Carl Craig's Plugin Picks

 

From his early days as a pioneer of the burgeoning sound of Detroit techno to his Grammy nomination in 2008 for his remix of Junior Boys’ ‘Like A Child’, Carl Craig has ensured that his signature sound has remained not only distinct, but gradually evolved in new directions.

As the subject of producer focus for Loopcloud this month, subscribers can get closer than ever. Alongside an exclusive Planet E Breaks pack hand-crafted in his Detroit studio, Carl is also judging an exciting remix challenge that will see the winner win a huge stack of prizes, as well as the possibility to release on Planet E itself.

For further inspiration, Carl has also revealed some of his go-to plugins available from Plugin Boutique, a diverse mix of synth and FX units that help him achieve his remarkable textures. 

Instruments

Arturia Prophet V

The sound of the Arturia Prophet V is loyal to the legendary Prophet 5, the first ever totally programmable synthesiser on the market, recognisable on many 80s radio classics such as Japan’s ‘Ghosts’ and Hall & Oates’ ‘I Can’t Go For That’, as well as Detroit club anthem ‘Technicolour’, produced by Doug Craig and Juan Atkins.

Originally released by the American company Sequential Circuits, Arturia’s detailed remake perfectly recreates and maybe even improves the original’s dreamy warmth. “It sounds exactly like the Prophet 5 I have in the studio”, adds Craig. “It gets you really close to those classic Detroit sounds.”

Softube Model 84

If you’re seeking that Stranger Things friendly retro-futurism, the Softube Model 84 is an unmissable VST. Rich in bass built for extra oomph and a unison phase ability that allows users to send six voices to one single note, the Model 84 transports producers back to a rich and exciting time for synth development. The eighties may have been the “decade of greed”, but nobody would judge you for indulging in every vintage sound this instrument has to offer.

TAL-BassLine-101

“The original SH101 is integral to the Planet E sound, and it was always my go-to for basslines, arpeggios, anything I really needed”, stresses Carl Craig.  Intuitive and easy to use, TAL’s contemporary iteration nails that raw and authentic power, keeping your work smooth even when you’re pushing the resonance to its limits. No samples here, just fluid, beautiful oscillations. 

u-he ACE

If you like to get hands-on with your productions, the u-he ACE is a powerful hardware synth that replicates the exploration and experimentation of modular synthesis, but without the frustration of untangling cables. As our friends at u-he remind us, quite simply, “virtually anything can be plugged into anything else.” In statistical terms, that’s 25 signal sources and 30+ signal targets, with almost infinite filtering and LFO opportunity in between. There’s no better way to pay honour to Detroit than moulding a brand new sound of your own.

u-he Diva

If even digital cabling seems a little overwhelming, the u-he Diva (AKA, Dinosaur Impersonating Virtual Analogue Synthesizer) promises over 1200 gorgeous, organic presets and is beloved by synth archivists and less-experienced producers alike for its almost mythical filtering abilities. Its zero-delay-feedback abilities span a variety of classic hardware filters, painstakingly recreated for powerful CPUs, especially when kicked up to the glorious ‘Divine’ mode.

FX

Alborosie Dub Station

Developed and designed at the heart of Jamaica’s ultra-prolific music community, Waterhouse, Audiothing immersed themselves in the studio and legacy of legendary studio engineer and producer King Tubby, in order to deliver an instrument true to the authentic sensibility of dub reggae. Developed alongside M.O.B.O. winner Alborosie, who gives this plugin it’s name, users can generate sensational dub, echo and spring effects that add instant atmosphere to any genre.

Backmask

Supposedly inspired by “a nostalgia for the sunny days of demon cult hysteria”, producers of a nervous disposition will be pleased to learn that the notorious Backmask multi-effect plugin “uses government-approved paradox processing technologies to expose these hidden terrors of music.” Promising “ghosts, aliens and other rogue entities”, the twisted reality of Backmask is in fact an incredible ability to reverse your audio with the intense control of tiny milliseconds, or even at random. Going backwards has never been this fun.

Transmutator

Whether producing or DJing, crossfading is an essential element to telling a story through electronic music. With the Transmutator from United Plugins, this every-session transition gains a little fresh flavour, adding multiple effect options to make blending two elements not just smooth and fluid, but outright exciting. Multi-band dynamics, diverse filtering and dry/wet slides will have listeners asking, “How did they do that?”

H3000 Factory

 

The H3000 Factory is another reverent remake, modelled closely on the original H3000 Ultra-Harmonizer, an influential analogue synthesiser, recreated here as a smooth VST loaded with 450 presets, including 100 new and 100 adapted from the original H3000. Loaded with classic features such as delays, filters and LFOs, as well as MIDI control and even a white noise generator on the functional side of things, it’s fingerprints are all over the history of electronic music (as well as Carl’s studio)

Trackspacer

A secret-weapon plugin for producers who need room to breathe, the Trackspacer cleans things up, and cleans them up good. In play, it’s just a big centered knob, but behind the scenes lies a powerful 32-channel EQ that can masterfully pan, sidechain and perform attack/release in order to create more space for whatever frequencies that might have become buried in the mix.