Fresh from the release of Voxcraft, a versatile plugin designed for creative vocal manipulation, UJAM has unveiled Retrocraft, a multi-effect that's built for adding vintage character to audio through saturation, degradation and colouration.
UJAM says Retrocraft can bring the sought-after tones and textures of vintage audio equipment to any sound. This is achieved through its Hardware panel, which is made up of three sections that can imitate the character of an assortment of amplifiers, players and speakers, from tube amps, cassette players and gramophones to car stereos, boomboxes and dusty vinyl records.
Once your signal passes through the Hardware section it hits the Effects section, Retrocraft which is equipped with six individual effects modules – each can be switched on and off and adjusted independently, but their order in the chain is fixed.
First up we have Lo-Fi, which reduces audio quality through a variety of methods including bitcrushing and ring modulation and offers six different modes.
Following this in the chain is a modulation module that covers chorus, ensemble, flanger and phaser, followed by the Instability module, which mimics the wobble and flutter of tape machines and the artifacts of early digital audio equipment.
You also get Delay and Reverb modules, both armed with six distinct sonic flavours, and a Chop module, which slices, rearranges, repeats and reverses small sections of audio for a glitchy Beat Repeat-style effect.
At the bottom of the interface are an array of global controls that allow you to adjust the dry/wet mix and input/output levels, apply low- and high-pass filters, double-tracking and compression.
"We're big fans of the many character-processing tools available today, but we felt there was room for a more integrated solution that combines these types of effects with important additions like modulation and ambience processing," UJAM co-founder Peter Gorges said in a press statement.
"Instead of tediously building effect chains, Retrocraft lets you start with a complex effect combination you like and easily tweak it to make it your own. The element of surprise and fresh ideas really stands out here."
Priced at an introductory discount of $49 until August, UJAM's Retrocraft is available now for macOS and Windows in VST/VST3/AU/AAX formats.
