Dave Hill Designs RA II

RA is an amazing non - linear plug - in crafted for professional audio engineers who expect the best from their plug - ins. Picture it as an overdriven amplifier with Wave Form Compression, but you have control over which part gets overdriven. It's like the curve function in photography. The controls in RA are divided into 4 groups. The LOW LEVEL control, in the middle of the graphic, is super useful. It boosts the low - level audio content, acting like a detail enhancer. It's similar to an overdriven amplifier but focuses more on the low - level signal. It generates third harmonic distortion and can multiply the effects of other plug - ins. It's great for any signal, a bit like upward compression without attack and release times. Try it on vocals to hear the dynamic change. The PEAK controls are like an adjustable soft clip. You can control how the amplifier saturates while leaving the low - level signal untouched. They generate third harmonic distortion, round off wave peaks, and have a changeable hardness value. Set them on a snare drum track to see a peak reading around - 10dBFS but louder with the plug - in on. RA also helps prevent occasional over - peaks. The EVEN HARMONICS group creates even harmonic content. These are hard to hear and describe. The second harmonic is an octave. It can change the feel and thicken the sound. The TOP and BOTTOM controls round off different parts of the wave shape. Used together, they can cancel even harmonics and leave third harmonic distortion. Try them with the LOW LEVEL control on acoustic guitars, bass, or kick drums. The DRIVE control, before signal processing, has a ±6dB range. It affects the aggressiveness of the process and helps match it to the track. It has unity gain from input to output, but be careful of clipping. The last control, TRIM, is for output level adjustment with a ±6dB range for gain matching. Clipping with the trim lights up the indicator, but the colouring controls won't clip. The graphic display shows signal distortion and helps predict what the plug - in will do. The controls interact with each other, just like in a graphics program's curve display.

Using the Dave Hill Designs RA II is easy. First, start with the LOW LEVEL control. It's in the middle of the graphic. You can use it to bring out the details in your audio. Try it on vocals to make the sound more dynamic. It's like adding a bit of extra character to the low - level part of the signal. The PEAK controls are great for taming those high peaks. You can adjust the hardness value. For example, if you have a snare drum track with peaks around - 3dBFS, set the LOW LEVEL, PEAK, and HARDNESS controls to max. You'll see a lower peak reading but a louder sound. The EVEN HARMONICS group might be a bit tricky to hear at first. The TOP and BOTTOM controls can change the shape of the wave. Try using them with the LOW LEVEL control on instruments like acoustic guitars, bass, or kick drums. The DRIVE control is used to adjust the aggressiveness of the process. Make sure not to increase the gain too much or you'll get clipping. The TRIM control is for matching the output level. Be careful when using it as clipping will light up the indicator. As for maintenance, since it's a plug - in, just make sure your audio software is up - to - date. Also, keep an eye on the clipping indicator during use to avoid any unwanted distortion.