ColorTone

[not_so_new]

Okay I just purchased Hydratone and except for the CPU usage I am loving it. While I was there picking up my copy I also downloaded ColorTone free.. and so far I am digging it... anyone out there using Pro?

A few questions...

1) Digging it or not for 2 buss and all individual tracks? I was thinking that the SSL IR would be interesting for mixing.

2) Is it worth the upgrade to Pro?

3) Is it anything like Analog Channel's AC1? I don't have ProTools and I would like to try some of Charles Dye's ITB mixing techniques.

Thanks

[farjedi]

I been using the demo of colortone pro, I suggest you do, and with the right impulse it can do wonders for the audio, some smooth it out in a way that couldn't be achieved any other way IMO. Whats interesting about PRO is you can enhance the colour of the impulse to 5 times that of normal. This changes the eq curve of the impulse and I always seem to have it on 2 or above. This has meant that a lot of 'useless' impulses that had a virtually flat frequency response have unlocked secret tonal treasures that often sound very analog to me, or should I just say pleasing.
Another fantastic feature is the warmth slider, which can add some nice harmonics to warm up stuff a treat, there is a negative value to thin stuff should you want to but I've rarely used it. The warmth slider however is amazing sounding, it really works.
Having tried Mcdsp AC-1 they aren't really all that similar, for instance I can remember being able to gain things up with the AC-1 which you cant really do with colortone, to my knowledge, not in the same way. Colortone is also pretty fiddly, having to try out implulses, seeing which ones do what, also the negative of not being able to have folders to organize your stuff is a minus. Also the sheer strain on your sysem, unless it is a quad core or something, can be frustrating.
Hope this helps...

[Recording David]

The upgrade to Pro is definitely worth it IMO. The free version is OK but a bit too subtle sometimes. With Pro you get a stack of impulse responses, plus you can use your own (you can download lots of impulses of very high end gear from the site). Also obviously you have much more control over the amount of coloration.

It's good on tracks as well as the 2-buss. My favourite setting for 2-buss from the free version is the SSL EQ which adds a subtle smoothness to the signal. I generally use the Pro or free version on pretty much every track in the mix actually.

You can actually 'drive' this plugin as well to get some cool compression effects. And the manual is very good!

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by farjedi

I been using the demo of colortone pro, I suggest you do, and with the right impulse it can do wonders for the audio, some smooth it out in a way that couldn't be achieved any other way IMO. Whats interesting about PRO is you can enhance the colour of the impulse to 5 times that of normal. This changes the eq curve of the impulse and I always seem to have it on 2 or above. This has meant that a lot of 'useless' impulses that had a virtually flat frequency response have unlocked secret tonal treasures that often sound very analog to me, or should I just say pleasing.
Another fantastic feature is the warmth slider, which can add some nice harmonics to warm up stuff a treat, there is a negative value to thin stuff should you want to but I've rarely used it. The warmth slider however is amazing sounding, it really works.
Having tried Mcdsp AC-1 they aren't really all that similar, for instance I can remember being able to gain things up with the AC-1 which you cant really do with colortone, to my knowledge, not in the same way. Colortone is also pretty fiddly, having to try out implulses, seeing which ones do what, also the negative of not being able to have folders to organize your stuff is a minus. Also the sheer strain on your sysem, unless it is a quad core or something, can be frustrating.
Hope this helps...

Yes it does.... thanks!

So I don't see it listed on the TriTone site. What IR's come with Pro?

[Recording David]

Have a look here for IRs you can DL at TriTone:

http://tritonedigital.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=21

I'm not at my studio machine right now so I can't check the exact names of the presets, but I've been using the Neve Portico stuff and the Cranesong IRs with some success. There's quite a lot of tubey stuff (EQs and preamps) but obviously they're quite cagey about naming the gear. I think if you checked posts in the colortone forum someone will have come up with the original pieces.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by Recording David

Have a look here for IRs you can DL at TriTone:

http://tritonedigital.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=21

I'm not at my studio machine right now so I can't check the exact names of the presets, but I've been using the Neve Portico stuff and the Cranesong IRs with some success. There's quite a lot of tubey stuff (EQs and preamps) but obviously they're quite cagey about naming the gear. I think if you checked posts in the colortone forum someone will have come up with the original pieces.

I guess I will have to check it out. The free version is pretty cool for sure.

[ryst]

Another satisfied CTPro user here. In fact, I like it a little too much. I was mixing an R&B song the other day which I don't normally do and I added CTPro to every channel and on the mix buss with various impulses (usually Neve & SSl though). When I finished the mix I compared it to popular R&B tracks out today. Let's just say it sounded like my mix came from the 70's. It was WAY too thick in the mids for this style of music. I had to cut out a lot of 300-500hz just to make it sound like an R&B record. A little goes a long way. It's like crack really. If you are going to use it on every channel, little is more because it starts to add up. You can get away with more "color" and "warmth" if you just use it on the mix buss. And that goes for any style of music. I remixed the R&B track after this discovery and just put it on just the mix buss and I was able to mix much faster to get the sound I wanted. I think for rock I could use it on every channel but on R&B and Hip Hop where most tracks don't have a lot of mids, CTPro works better on just the mix buss.

[David-Morpheus]

I'm using it mostly on the mixbuss with the cranked up SSL settings. gives me a very good modern aggressive sound
beside the CPU usage it's a really nice plug altough there is some issue with pluggo in PT LE 7.x - the plug beeps on startup untill you click it

sad but true hopefully it will be fixed soon

[upscaps]

i found it to be nothing liike mcdsp. it still comes across to me more as an eq than anything. when i crank it real hard on mixbuss then turn the output down to match original I dont hear too much of a difference. but i crash individual tracks with this it beefs them up. greta plug for $69

very different from mcdsp

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by upscaps

i found it to be nothing liike mcdsp. it still comes across to me more as an eq than anything. when i crank it real hard on mixbuss then turn the output down to match original I dont hear too much of a difference. but i crash individual tracks with this it beefs them up. greta plug for $69

very different from mcdsp

Were did you find it for $69???



Anway I downloaded the demo. If you match the volume settings they yes it is pretty sublt but it is very very nice.... sucks because I don't really want to purchase another plug in right now..... loks like I am going to have to do it because this soudns great.

[DAWgEAR]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

Were did you find it for $69???

That was during the introductory period which, unfortunately, has long since passed. First one or two weeks after release if I recall correctly.

If you like their plugins and see yourself buying more in the future, Tritone tends to offer such special pricing upon new releases. Angeltone and Squeezetone should be available sometime soon ...

Anyway, I really, really like Colortone Pro. Used sparingly, it adds subtle but pleasing color that I cannot get from EQ alone. YMMV. It is my favorite Tritone plug and one of my favorites overall. Never used AC, so I cannot comment on that.

[redroom]

Some of the Irs are a lot less subtle than others especially the users ones I know as I have made a ton of them which are avaliable on the tritone forum for colortone.