Overloud, makers of guitar/bass, reverb, and studio models and more, are giving away their Dimension-D emulation plug-in for Mac and Windows. And it’s worth grabbing even if you have another Dimension, thanks to a few twists.
Okay, yes – it has absolutely gotten to the point where my plug-in folder has multiple emulations of the same Roland gear, and I swap between them superstitiously / for variety. But the Dimension-D is just one of those things – a vintage analog chorus that just magically makes all sorts of things sound better, from drums to synths to vocals to… truth time, I probably try it on just about anything. Arturia makes a great emulation that’s beautiful for its accuracy and color, even compared to the original.
But now the Overloud is interesting, because it has not only a great simulation but a ton of modulation options not on the original (and not typically found on the various software recreations). You can spot that just looking at the screenshot, and a UI that melds the familiar Roland faceplate with extra parameters. You can still combine multiple buttons (the old mash-more-than-one-down technique of real hardware), but you also get some extras:
- Modulation, with custom LFO shapes
- Input stage saturation control (which they say has “super-musical” harmonics… no idea what the “super” is about, except that yes, saturation is good)
- BPM-synced modulation
- Input envelopes with control of all parameters – add an input, and you can dynamically drive parameters with it
That is, they’ve added a ton of modulation extras to the original chorus, which opens up a very different way of using the Dimension than on the original or more slavish recreations. I’m onboard, especially for free. (After that, it’s US$99. There are 1000 licenses per day, so full disclosure, I grabbed mine just in case too many of you got your grubby hands on it.)
Go go…
https://overloud.com/free-gem-mod/download?id=0
Then you have to sign up for an account, and wait on a license deposit and an email with some instructions. 32-bit Windows, 64-bit macOS and Windows, appears no native M1 yet. (No huge download, either, in case you’ve been burned by some other free stuff that turned out to unlock some small part of some huge package.)
I’m into it; these twists are clever enough to make me want yet another Dimension.
It’t part of a trio of plug-ins adding Ensemble and Symphonic, which has a discount on now – Modula.
You know, oddly enough the description of Dimension D from the Super Paper Mario game kinda also fits the Roland gear. “Dimension D is the name of a small, but surreal and magical, infinitely green alternate dimension (with an exception of the said dimension’s small but visible yellowish hue on its ceilings, walls, and floors) created by the magic powers of the evil clown Dimention“
Yeah, still accurate. Just hope I never have to fight opponents brainwashed by cabbage or whatever was going on in that game. (Wait, that sort of fits some music industry people.)