Introduction to Crystalline
Crystalline is a state of the art reverb plugin with a lush and pristine sound that gives unprecedented creative control to shape the reverb space.
It is available in VST, VST3, AU and AAX formats from Baby Audio, typically priced at $99, a trial version is available, It is also available in AUV3 format for iPhone and iPad from the App Store, typically priced at $29.99.
Overview
There are two fundamental types of reverb:
Convolution – uses a recorded sample of a real space (impulse response) and multiplies with the source audio to give the impression that the source audio is being played within that physical space.
Algorithmic – creates an artificial space from mathematical algorithms, free from the constraints of the natural world. The idea of an algorithmic reverb was first conceived in the 1960s – and evolved over the following decades, redefining the sound of modern music with every new technology leap (and improved memory chip).
Crystalline follows in the tradition of the classic algorithmic reverbs but adds new creative features and higher fidelity thanks to modern computing power. It is meant to sound unreal in the most positive sense of the word. Its rooms and halls won’t sound anything like those in your house – but closer to those of your dreams!
In Use
The interface has a very clean and modern look. It has 12 controls split into four sections along with four sliders and four buttons. You can also choose between light and dark colour modes.
Crystalline has the option to sync the pre-delay and decay times to your DAWs tempo or you can use the classic way of setting these in milliseconds. These are the start and end sliders in the middle of the display.
In the top left of the display you have the reflections section. You can set the room size (Size control) from tiny to large. This is detached from the decay (End control) to allow any size/length combination, including esoteric settings like huge spaces with very short tails or tiny spaces with very long tails. You can emphasize high frequencies (Sparkle control) which generates reflections that are naturally brighter for extra shine on vocals or snares. You can also set the stereo image of the reverb from mono to wide – to extra wide (Width control).
In the bottom left you have the Depth section. You can set the complexity of the algorithm from ‘basic’ to ‘pristine’ with the Resolution setting. More complex settings give an ultra-clean reverb response whilst the ‘Basic’ setting gives an efficient CPU performance at normal fidelity. You can create pitch variations using the Modulation control, resulting in a richer sound that works especially well to fatten up synths, guitars and vocals. You also have the Shimmer control here. This makes the high frequencies of the reverb tail decay slower than the rest of the spectrum, giving the reflections an ‘angelic halo’ effect. You can set the frequency cutoff point as well as the multiplier effect, the high frequencies will decay later than your specified reverb decay time, either 2x, 4x or 6x the length.
In the top right you have the Clean-up section. You can remove high and low frequency content with the Damping control, it’s a fast way to get rid of clutter and muddiness in your mixes. There’s also a high-pass filter that removes stereo information from the low end of the reverb, helpful for creating wide vocal or lead instrument reflections without muddying-up your low end. (Sides control). You can control ‘threshold’ and ‘release’ to produce a gated reverb effect using the Gate control.
In the bottom right you have the Shape section. Here you have a tilt EQ to shift the frequency balance of the reverb to brighter or darker (Tone control). The Smoothing control mellows out harshness and gives Crystalline a more subtle feel. You can also shift the reverb algorithm’s emphasis to either the attack or sustain part of the incoming signal (Transients control). Emphasizing the sustain will make the reverb feel airy and light, while emphasizing the attack is a great way to get a splashy and dense sound and it works especially well for controlling reflections on percussive material.
The final controls are contained in the Output section which takes us back to the centre of the display. The Ducker control lowers the reverb signal when the dry/incoming track is playing. This gives a cleaner mix where you can turn up the reverb more without compromising the dry track. The Ducker Gentle mode offers a slow and natural ducker setting, while the standard ducker mode has a more pumping feel. Next to this are two buttons, Reverse, as you’d expect, reverses the reverb playback giving you some radical sound design possibilities. Freeze is another creative effect that takes a granular snapshot of the reverb when clicked and holds this snapshot continuously until the button is un-clicked again. Finally you have the Dry/Wet control which sets the global mix balance between the dry/incoming signal and the reverb signal. There’s also a Wet Lock button that lets you browse presets while keeping your preferred wet/dry balance – for easier comparison
It’s also worth noting that Crystalline comes with over 300 presets, these are arranged by instrument type and designer and give a great idea of the type of sounds that Crystalline can produce.
Conclusions
Crystalline is a very capable and fantastic sounding reverb. It’s incredibly easy to use and has a clean interface that is easy to use and read.
I use it on both iPad and iPhone and it’s really easy to dial in sounds or tweak presets to suit, I haven’t noticed any CPU usage issues. The only comment I would say when using it on an iPhone 13 is that the preset font is a bit small but still readable. It’s an incredibly creative effect giving huge scope for experimentation with more unusual reverbs as well as more traditional rooms and halls for example.
I’ve created this video to show some of the sounds that it can produce from quite subtle to more pronounced. I’ve shown the individual sounds and then applied Crystalline so you can hear the difference as well combining them into a song structure. I’ve used Ruismaker Noir, Hammerhead, Solderbox, Zeeon, Fluss, Harmony Bloom, The Voltour and Grand Finale for the demo.
