Universal Audio models the Thermionic Culture Vulture

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  • The company's latest is based on a famed hardware distortion unit.
  • Universal Audio models the Thermionic Culture Vulture image
  • Universal Audio has released an emulation of the Thermionic Culture Vulture. The original Culture Vulture is a British-made hardware unit that delivers valve distortion, valued by producers for adding warmth and grit to mixes. It's got fans across genres, but it's not a cheap proposition—one will cost you at least $2,000. UA says they spent years working on their emulation, which was the first time they've modeled a pentode tube circuit. In addition to faithfully recreating the sound in the digital realm, they've added a few features that weren't found on the original: a parallel mix control and a link function for more controlled stereo processing. The plug-in's page over at UA's website has a horde of audio samples and goes deeper into the effect. As with all UA plug-ins, you'll need one of the company's DSP chips or Apollo audio interfaces to run it. The Thermionic Culture Vulture is now available from Universal Audio for $299.
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