Desert

Desert is a suite consisting of four different plugins embodying a unique recording and mixing desk from the early 1960s, as well as other rare gear of the same brand. All of the original hardware came from a recording studio located in Lagos, Nigeria that was owned by a famous British record label.

Get That Truly Vintage Feel

The centerpiece of this project is the recreation of an iconic vintage console module, whih Acustica had the opportunity to samples thanks to the invaluable contribution of music producer, composer and sound engineer Sodi Marciszewer (the owner of this priceless equipment), and Zarma Studio.

In Sodi’s words:

“I was able to acquire this console from a mythical recording studio in Lagos, Nigeria. There, during a session, I noticed this monster from ancient times lurking in a dark corner. I was well aware of its potential: I knew that she was quietly waiting for someone who would take care of her!

I had had the opportunity to work in these studios thanks to my relationship with Nigerian musical icons Fela and Femi Kuti, for whom I produced, recorded and mixed many albums. By continuing my musical commitments in these unique places, I also got to discover other pieces of gear built by the sam company, which employed the same technology… specifically, I found stereo equalizers and opto compressors from another mastering console. I felt deep joy, as if I had stumbled on hidden treasure.”

The Desert suite packs an authentic sampling collection of these ultra-rare modules from mixing and mastering consoles, which are highly sought-after by collectors worldwide. Get the sound of an iconic vintage console assembled with the best elements that British technology had to offer, all in one plugin suite. Desert will give your mix a punchy sound filled with character, and all the unique sonic colors that defined the groundbreaking music of the 1960s.

Note: Acustica has derived 4 different plugins from these unique pieces of hardware: a channel strip, an EQ, a dual-mono compressor and a preamp module.

Inimitable Sound

The harmonic content generated by the germanium preamplifiers included in the original hardware can reach astonishing volume levels. For this reason, we have introduced the possibility of combining 8 input amps with eight different output amps, plus a drive control, to produce inimitable germanium circuit distortions. The result is the most authentic saturation that you’ll find in a single plugin suite.

Unmatched EQs

A crisp and captivating sound thanks to two extremely rare, switchable, British-made equalizers, which are absolutely dazzling thanks to their passive inductance design and their complete filters section. We modeled the same EQ in the Desert plugin.

In Sodi’s words:

“These extremely fine, very rare equalizers are incredible. There are all kinds of positions that allow you to get some really interesting tweaks… They display up to 32k in shelf position, and even offer the possibility of boosting or digging in a notch at 30 Hz in the bass. The old Gardners input and output transformers also guarantee a very special tone color.

The Ultimate Opto Compressor

Get astonishing versatility thanks to an ultra-rare, completely refurbished opto compressor/limiter unit that was part of a 1960s mastering console. It was mainly used for cutting vinyl, as one of its tasks was to ensure that excess dynamics would not pierce the matrix.

Acustica has created 3 different emulations of this unique compressor, maintaining its original spirit while introduction a few improvements to make it even more versatile.

In Sodi’s words:

“I couldn’t believe my eyes when, during the refurbishing of the unit, this old meter that hadn’t been used for at least 30 years immediately started to move as soon as it received a signal! A big problem was that we didn’t know anything about the original supply voltage, so it was necessary to carry out a lot of calibration tests involving threshold and ratio values in order to stay as true as possible to the original configuration... The various operating modes allowed by the multiple settings permit an astonishing versatility for a design of that time period! You can also hear the unique sound that results from the combination of the original Gardners transformers and germanium components.”

Did You Know?

This mixing/tracking console was developed at a time when record labels maintained their own recording studios, even designing and building most of their recording equipment. Despite its fairly rudimentary appearance, the genius of this machine is contained within its modular structure, which allows for different configurations to be employed, depending on the console’s intended use at any given moment.

This desk was designed with unbalanced connections, as was often the case with pro audio equipment back then, mostly because all the components within a recording studio were tightly connected to one each other, creating something of a unique audio “ecosystem.” Unlike the studios of today, attaching external gear to this controlled environment was an extremely rare occurrence.

Thanks to advances in technology, Acustica has been able to transform this inimitable sound into a plugin suite, bringing these exceptional recording resources from the past to the studios of the present day.

Audio Demo

Guitar - Pre + EQ B

Drum - EQ B + Comp 1

Keyboard - EQ A