United Plugins Quick AG: Perfect acoustic guitar sound.
Getting acoustic strings to sound right while recording can be difficult, according to the developers of the new plug-in Quick AG. Selecting microphones and placing them, adjusting EQ and compression, setting levels … Quick AG is a plug-in that provides you with a versatile set of tools for mixing acoustic instruments such as guitar, ukulele and mandolin.
At first glance, the plugin looks pretty cluttered. But upon closer examination, the color interface turns out to be laid out quite logically. So navigating through the various sections will probably be quick, unless you’re new to music production.
First in the chain is a variable compressor that simulates FET, Vari-Mu and Clean style compression. This is followed by a guitar-optimized EQ with Low-Cut, Body, De-harsh and Spark controls so you don’t have to look for the frequencies you want. Next comes the “Xtra” processor with Transient, Doubler and Width controls that add a nice touch of presence, weight and width to the instrument. Finally, a three-way reverb (Plate, Hall, Room) with Dry / Wet and Length controls helps complete the ambience sound.
Placed in this way, the plugin is available to both novice sound engineers and those with a little more experience. No doubt seasoned mixing engineers already have proven signal chains set up in their DAW, and this type of plugin is probably not necessary. But for beginners, there are presets for various tools that developers consider the “ideal” settings.
Overall, the concept is interesting and detailed, as well as a realistic user interface. This plugin simplifies a lot of things that are difficult to say about most typical studio effects. Adding a bit of analog color, enlivening a dry acoustic track, brightening up the guitar with old strings, there are many uses here if you want to quickly improve your acoustic performance.
