DVS Airwaves: Add Air and Life to Your Recordings
In the world of digital audio, where every sample and track can be perfectly aligned and static, sometimes that elusive sense of space and movement is missing, which is inherent in live performances or recordings in real acoustic environments. This is where DVS Airwaves comes to the rescue – a unique aural exciter from Dream Vortex Studio that can breathe new life into your mixes.
Designed with the idea of reproducing natural acoustic phenomena, DVS Airwaves simulates the effect of air movement in large spaces, such as clubs or concert venues, or even in open locations. In such spaces, the sound never remains completely static – it constantly interacts with the environment, undergoing subtle time shifts and modulations, which gives it a special “breathing” and volume. This plugin aims to capture this dynamic and transfer it to your digital workspace, making your recordings more lively and natural.
What is an Aural Exciter?
Before delving into the specifics of DVS Airwaves, it’s worth briefly explaining what an aural exciter is. This is a type of sound processor that is used to enhance the perception of presence, brightness, and “air” in a sound signal. Traditionally, exciters work by adding harmonic overtones that may be missing or poorly expressed in the original signal. These harmonics are generated on the basis of the higher frequency spectrum of the input signal and added back to the mix, creating the effect of a subjective increase in detail and transparency without a significant increase in overall volume.
DVS Airwaves approaches this concept from a slightly different angle, focusing on the time and phase interactions that result from modeling air movement. This can cause not only the addition of pleasant harmonics, but also subtle modulations that simulate natural acoustic shifts, giving the sound a sense of space and “tremor,” as it occurs in the physical world.
Features and Applications of DVS Airwaves
The flexibility of DVS Airwaves allows it to be used in various scenarios: from subtle processing to creating extreme, psychedelic effects.
- Naturalization and Volume: At moderate settings, the plugin works as a great tool for giving the mix or individual tracks a sense of space and natural movement. It can make dry digital recordings more “analog” or “live,” mimicking the acoustics of a large room. This is especially useful for vocals, acoustic instruments, drum machines or synthesizers that lack character.
- Aural Exciter on the Master Bus: Using DVS Airwaves on the master output can add overall transparency, presence, and crystal clarity to the mix. It helps “open up” the mix, making it more “airy” and dynamic, especially if you want to avoid simply adding high frequencies with an equalizer.
- Extreme and Trippy Effects: Don’t be afraid to experiment with more radical settings! DVS Airwaves can turn ordinary sound into something completely unexpected and psychedelic. Stronger modulations and time shifts create effects that may resemble warp, flanger, chorus or even ring modulation, but with a unique, “breathing” character inspired by natural phenomena. This opens up wide opportunities for sound design and the creation of unique textures.
Technical Details
DVS Airwaves is a lightweight and efficient VST plugin designed for Windows operating systems (32-bit). Its interface is likely intuitive, allowing you to quickly adjust the desired effect, whether it’s subtle processing for mastering or radical sound experiments.
The plugin is an interesting approach to sound processing, combining the principles of aural excitation with the modeling of physical acoustic effects. This makes it a valuable addition to the arsenal of any musician or sound engineer looking for new ways to make their mixes more expressive, voluminous and lively.
Try DVS Airwaves to add that same “air” to your music that makes the sound truly captivating and natural.
