Nugen Audio has released a stereo version of their immerse reverb plugin Paragon. Paragon ST has a number of new features not previously available in the immersive version of Paragon and is squarely aimed at music producers who don’t need to work in surround or immersive formats.
What Nugen Audio Say About Paragon ST
Paragon ST is a true convolution reverb with the flexibility and control of a classic algorithmic reverb. We’ve used the same reverb technology as the original Paragon and packed it full of new controls for music producers, including modulation, stereo width and more.
Via re-synthesis, Paragon ST offers full control of the decay, room size and brightness of reverbs modelled on recordings of real spaces. There’s no time-stretching, which means no artefacts.
Richness of sound
Paragon reverb in a music-friendly package
Unique technology for re-synthesis of authentic IRs
Stereo width control
Tempo-locked pre-delay and modulation
Mic distance control
Spectral analysis
Real Spaces Reimagined
Unlike a traditional convolution reverb, Paragon ST does not use a static Impulse Response. The reverb decay and room size can be set significantly longer, larger, shorter and smaller than that of the original IR space, without introducing ugly artefacts as a result of stretching or removing samples. Furthermore, the mic distance control allows you to adjust early reverb reflections in order to give an impression that the sound source is closer to or further away from the listener.
Seamless Tweakability
The IR library isn’t too big, and it isn’t too small, it’s just right. Gone are the days of keeping an Impulse Response saved for every possible configuration of every possible space - with Paragon ST, all you need is a select few, which can be tweaked to create almost limitless combinations of spaces.
Paragon ST’s IR panel allows you to seamlessly tweak the frequency response of real spaces, by EQing the reverb model itself and altering the frequency-dependent decay rate.
For Music Production
Whether you’re giving natural ambience to drums or vocals recorded in a dead room, or pushing guitars and synths far beyond realistic reverb into something fantastical, Paragon ST’s authentic IRs are perfect for adding depth to a mix.
New Features Not Previously In Paragon
Add excitement and musicality with the new modulation control and tempo-locked pre-delay, and fine-tune the placement of individual elements using the new mic distance and stereo width controls. The stereo width control is based on our iconic Stereoizer plug-in.
Typical Applications
Adding a sense of atmosphere to dry recordings
Using channel crosstalk to create stereo reverb from a mono source
Manipulating IRs whilst maintaining true convolution characteristics
Authentic sounds of real spaces
What We Think Of Paragon ST Reverb Plugin From Nugen Audio
The main UI of the plug-in is very clean and concise and is familiar to users of other Nugen products such as Halo Upmix. The crosstalk control is something not many reverbs currently have and is a welcome addition, especially when using the plug-in in surround mode for film & TV sound post-production workflows. The IO page is similar to that of other Nugen plug-ins, giving full control over various parameters on a channel-by-channel basis, which is another very welcome feature.
When opening any reverb, the presets are a great starting point even though tweaking the settings is almost always inevitable. It provides a quick way to find a suitable reverb, especially on jobs requiring a quick turnaround.
When it comes to presets, what Paragon lacks in quantity it makes up in quality, and the selection of presets, which are available are suitable for post-production as well as music. There are also three presets, which I haven't seen in a reverb plug-in before. These are Add presence, Add warmth, and Add width, which are things I would usually associate with other plug-in types such as EQ and saturation. However, I think these all have their place and certainly add something unique to this plug-in.
The new features bring more music production focused features to an already grown-up reverb. If you are fed up with the reverbs you have already got then you should get the demo and try Paragon ST out for yourself.
Examples
In the first example, I've used a recording of the English narration for an animated film, which was in a studio making it a pretty dry recording without much reverb. If this was actually being used on a production, I wouldn’t add anywhere near as much reverb as this, but to highlight the effect I’ve increased the Wet/Dry mix so the difference is clearly audible.
The second recording is of a clarinet duet recorded in a living room, so has a bit more reverb than the narration example but is still a relatively dry sound.
Nugen Audio Paragon ST System Requirements
Mac OSX 10.9 / 512 MB RAM
Windows (64 bit) Vista or above / 512 MB RAM
Support AAX, VST3, AU and AudioSuite, in 64-bit only.
Nugen Audio Paragon ST Price And Availability
Paragon ST is priced at $299 but until December 6th 2021 you will be able to get it at half price for just $149.
It is available to buy now from Nugen Audio and selected dealers.