Bringing the past to the present

Described as the first to ‘successfully’ emulate Abbey Road Studio’s historic Artificial Double Tracking effect, Waves has introduced the Abbey Road Reel ADT to its portfolio of audio effects plug-ins. Despite many engineers attempting to replicate the effect over the years, the original process used at Abbey Road has, according to Waves, been a closely guarded secret up until now.

As the name implies, artificial double tracking is the process of layering vocal tracks automatically from a single recorded source. This was accomplished by varying the speed of the signal and mixing it with the original, with just enough difference in the sound to imply a separate take.

The same methodology is employed in the Reel ADT to provide the user with delay and pitch variations and tape saturation. The ‘authentically-modelled’ valve tape machine reportedly produces a faithful emulation of wow and flutter alongside other well-known Abbey Road effects such as flanging and phasing.

Alongside Reel ADT, the manufacturer has also released Vitamin Sonic Enhancer, a multiband harmonic enhancer and tone shaping plug-in. The effect works by mixing an enhanced version with the original signal to create an effect similar to that achieved manually through the use of parallel EQ, compression and saturation.

The plug-in comprises five frequency bands with adjustable crossover points, each of which can be operated in stereo mode, facilitating width control for increased stereo imaging. The effect is also stated to be ideal as a mastering tool.

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