TC Electronic Hypergravity
JST TONEFORGE
MENACE
$65
A pedal to program your perfect compression
A plug-in for the metal connoisseur
THE
compressor can vary
a lot in what it does:
sometimes you can really hear the
effect of the compression in the
way that it squashes a note or gives
the front end an extra snap, and
then there’s subtle studio-style
compression, which endows your
sound with an even and consistent
level. The HyperGravity wants to
appeal as widely as possible by
covering both of those bases, and
going one stage further with a
TonePrint setting, which enables
you to tweak parameters with TC’s
free editing software.
Besides the TonePrint, the pedal
has two compression modes.
Vintage delivers the characteristics
common to most guitar
compressor pedals on the market,
while Spectra offers multi-band
YOU
may not be familiar
with the name Joey
Sturgis, but he’s a producer who
has worked with some of the
biggest names in metalcore,
including Asking Alexandra and
Of Mice & Men, and as such, his
sound is extremely sought after.
In response, he’s launched Joey
Sturgis Tones – his own line of
high-quality and affordable audio
plug-ins for your DAW, including
the high-gain playground that is
Toneforge Menace.
JST’s Menace has been designed
specifi cally for metal guitar
players, and it’s very much a
plug-in-and-play piece of software,
with very little editing required to
compression – a process that
applies a different amount of
compression to the different
frequency bands. This means that,
say, a heavy bottom-end won’t
cause the top to be overly
compressed – it’s more subtle and
transparent than clamping down
on the whole signal. If you engage
TonePrint mode, the editor lets
you get seriously involved with
setting gain curves and dynamic
response for your chosen
frequency bands. Add in the blend
knob, mixing dry and compressed
sound for parallel compression –
compressing the sound while still
retaining natural note attack – and
you’ve got a pedal that covers
more territory than all others in its
price range.
Trevor Cu rwe n
get an instant
modern heavy guitar
sound. The interface
consists of six
sections, fi ve of
which are user-editable – you get
the amp, a TS-esque overdrive, cab
with four mic’ing options, a
three-band parametric EQ, and at
the end the chain, a limiter control.
The limiter section is particularly
useful for keeping those muddy
frequencies in check when
thumping out high-gain palm-
muted chords, while the sixth
section consists of a single button,
which activates ‘Joey’s Magic Post
Processing’. Kick it in, and it allows
the guitar to ‘lift-out’ and scythe
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
through even the most brutal of
metal mixes.
Anyone who needs a usable,
mixable metal guitar sound with
minimal hassle will fi nd instant
gratifi cation with the Menace.
You won’t get the countless editing
options that feature on broader-
scoped rivals such as AmpliTube
or Guitar Rig, but this plug-in was
designed for one thing and one
thing only: metal – something it
does superbly, and at a pretty darn
good price, too.
Darran Charles
86 DECEMBER 2015
TC ELECTRONIC/JST
REVIEW
TYPE: Audio plug-in
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows
(32 & 64 bit): VST2, VST3, AAX, RTAS
Mac OSX (32 & 64 bit): VST2, VST3,
AU, AAX, RTAS
CONTACT: Joey Sturgis Tones
www.joeysturgistones.com
TYPE: Compressor pedal
CONTROLS: Sustain, level, attack,
blend, Spectra/TonePrint/Vintage switch
SOCKETS: Input, output, power
BYPASS: True bypass
POWER: 9V battery, 9V power supply
(not included)
CONTACT: TC Electronic 0800 917 8926
www.tcelectronic.com
TC ELECTRONIC
HYPERGR AVIT Y
£99
TGR274.gear_halves.indd 86 29/10/2015 17:52