The lush, free plug-in Supermassive is turning 2.5 years old, with its wonderfully sumptuous reverb/delays, celebrating with two new modes, Scorpio and Libra. Plus, remember that Max for Live wrapper that lets it run like a native Live device? That got an update, too.
First up – the new modes. Scorpio riffs on Gemini, but with a complex feedback network that delivers stereo width and “a more ‘open’ frequency response” ideally suited for realistic reverbs and reverbs that have easily tamed low ends:
The Scorpio mode is similar to the Gemini mode in many ways: fast attack, rapid build of echo density, more of a “conventional” reverb. The feedback path in Scorpio is very different than Gemini with lower DENSITY settings, and can sound like a complex ping-pong delay. The Low EQ and High EQ filters in Scorpio are included within the feedback paths, versus outside the feedback path like in the Gemini mode.
Libra is “the best mode … for lush modulated reverbs with a natural decay.”
The Libra mode in ValhallaSupermassive has a somewhat slower attack than Scorpio, and can sound like a delay at 4X the displayed DELAY length when WARP and DENSITY are both at zero. Turn up the WARP control, and Libra quickly transforms into a very lush reverb, with balanced modulation. The DENSITY control will start to bring in shorter recirculating delays, and is very useful in smoothing out the reverb attack and decay. Every delay within the Libra mode is filtered by Low EQ and High EQ filters within the feedback paths.
That brings the grand total of algorithms up to a whopping 18. ValhallaSupermassive is a plug-in you’d probably pay for, if it weren’t already free. (Of course, you can pay for the other Valhalla plug-ins, and they’re all quite affordable.)
It’s worth reading the full notes on the update, which goes into more sound design tips. I will certainly consider those very carefully, as I first reflect on ho… okay, yeah, I will probably start by cranking the knobs and come back to this:
ValhallaSupermassive 2.5.0 Update. Two new Modes: Scorpio and Libra!
Here’s a sound example of that Libra algorithm, appropriate for the winter that’s reaching us in the upper part of the northern hemisphere:
Music created with the Sequential Circuits Take 5 synthesizer. ValhallaDelay used for tape echo and reverse pitch shifting. ValhallaSupermassive (with the upcoming Libra mode selected) used for reverb.
Now, remember that Max for Live wrapper that allowed you to run Supermassive as if it were a native Ableton Live device? I happened to write this up and people went absolutely wild for it, so it’s obviously appealing.
If you don’t remember, quick review:
Well, great news – Elisabeth has updated the wrapper with full support for the new modes.
This is the kind of Twitter I like to see. (Twitter is alive! Let that plate in!)
Grab the latest on Gumroad – or if you have it already, you should have an emailed update for free:
There’s still more good Valhalla news, too – ValhallaDelay got a 2.5 update, too:
- RitchPitch combines pitch-shifted delay + detuned delay
- PitchMix lets you dial in the mix of that sound and works with feedback
- PitchMix + Diffusion = new shimmer reverbs and there’s a presets folder full of examples
Here’s how it sounds:
Sign me up:
And if you need to catch up with your Valhalla stuff – Supermassive for its part runs on Windows and macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel):
Previously:
Obligatory, kinda… or at least a throwback to the era of early CDM.