Crane Song Phoenix II Plug-in Suite

Stellar Tape Emulation for Pro Tools

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Related Videos: Phoenix II Plug-in Suite

The Crane Song Phoenix II AAX plug-in brings Dave Hill's world-famous tape emulation to both DSP-accelerated and native Pro Tools systems. In Phoenix II, Dave Hill's decades of engineering and recording experience come together to give you an entire suite of super-realistic tape-emulation modes. You can quite easily use Phoenix II to enhance the sound of every track in every project you work on. If you want real tape sound and dynamics in your Pro Tools rig, then you need the Crane Song Phoenix II AAX plug-in.

• Five flavors of tape emulation loaded into one versatile plug-in
• Level-dependent processing lets your hit this plug-in like real analog tape
• Three levels of tape glow provide added coloration

Dave Hill's vast experience with top-quality tape machines led him to infuse Crane Song Phoenix II with five amazing tape emulation modes. If you're in the mood for a strictly neutral tape style compression, Luminescent mode is the perfect place to start. Iridescent mode fattens up the bottom end and midrange a bit, whereas Radient mode lays on more aggressive compression (both are great for drums). If you want to punch up vocals, then flip Phoenix II over to Dark Essence to get seriously aggressive compression with a wide frequency range. Last but not least is Phoenix II's Luster mode, which runs the gambit from mild to aggressive, depending on how hard you hit it.

Speaking of level-dependent processing, the dynamic response of Phoenix II is one of the things that truly sets it apart from other tape-emulation plug-ins, many of which rely solely on odd-order harmonics to achieve their "tape sound." Crane Song actually gave Phoenix II both input and output trim controls, making it easier than ever to drive its tape saturation and get the coloration you want, without running the risk of clipping your tracks. If you came to Sweetwater looking to add an analog vibe to your productions, Phoenix II is it.

Real tape sound includes more than just the nonlinear compression of electromagnetic tape. In fact, there's a lot going on in a real tape machine's record/reproduce electronics and fixed equalization curves that form what we think of as "tape sound." That's why Crane Song included the frequency-enhancing character of real tape machines in Phoenix II's brightness controls. Gold mode represents the standard flat tape sound. You also get Phoenix II's Saphire mode for added brightness, whereas Opal mode brings out the warmth in your material.

• A suite of realistic and flexible tape-emulation styles in a single AAX plug-in
• Designed from the ground up to be compatible with both native Pro Tools systems and Pro Tools|HDX systems (requires Pro Tools 10 or later)
• Tape-emulation modes based on decades of experience with analog electronic engineering
• 5 x tape-emulation types let you select the right analog sound for your material
• Luminescent mode provides you with neutral-sounding tape dynamics and minimal coloration
• Iridescent mode includes neutral non-linear compression with fatter bottom and midrange
• Radiant mode adds an aggressive compression curve that's great for adding punch to dynamics
• Dark Essence mode combines across-the-board aggressive compression with coloration that affects a wide frequency range and is particularly flattering to vocals
• Luster mode provides an extremely dynamic effect that responds aggressively at higher saturations
• Brightness modes allow you to select between a neutral frequency response (Gold mode), a brighter frequency response (Saphire mode), and a warmer frequency response (Opal mode)
• Frequency-dependent processing with independent input and output level controls let you apply heavy processing without clipping your tracks