JMG Sound DarkFire — A Mix Product of the Week

New York, NY (December 12, 2024)—DarkFire (Mac/Windows) is not your typical saturation plug-in. It provides exceptional control over the harmonic content it creates, allowing you to tailor its effects to warm up and fatten any source.

The signal path contains three main sections. First is the Input Filter, where you can apply high- and low-pass filtering to pre-shape the frequency range of the audio to be processed.

The second section, the Harmonic Shaper, is where the bulk of the processing occurs. On the left side, it features an Input Drive knob that controls the gain level. A three-band EQ allows for boosting or cutting the gain of the Low, Mid and High-Frequency bands. According to JMG Sound, it’s modeled from a passive tube EQ.

Below the EQ are four knobs that dial in various processes:

• The Comp knob offers a modeled analog compressor for impacting the dynamics of the saturation.
• The Stereo knob lets you increase or decrease the stereo image. On a mono-to-stereo instance, you can create a stereo signal from a mono one.
• The Depth knob kicks in a psychoacoustic process featuring multiple short delays designed to add “3D depth.” The Mod knob lets you bring in chorusing or doubling effects.
• The Harmonics Level knob functions like a dry/wet knob and, in conjunction with the Input Drive control, lets you precisely govern how much saturation you’re adding.

The last part of the signal chain is the Output Filter, which contains another set of high- and low-pass filters for final tonal shaping before the output.

Several buttons on the plug-in’s top row toggle in additional options. In addition to turning on 8X oversampling, you can enable automatic gain compensation to match the input and output levels. The latter is handy when comparing the signal with and without saturation, which is easy to do using the Power button. You can also turn on a Limiter to prevent clipping at the output.

Product of the Week: United Plugins/SoundDevice Digital Autoformer

The button labeled ADV opens up advanced options throughout the GUI. Choose between 6- or 12-dB slopes for the filters, Tube or Tape emulation for the saturation type, VCA or FET models for the compressor, a full-frequency or high-frequency range for the Stereo knob, Slow or Fast modulation speed, and short or long delay length on the Depth effect.

DarkFire’s regular price is $73, but it’s on sale for just $16 until January 12, 2025. Find out more at the United Plugins website.