If you want a quick round-up of some of the hottest new software releases for use in music and post-production then at Production Expert we've created this summary. We tell you what the brand says and what we think, we also include links to help you find out more.

This week we take a look at:

Halls of Fame 3 Complete Edition by Best Service

What Does Best Service Say About Halls Of Fame 3?

Halls Of Fame 3 by Best Service combines the authentic sound of vintage reverbs with modern editing possibilities. Whether you are looking for spring, plate or algorithmic reverbs, Halls Of Fame 3 got you covered. Vintage and digital reverbs have never been captured this faithfully – original presets and high quality impulse responses merged into one professional, easy-to-use convolution reverb plugin. Recorded in stereo and “true stereo” with premium recorders, Halls Of Fame 3 brings the sound of vintage reverb units right into your studio.

The complete edition includes all original presets of the following units:

Digital Legends

• Lex 96L (2002)
• Lex 96 (2007)
• T600C (1998)
• Bric M7 (2007)
• R 880 (1988)
• QRS 2496 (1997)
• Even T 2016 (1983 / 2006) Reverb

Vintage Legends

• EMT 240 (1974)
• EMT 250 (1976)
• Lex 224 (1978)
• Lex 300 (1998)
• Lex 480 (1987)
• AKG BX 20 (1965

The Interface

The intuitive GUI offers direct access to all important parameters, required to adjust the reverb to your taste. Furthermore all parameters can be entirely automated in real-time – even start and end points. Due to its comprehensive tweaking possibilities, Halls Of Fame 3 exceeds its vintage predecessors.

Alongside other techniques, we mostly recorded in TRUE STEREO HDIR (High Definition Impulse Responses) in 96kHz resolution, 32 bit floating point wave format. High-End “PrismSound” ADA-8XR converters and “StraigtWire” audio cables also contributed to that unmatched and pure, crystal clear quality.

Features Overview

• 13 legendary hardware reverbs of the last 50 years combined in one plugin
• Recorded in stereo and “true stereo” with premium recorders
• Authentic sound due to high quality impulse responses
• Intuitive GUI with direct access to all important parameters

Halls of Fame 3 - Free Edition

Halls Of Fame 3 - Free Edition gives you access to a selection of presets from all 13 hardware reverbs of the Complete Edition. Convince yourself of the authentic sound of the most important and most frequently used reverbs of the last 50 years.

What We Think About Hall Of Fame

These impulse responses sound absolutely fantastic. IR player GUIs generally aren’t particularly full-featured, so having the extended control Halls of Fame 3 offers is very welcome. The damping controls add to the versatility of the impulse responses. The ability to trim the lengths also really adds to the versatility. Most of the impulse responses are relatively long. There isn’t a huge selection in the <1-second range, so if you want a very short tight chamber or room type of space, the trim and damping controls will help get you there.  

The interface is very intuitive. It is laid out relatively well, except that it requires additional clicks to move between the IR loading page and the main interface. It would be great if the preset page reverted back to the main interface once the IR is chosen. The inclusion of an attack time knob in addition to pre-delay is a nice touch. It would be great though if they, along with the release time, offered sync to tempo options as well the free time-based adjustments. - Eli Krantzberg

Pros:

• Fantastic collection of great sounding IRs based on classic units and stunningly sampled at 32 bit/96k
• Light on the CPU
• Ability to edit the IRs offers the perfect amount of control without being unnecessarily complex.
• Damping control is a really useful nice touch, not usually found on impulse response reverb plug-ins, that extends the range of the sampled unit.

Cons:

• The download and installation process is a bit obtuse. But it’s a one-time affair. Once it’s installed, you don’t have to deal with again. 
• It would be nice if there less mouse clicks necessary to move back and forth between the individual IRs and the main interface. 
• It would be nice of the attack pre-delay and release time offered async to host tempo option.

Verdict

I really love the sound of these impulse responses. they really do all sound great. There is a nice cross section of the standard hardware units that we are familiar with from the many readily impulse responses available with other plug-ins, and some lesser-known slightly esoteric units. There are units here you won’t easily find in other reverb plug-ins. 

