Berlin-based start-up Shy Audio have just announced the launch of their debut product, Shy 90s Channel. As its name suggests, the plug-in has been inspired by the sound of 90s audio equipment — in particular, the budget gear that shaped the raw and unapologetic sound of techno, hip hop and other electronic music.
The plug-in comprises three sections: EQ, Drive and Signal, each of which have been designed to capture the quirks of the era’s popular gear while still offering the convenience of modern-day software processors. There are three bands of EQ, with fixed Treble and Bass bands joined by a sweepable Mids section. The Treble band offers a high shelf that can be set to either Original or Linear modes, with the former lowering the midrange gain as the shelf is boosted. The Bass band can either operate as a broad shelf filter, or can be centred at 30Hz to produce a more powerful low-end sound.
A single variable Drive control follows, which Shy Audio say is capable of pushing any source into intense distortion while preserving the signal’s low-frequency content. It introduces a mixture of even and odd harmonics and offers up to +30dB of boost, and will engage a 60Hz high-pass filter at more extreme settings in order to prevent speakers from being harmed! The following Signal section then houses High Cut and Low Cut switches (12dB/octave, operating at 14kHz and 80Hz respectively) along with a phase-aligned Wet/Dry control and a simple meter to alert users when they’re maintaining an ideal signal level or approaching clipping.
Other handy extras include selectable X2 and X4 oversampling modes, with both minimum-phase and linear-phase filter options, and an NZ function that introduces some subtle fluctuation between the left and right channels, resulting in some additional stereo width.
Compatibility
Shy 90s Channel is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or above, and Macs running macOS 10.13 and later. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Shy 90s Channel is available now, and is being offered at an introductory price of €29 until 2 December 2024, after which it will cost €49.
