Neural DSP Archetype: Rabea
A monosynth in an amp plugin? Simon Arblaster gets his shred on
CONTACT WHO: Neural DSP WEB: neuraldsp.com
KEY FEATURES Amp modelling plugin with cab sim, EQ, pre/post effects and a monosynth; Formats: VST, AU, AAX, Standalone
This particular reviewer feels a little late to the game when it comes to Neural DSP’s fabled Archetype guitar amp-modelling plugin series. Neural DSP’s form in the amp-modelling world has been nothing but stellar. Initially releasing Darkglass and Fortin amp emulations, the company had raised the bar in terms of plugin-based amp modelling and forged the way for its signature plugin range, Archetype. Instead of emulating a particular piece of hardware, Archetype sets out to distil the character of some of the leading names in guitar playing today, with the likes of Tim Henson, Tosin Abasi and Cory Wong having already been immortalised. Each plugin within the Archetype range has in common a selection of amp and cab models combined with a plethora of effects, all meticulously engineered to deliver some of the most sought-after amp modelling tones out there. This edition is named after producer and guitarist Rabea Massaad.
Archetype: Rabea follows the same path as its forbears with three amp sims: Clean, Rhythm and Lead; a bunch of cab IRs captured by Neural themselves; pre-effects including overdrive, octaver, fuzz and compressor pedals; two post-effects comprising of reverb and delay; plus a separate four-band parametric EQ for each amp model. The biggest feature to differentiate this from the other Archetype plugins is the inclusion of a monosynth called Overlord. It’s quite basic by modern softsynth standards, offering a simple, two-oscillator, virtual analogue, subtractive architecture. Each oscillator features four waveshapes; saw, square, sine and triangle with level, detune and Unison controls all at your disposal. A low-pass filter comes with four slope options, cutoff and resonance, some envelope controls and added drive. Elsewhere there are enveloping and gain controls, plus the addition of an arpeggiator. The synth’s placement in the signal chain can be easily switched between pre or post, allowing you to affect the signal differently. Combined with the excellent Atlas Delay and Aeons Reverb effects there’s so much room for experimentation.
The addition of a monosynth is a great start for amp modelling plugins in general and it’s something we hope Neural builds on. How great would it be to see some deeper controls or even different sound sources like granular or wavetable? For now, the level of depth just seems right for the application here. Especially with high-gain tones, where anything too complex will just be lost in a sea of mud. The playability of the