The damping and trim controls really allow for customizing the IRs to the point where you can get radically different sounds from their initial state when loaded. This is absolutely a worthwhile impulse response based reverb plug-in, that I know I will be reaching for often. Maybe not as often for a drum room emulation, but definitely for vocals and other scenarios that benefit from rich long super smooth plate style reverbs. 

And if you don’t want them too smooth, it’s easy to trim the start time and focus on the lively reflections that happen in the later stages of the IRs. Boosting the output trim compensates nicely for the reduced level at the ends of the reverb tails very nicely - Eli Krantzberg

To learn more about Halls of Fame 3 from Best Service, check it out in action on some lead vocals here: 

Using Multiple Instances of Best Service’s Halls of Fame 3 Convolution Reverb Serially yo Creater Interesting & Unique Vocal Reverbs

Find out more on the Best Service page

And best of all, there is a free version available that is completely and fully functional! It gives you access to a selection of presets from all 13 hardware reverbs of the Complete Edition.

FG-A Vintage American Equalizer By Slate Digital

What Does Slate Digital Say About FG-A Vintage American Equalizer

The new FG-A is a  Vintage American Equalize the recreates the exact tone of one of the industry’s most coveted discrete EQs. With its classic proportional q curves and fat saturation, it’s sure to become one of your go-to EQs for any track that needs sweetening.

What We Think About FG-A Vintage American Equalizer By Slate Digital

I've been using the new Slate Digital FG-A module for the Slate Virtual Mic Rack for a couple of days now and I have to say they have done an amazing job of recreating one of my favourite hardware EQs. I have a pair of the API 550A EQs in 500 Series format and I love them on kick and snare drums. In fact they sound amazing on just about anything and I can report that the FG-A sounds every bit as good.

Pros:

• Sounds every bit as good as the hardware it is modelled on.
• Very easy to use.
• For anyone with a Slate Digital Everything Bundle you already have access to the FG-A.
• Very low CPU load so you can recreate an entire API console if you wish.

Cons:

• Only available for use within the Slate Virtual Mix Rack

To learn more about FG-A Vintage American Equalizer on the Slate Digital website and we will have a review of the FG-A for you very soon.

MixChecker Pro By Audified

What Does Audified Say About MixChecker Pro?

Everyone who mixes content for an audience has to make sure that the mixes sound great on every consumer device and in every environment. This can be done quickly and easily with MixChecker or MixChecker Pro. With tons of new features, the Pro version lets you simulate the exact surroundings and devices of your listeners.

What's New In MixChecker Pro?

Everything! Even though the interface has the same elegance and ease of use as the original MixChecker. 

New simulations. All characteristics are newly measured, the processing engine is completely different with lower latency and better phase linearity. No simple impulse responses inside. 

Create sets of simulations. Drag the selected simulations in any order to the MixChecker buttons. Save your selection to several "Button sets" together with stereo base width and volume level for each button.

Custom settings and labels for buttons. The MixChecker buttons have several adjustable parameters. You may even assign one simulated device to several buttons, each with different settings. To distinguish between them, there could be a custom label placed over each button. 

Distortion. We are experts in the exact modeling of distortion and saturation, either of speakers or of amps, preamps and other circuits. We used this experience and we added modeling of these distortions to MixChecker Pro.

Background noise. MixChecker adds a possibility to add some audio background with adjustable volume. The combination with simulated devices is quite sophisticated: When you select simulation of phones, the path of the noise through the headphones and ears is simulated, so you hear the realistic combination of the mix playing from headphones and of the noise, coming through headphones from outside.   

Auto Advance. You don't need to browse through simulations manually. The adjustable auto advance function does it for you.

Advanced stereo modes. Except of simple Mono mode, MixChecker offers channel swap, listening to each channel separately in both monitors. Furthermore, each simulation has adjustable width of the stereo base. 

