Hello, friends! As a professional copywriter and a true admirer of quality sound, I am pleased to present to you an interesting plugin that can become a real treasure in your arsenal. Meet NCAR from the renowned masters of analog modeling, Analog Obsession.
NCAR: Your Summing Console with Analog Character
NCAR is not just another plugin, it’s a full-fledged 8-channel stereo summing mixer that offers rich functionality for processing and mixing your tracks. Created by Analog Obsession, it carries the warmth and musicality inherent in vintage analog equipment.
The main idea of NCAR is to provide the ability to sum up to eight stereo signals in one place, while adding its unique sound tint. This can be especially useful for simulating the operation of a studio console or for structuring and processing individual groups of instruments (drums, bass, guitars, synthesizers, etc.).
Main functions of the channel strip (Strip Functions):
- Preamp: Adds saturation and harmonics, simulating the operation of an analog preamp.
- 3-band fixed equalizer (3 Band Fixed Equalizer): A simple but effective equalizer with fixed frequencies (110 Hz, 1.6 kHz, 10 kHz) for quick tone correction.
- Output: Adjusting the level of each stereo channel.
- VU Meter: Visual control of the signal level (sum of the left and right channels).
- Editable Track Name Entry: The ability to rename each channel for convenience.
- Bypass: Quick comparison of processed and unprocessed signal.
- Channel Mute: Quick muting of a specific channel.
Master Section (Master Functions):
- Output: Overall output level of the mixer.
- VU Meter: Visual control of the overall output level.
- Editable Track Name Entry: The ability to rename the output channels (L/R).
Routing Modes:
NCAR offers two main operating modes, providing flexibility in integration into your workflow:
SUM Mode (Summing):
In this mode, all 8 stereo inputs are summed into one stereo output. Ideal if you want to process a group of tracks as a single unit or simulate summing on the master bus of an analog console.
Routing steps in SUM mode:
- Place the NCAR plugin on a bus channel in your DAW.
- Send individual tracks or groups of tracks to the bus with NCAR.
- Select the appropriate input channels in NCAR (see channel explanations below).
- Now you will hear the sum of all 8 stereo inputs on 1 stereo output of NCAR.
Channel explanation in SUM mode:
- Inputs:
- Track 1: Input 1-2
- Track 2: Input 3-4
- Track 3: Input 5-6
- Track 4: Input 7-8
- Track 5: Input 9-10
- Track 6: Input 11-12
- Track 7: Input 13-14
- Track 8: Input 15-16
- Outputs:
- Track 1: Output 1-2
IND Mode (Individual):
This mode allows you to use NCAR as a multi-channel processor, where each of the 8 stereo inputs has a corresponding separate stereo output. This is useful if you want to apply NCAR processing to individual groups, and then continue their further processing or routing in the DAW.
Routing steps in IND mode:
- Place the NCAR plugin on a bus channel in your DAW.
- Send individual tracks or groups of tracks to the bus with NCAR.
- Select the appropriate input channels in NCAR.
- Send the NCAR outputs to new or existing tracks in your DAW.
- Now you will hear the output of each of the 8 processed channels on separate tracks in the DAW.
Channel explanation in IND mode:
- Inputs:
- Track 1: Input 1-2
- Track 2: Input 3-4
- Track 3: Input 5-6
- Track 4: Input 7-8
- Track 5: Input 9-10
- Track 6: Input 11-12
- Track 7: Input 13-14
- Track 8: Input 15-16
- Outputs:
- Track 1: Output 1-2
- Track 2: Output 3-4
- Track 3: Output 5-6
- Track 4: Output 7-8
- Track 5: Output 9-10
- Track 6: Output 11-12
- Track 7: Output 13-14
- Track 8: Output 15-16
NCAR from Analog Obsession is a powerful and flexible tool for summing and processing your signals with a characteristic analog coloration. Whether you need simple summing of a drum group or complex routing for further processing, NCAR will provide you with the necessary capabilities.
The plugin is available in VST format and supports Windows (64-bit) and macOS operating systems.
