XLN Audio

The Digital module applies sample rate
and bit depth reduction, with a blend slider
like that of the Wobble module, and a Smooth
control for rounding of the rough edges
should it all get too much. It also has a Focus
Filter, but this time with a Cut option for ditching
everything outside its frequency range. The
animation perfectly visualises the efect on an
illustrative waveform.
The Space module is a pretty unremarkable
reverb (a 12-note resonatory, in fact) that
doesn’t sit particularly comfortably with its
neighbours, but is nonetheless useful for dialling
in a bit of ambience. Decay and PreDelay
controls set the length and onset timing of the
tail, and another Focus Filter hones the efect
down to a speciic frequency range. While it
certainly doesn’t detract from the rest of RC20
in any way, we’re just not sure why it’s there.
The animation is also uninformative, visualising
only the wet/dry mix.
Magnetic is the volume-modulating
equivalent of Wobble, simulating magnetic
tape degradation. Again, two LFOs are mixed
to a complex modulation output: a very slow
one (the Wear end of the slider) and a faster
one (Flutter, adjustable from 630Hz), both
with a random element for chaotic
irregularity. The Dropouts knob controls the
intensity of more extreme volume drops
occurring at random timings and durations.
The Wear modulation and Dropouts can be
generated in mono or independently for the left
and right channels, and the animation relects
all of this beautifully.
Color us impressed
Each module also features a Flux slider, the
particulars of which difer from one to the next,
but all of which introduce random variation over
time. With Distort, for example, pushing Flux to
the right increases the amount of random
overdrive modulation applied, while with Space,
it randomly modulates the pre-delay.
At the top of the GUI, the Magnitude slider
scales the six amount knobs and all controls in
the master section from 0% to 100% of their set
values, macro style. As well as being useful for
adjusting the global depth of the plugin as a
whole, this makes for a very efective
automation target, opening up all manner of
weird new takes on the classic ilter sweep,
amongst other things.
We fell in love with RC20 almost
immediately. It’s just so much fun to mess
around with, and the realism of its artiicial
ageing processes is staggering. It also boasts a
superb preset library that syncs to XLN Audio’s
cloud server for sharing with other users; and
the ability to tweak the six big knobs and the
Magnitude slider with the browser open is
insanely handy.
On the downside, the reverb is so-so, and it’s
mildly annoying that the modules disappear
completely when bypassed – just because we
can’t hear them, doesn’t mean we don’t want to
see them. But that doesn’t signiicantly impact
on what is ultimately one of the inest efects
plugins we’ve come across in a long time. From
brightening, dulling and/or roughing up
instrumental sources of all kinds, to sending full
mixes back in time and performing spectacular
real-time sweeps, RC20 Retro Color is essential.
Web www.xlnaudio.com
Verdict
For Makes anything sound old
Simple, stunningly efective processors
Also great for creative efects
Magnitude slider adds real-time element
You won’t be able to stop iddling with it
Excellent browser and presets
Against Space module seems a
little superluous
Not only one of the best retro-ising
plugins around, but also a powerful
sound-design tool in a general sense,
RC20 is a wobbly, wonky, izzy,
soul-warming slice of awesome
10/10
Alternatively
u-he Satin
198 » 10/10 » $154
Best tape emulator in the universe
AudioThing Vinyl Strip
226 » 10/10 » €55
Very similar concept, but
focused on vinyl emulation
At the bottom of the RC20 interface,
the master section provides a range of
tools for shaping the signal coming out
of the module rack and tweaking the
inal output.
Both input and output Gains are
adjustable (the irst primarily useful for
driving the Distort module harder), and
the Width knob pushes the stereo image
of the output from mono through
‘normal’ stereo to ‘sides-only’ with the
mid component fully attenuated.
The EQ section comprises Cut Filter
and Tone controls. The Cut Filter is akin
to the Focus Filters found in the Distort,
Digital and Space modules, being a
band-pass model with adjustable top
and bottom cutof frequencies, but
with the addition of a choice of two roll-
of slopes: one gentle, one steep. Next
to that, the Tone EQ biases the
frequency response towards the low or
high end of the frequency spectrum in
Tilt mode, or raises and lowers the mid-
range in Mid mode, as selected using
the buttons to the right.
Notably, all the controls in the
master section are scaled by the
Magnitude slider, making them much
more than just static set-and-forget
shaping parameters – which isn’t to
demean their utility in that regard at all.
In, Out and all about
The preset browser is packed with well-tuned patches,
and lets you tweak the main controls while browsing
The master controls
are also scaled by the
plugin’s magnitude
‘macro’ slider
“We fell in love with
RC20 almost
immediately. It’s just
so much fun to
mess around with”
February 2017 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 97
xln audio rc-20 retro color / reviews <
CMU239.rev_retro.indd 97 06/12/2016 16:11