Kjaerhus Classic Series

Most of us have dozens of Plug-In effects in our collection and if you are like me and downloaded many of the excellent freeware plugs available to "try later", you may have spent more time downloading and less time actually auditioning the plugs! Allow me to introduce you to some essential VST Plugs I recommend you ALL download and try...

It was on KVR Audio I stumbled across the excellent "Classic Series" - a fantastic set of 9 VST Plug-In's provided by the good people of Kjaerhus Audio covering all the main requirements most home recording enthusiasts will have - free of charge!

The "Classic Series" comprises the following VST Plug-In's:

• Classic Chorus
• Classic Delay
• Classic Phaser
• Classic Reverb
• Classic EQ
• Classic Flanger
• Classic Compressor
• Classic Master Limiter
• Classic Auto-Filter

I have used each of these plugs on numerous occasions over the last year and I can testify to their quality and simplicity. They are all provided with a very cool "retro" look and actually resemble the traditional 19" rack gear they emulate. They have plenty knobs, buttons and dials with flashing lights where you'd expect them, adding to the visual appeal these plugs have but - do they do the business and enhance your audio?

The answer to this one is a simple YES! These plugs are fantastic with simplicity and quality their main features. The series will cover most all your needs in one form or another and each of these plugs comes with a variety of very usable presets, which is very handy indeed. Should you desire, you have all the controls required to tweak each one at your fingertips so it's a breeze to set up your own sounds and save these as presets too.

I will cover a few of my favourite plugs below and I would suggest you download the whole series as you WILL find a use for each one at one point or another in your recordings. I have used these plugs on all instruments and also vocals and I would suggest they are a fantastic all round series of "work-horse" plugs to have in your arsenal.

Classic Chorus

The best thing about this plug is the fact it does not drown your tones and kill your music. The tones this plug provides are natural sounding and I typically use it on my guitars, particularly acoustic and clean electric passages. It enriches the sound, fattens it up and makes the guitar sound a lot better - always good. The presets available with this plug cover many bases including guitars, pads and vocals - an excellent basis to start and a good reference point for the tweakers out there!

Classic Delay

I have used this plug primarily with the presets, as they are top-notch. The choice of Tape, Analogue and Digital Delay is excellent as well as "Ping Pong" delay, which covers most all Delays you could want. I used this plug on guitar tracks for a retro sound and on vocals and it's simply fantastic. I managed to get a fairly Lennon-esque vocal delay which is great when you consider the time it took me to achieve this.

Classic Reverb

This is possibly my favourite of the Classic Series plugs. I have managed to use most all the presets and develop some of my own with this great plug. It does not strain the CPU like some verb plugs and I can honestly say the verbs available are great. Room, Stage and even Drum Room presets are all extremely usable with no tinny sound often found in free plugs. There are over a dozen presets here and they can all be used with no tweaks at all. A great plug for sure and a competitor on all fronts with all the reverbs I have in my collection including the commercial ones - a true testament to a fantastic plug.

Classic Compressor

This plug is a breeze to use and provides excellent natural tones - something many compressors sadly do not give. The aim of the entire Classic Series is a natural sound and this plug is no exception. With Threshold, Ratio, Knee, Attack, Release and Output Level controls it's very capable. Once again, the presets are very usable in their current form with settings for acoustic guitar and vocals particularly useful. This compressor won't kill the dynamics in your music and is worth further investigation by anyone on the lookout for a top notch, easy-to-use compressor plug.

Conclusions...
I could harp on all day about these plugs but I won't. You simply must download them all and give them a try. At worst, you will have a fantastic series of the most common type of effects with a consistent interface, low CPU use and great sound as well as simple controls with mirror that found on the hardware equivalent. I would suggest the collection is a must have for all recording applications and the versatility on offer is superb. When we consider the plugs are free there really is no decision to make - download them and enjoy.

The entire collection can be downloaded HERE.

At this point, I will take a moment to tell you a little about Kjaerhus Audio. They are a smaller developer based in Denmark and they seem to be right on the ball when it comes to their products. Not many providers of free plugs (or even commercial plugs) offer the level of support these guys do. Every plug has it's own tips section on the download page, full documentation and the latest innovation from Kjaerhus - a preset bank on their website. Here you can download presets developed by Kjaerhus themselves as well as many user created settings, giving you even more tones for your plugs. These cover both the Classic Series and the commercial, Gold Series. I my communications with Torben at Kjaerhus I have found him to be a top guy - easy to deal with and committed to his products - a genuine interest in the plugs they produce and good user support is refreshing to find in today's commercialised market.

Kjaerhus also do a "Gold Series" of plugs that I will be reviewing very soon. The Gold Series are truly a professional set of plugs with even more buttons, knobs and options than the Classic Series and further opportunities to tweak and improve your sounds - a scintillating thought when you consider the quality of the Classic Series! Watch this space...