Web browser, iOS and Android remote control. MixChecker Pro comes accompanied by web browser, mobile phone or tablet control. You may walk around your studio when checking the final mix, save the valuable screen size. Remote control is in Beta stage now and the iOS version will be available in a few days after approval. 

And more improvements, like interface zoom, calibration, ...

What We Think About MixChecker Pro By Audified

This upgrade of the original MixChecker brings new features, loses a couple from the previous version and introduces some interesting new features. In an upcoming post Julian auditions the virtual devices, if you like the opportunities and convenience presented by auditioning mixes through simulated equipment then MixChecker Pro does the job extremely well. In his investigations Julian found some of the features presented possibilities for using MixChecker Pro as a source of "Futz" effects and atmos effects for "walla" tracks. And he was particularly impressed by the remote control options available via networked devices using a web browser. 

Pros:

• Convincing simulations of low fi devices
• Excellent UI
• Interesting potential for use in Post
• Remote control options

Cons:

• Opinion is divided about checking mixes on laptops and phones

Perspective By Oscillot Audio

What Does Oscillot Audio Say About Perspective?

The Ultimate Monitoring Setup

Your ears. The most important gear you own. When processing and manipulating sound, getting the most helpful feedback from your studio monitors and headphones is of paramount importance. What use is that shiny new compressor you bought if you can’t accurately hear what it’s doing? How do you know that you’re setting it up right?

Perspective lets you turn your monitors into other coveted studio monitors, cars, and consumer electronics with unprecedented accuracy, at the touch of a button, without ever leaving the sweet spot! While you’re at it, test your mixes on the road with road ambience recordings, hear to your work on the airwaves with the radio simulation, and communicate with your talent through the fully functional talk back feature. All in one super-loaded, hyper-accurate plugin.

What We Think About Perspective By Oscillot Audio

We're yet to try this in anger so we can't comment on the quality of the results. It's very similar in function to MixChecker Pro. The principal difference in approach seems to be that in Slot H (see image) you can select your source loudspeaker which potentially makes the simulations more accurate. We'll have to try it and see.

Pros:

• Selectable source speaker in Slot H
• New speaker profiles being added all the time
• Extended monitor Controller functions

Cons:

• Opinion is divided about checking mixes on laptops and phones

Warm Audio WA-47 Large Diaphragm Tube Condenser Microphone

What Do Warm Audio Say About The WA-47

The WA-47 is an all vacuum tube, large diaphragm, transformer balanced, multi-pattern (9), large condenser microphone, based on the classic ‘47 that have been used on countless hit records for the last 50+ years. The WA-47 is designed for pro studio, home studio, live, and broadcast applications and sounds great on vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, acoustic/electric bass, drums, piano, strings, brass/woodwind instruments, and an array of other sources. The classic ‘47 became extremely popular in the 1960’s and is now considered one of the greatest microphones ever made. The classic ‘47 is still widely used today in professional recording studios but have become extremely rare and expensive to acquire.

Designing the WA-47 to sound like the classic ‘47 was no easy task, especially considering that some of the vintage components are no longer available. We compared and listened to 2 different vintage ‘47 mics and found that they both sounded amazing but also sounded a little different from each other. These comparison tests became the benchmark for tailoring our WA-47 sonics to sit right in with these 2 vintage ‘47 mics. We are pleased to release such a gorgeous sounding classic to the market at a price that’s reachable to more people than ever before. We are also proud to mention that the WA-47 sounds legitimately indistinguishable to the vintage ‘47’s we auditioned on several sources.

What We Think About The Warm Audio WA-47 Microphone

If you are looking for a serious microphone with a classic tone you could do much worse than choose the WA-47. The entire package, from the flight case and cables to the build quality of the mic and the PSU are truly top draw and when you consider the price of this thing it almost falls into the category of no-brainer.  You can check out James' full test of the WA-47 in the Production Expert Test. 

Pros:

• Great vintage sounding microphone for under $1000 USD.
• Sounds great on whatever you record. 
• Kit comes complete with flight case, cables and shock mount.

Cons:

• I'm not a fan of the OEM spider shock mounts but what can you say at the price.