself.
Purchases like these are so expensive we obviously have to factor in the opportunity cost of $3000 f’ing dollars. And yes I’m trying to work out the budget in my head now and I can’t and it makes me sad.
I’d like to say, in terms of a future video... and given the fact you can possibly obtain free demo devices... that you might consider delving in to the awesomeness of eurorack modular synthesizers. This device you showed in this video gave me the idea, as there are modules implementing this technology in analog synth modules. Look... it’s really fun stuff, but can run in to serious $! But! Ha ha! Some companies are now putting out reasonably priced simimodular... or modular units at very reasonable cost, relative to what has been out there in the past. Point being... if you haven’t already experimented with any... you could get your feet wet, even without free demo units, without paying waaaay too much money for things you may end up not being that crazy about.
Ok... now... side note/side chain. Ha ha!
Many of these modules I speak of can be easily interfaced to the regular audio world, for uses similar to this “guitar dive” you showed us today. Lending themselves to your usage in very innovative ways... as you are known to do.
Bam! There you go...
I really hope this gets some inspiring gears turning for you... and at the same time provides you with many future ideas for areas of adventure in your videos...
In conclusion... Eurorack modular synthesis is an aggressively growing area right now, with much of the impetus focused on taking things out of the DAW... and in to the realm of hands on buttons and dials/sliders and patching, that takes us back to the fun that all that kind of thing brings along from just that aspect alone.
That is all.
Interesting. I’ve been interested but never inspired by the music that is made by it. Beeping and random noises. But if it can do something that is a little more mainstream then I’m in. Make Noise is here in Asheville. As well as Moog.
What modules should I check out if I were to get a small rack with power supply?
Creative Sound Lab Just woke up and was excited to find your kind responses. Thank you! Ok... The first module you will probably want, starting left to right, after your power supply, would be an audio to eurorack voltage level matching unit of some kind. I just picked up one by Mutabe Instruments called ears. I know... very innovative name, right?! Ha ha... but it does the job for a good price, as I looked around for a short bit and found one for $120. That’s super reasonable in the world of eurorack, believe me! There are more advanced units that do this out there... and this one requires some movement of jumpers on the back in order to tune its responses to your needs, so if that idea turns you off, look around, as there, as I said, are a few choices to be had from other companies. This Ears unit will provide you with a gate, audio and envelope... in order to operate the next modules in your chain. (Edit alert): injected here later I am, after tea, inserting the need for an ADSR! Attack, Decay, Sustain and release module! This also a great place to put the LFO topic, as this low frequency oscillator will do all manor of Cool things to any module you choose to inject a voltage to. Whew... glad I had the tea, man! Without this, you would be confined to only the envelope provided by the Ears device... and that’s not gonna be enough at all! Bam! So glad I came back and read this again! Then... at this point, You could get yourself an oscillator of some description, too... just so you have one for things other than only processing incoming audio sources. Polyphony ability is always best, as well as midi to CV conversion device as another consideration. See how fun this stuff is?! Ok... moving on: Next... a voltage controlled filter would be a good choice. Before continuing, I need to say I’ve been super impressed by everything Mutable Instruments creates... and they cover all these bases, but to keep cost down I’m suggesting you check out some of the new modules by Behringer. They have been, with almost superhuman regularity, producing clones of old synth units that have been well established as awesome at what they do. (Edit two): be careful in choosing modules that are clones of vintage synths, some were know to be controlled by gate voltages in reverse to today’s standards... and will require conversion to work correctly, so keep an eye out for this! Whew! Another thing I’m glad I saw I missed after reading this again! Moving on, again: One of the most used kind of filters is the low pass, but I suggest getting one with all three choice. Low pass, band pass and high pass, for max flexibility. Again... check out Behringer’s choices. Then in the chain will be the VCA. Voltage controlled amplifier, of course. On a short side note as we move along... units that contain multiples of these are your best bet, as there is a saying in Eurorack, “you can never have too many VCAs” or is it never enough? Anyway... try to get one with as many in them as you can. Reasons are obvious, so I’ll stop there on that. Look... at this point I could easily go straight to voltage controlled effects units of all kinds, but you can put anything you already have at the end of your output amp in your system... just know that voltage controlled effects are awesome... and something to research... and is quite the Rabbit Hole, all by itself! Mixer! Yeah... especially if you are going to have multiple channels of processing happening, get a good mixer for your rack. I picked up the Behringer CP3-M, which is supposed to be a direct clone of an old unit made by Moog way back when... and is known for its coloring of inputs after a certain level of gain is applied, which is the thing they say is Cool about it.
For now, I’m gonna stop here and go make some tea... but I couldn’t end without telling you to go straight to some online seller and get a Moog rack/Skiff or whatever the Cool kids call them. That way we, to some degree, keep it in the family! I got their 104hp rack... and am very happy with it! Price is super reasonable, too. We will talk about LFOs later... as that’s very important... and can’t be overlooked!
Alright... having just woken up, I need to get it together a little more... and possibly shoot you one or two more thoughts later.
I’m with you on the bleeps and bloops, though! Not my cup of tea either... no pun intended. But you and I know there is much more that can be done with this stuff than that! Ok... off to make my tea....
Creative Sound Lab I’m just going to hope I’ve been helpful... and wait for any other questions you may have. But... one last small suggestion, if you have a midi keyboard, you might consider getting yourself, aside from building a small rack... a Behringer Model D simimodular synth... or their Neutron... which are both great for different reasons. The Neutron is jam packed with tools you would pay a lot of money for individually... and thusly includes an amazing patching section placed on the end to the right, so you can patch away without getting cables going all over the place, but also come set up to work just out of the box, no patching required, if you want to just turn it on and go. It’s a well Loved unit that is its own animal... and a clone of nothing else. The Model D, on the other hand is a clone of the famous Moog synth, that needs no introduction, yet comes with less patching capabilities. Each is only $300... so they make fantastic introduction synths! I feel that the Model D has a more user friendly external audio section... so that had to be said, yet if you get an interface such as the Ears module I mentioned earlier, both will do the job in terms of taking real world inputs and making them do fun stuff.
Chuk
Lmfao. You gotta be joking right? 😆 It's like someone goofed around with that bulb and thought, hey, I bet people will pay bucks for this just for the cool factor! And sadly, they're probably right. Is it cool for about 2 minutes? Yep. Is it worth 1500 bucks? Hell no..That thing sounds like absolute shit and I want to meet the goofball with money to burn who thought they really needed this...Holy shit. Probably why this guy doubled two of them up, to make it look like your getting more than you are.
Yes I agree sounds broken
trap 808 or drums aw man mike dean prob already owns one of these man
If Tesla were alive today...
That distortion was horrible!
Sorry! Sounds terrible
Nope! It is great EYECANDY, but sounds terrible. They need to find a way to make it sound better.
plasma wack :-)