Brut manual

The Drive knob pushes the signal harder into the preamp section.

Use it for a touch of warming, for smashing a mix bus, or anything between. There are no rules. If it sounds good to you, it is good.

Test recordings set the level compensation, not an algorithm. Auto-gain would flatten the natural dynamics of the preamps, tubes and transformers, and that is not a fair compromise.

The buttons in the middle of the interface choose a preamp model.

Every model sounds different, drives differently and responds differently. Think of it as a box of crayons. Go through them until one suits the track.

The order rewards exploration. OP-6 loads by default, and it is my go-to for most tracks. U is the UBM, a complementary colour. N is the NRU, much darker and grittier. If nothing in the first row is right, there is a second row underneath it.

Feedback dirties the sound further, builds feedback loops and makes the filters very resonant.

It takes the output and sends it back to the input. Low values bring out the character of the preamps. Push it far and it goes into heavy overdrive. The result depends on the track and on the input level.

Combine it with the filters for squelchy resonance and for pinging, the bouncy ring after a heavy transient. Feedback is what makes that happen.

CAUTION: Do not take this knob straight to maximum. Feedback can get very loud.

The filters filter.

Drag the slider right to bring one in. Drag it all the way and it switches off again. Both ends of the slider are the off position, and everything between them is filter.

Click the small dots under the slider to pick between two filters. The UBM filter is a strongly resonant high-pass with a shape of its own. The other one is modelled on the Polivoks bandpass.

TIP: The UBM filter puts a resonant peak in the low frequencies. Run it with the UBM preamp, the U model, for a fuller bass response.

Out is a clean output gain. Nudge it to sit the whole thing back in the track.

TIP: Click the small dots underneath the knob to change which knob is visible. Hold SHIFT to show the other control while you hold the key.

The + button in the top right opens the extra parameters.

These are the screwdriver settings you also find on other plugins. Nothing here is essential for day-to-day use, but it is there when you need it.

The Mix slider balances the processed signal against the raw one.

Use it where you want the effect to sit further back, or leave it wet. It is the quickest way to balance the dirt you just added.

This switch changes the order of the tilt section and the preamp.

By default it is off, so the tilt sits after the preamp. You can then fine-tune the tonal balance on the way out. Turn it on and the tilt pushes the top or the bottom of the spectrum into the saturation instead.

Flip phase does exactly what it says.

Some things sound better with the polarity inverted. Do not ask me why. I believe the most vocal engineer on the subject is Tchad Blake, so the switch is there if he ever wants it. Play with it yourself, too.

This switch keeps the filters on at the most extreme slider positions.

By default the most extreme slider positions switch the filter off. Turn this on to keep the filters on at all times.

Noise, hum and gate noise tune the noise response of the plugin.

Noise sets the overall level. Hum adds mains hum on top of it. Gate noise mutes the noise when no signal comes through.

Noise before the pre routes the noise before or after the preamp.

The Feedback gate mutes the feedback when no signal comes in.

At extreme settings the feedback can ring on after the input stops. Switch the gate on to stop that.

Drift sets how imperfect the feedback behaviour is.

Real feedback is unstable. It makes irregular vibrations and extra movement. This slider sets how much of that you get.

Show values sets whether the knobs display their value while you move them.

The setting applies to every instance of the plugin the next time you open a session.

Show decimals sets whether the knob values show fine increments.

This does not change how the plugin behaves. Brut always works on fine values. It only changes what the interface shows.

Click the Brut text to open the preset selection window.

Drag the bottom right corner of the interface to resize it.