New Music Gear Monday: Kit Plugins BB Chamber A Reverb

There’s nothing better than a real reverb chamber as anyone who’s ever used one can attest to. The problem is that they all sound different since it all comes down to acoustic design and some construction luck. Many rate the chamber in Studio A of Blackbird Studios in Nashville as one of the best, and now you can have access to the next best thing to being there with the Kits Plugins BB Chamber A plugin.

Blackbird is renowned for its top class audio quality, as owner John McBride never settles for anything less than the best. That includes the BB Chamber A since it not only models the acoustics of the real chamber but the high-quality signal path used as well. Put that together with an interface that makes sense and is easy to use and you have reverb plugin that you have to try.

The Layout

BB Chamber A is divided into two sections. The top section represents the acoustics of the chamber itself with a graphic of the room on the right and a ceiling height display on the left. You’re able to select between direct, a hi-fi speaker and a PA speaker to activate the room. There’s also a Mix control as well as a Predelay control, which you don’t find on all chamber models.

The Ceiling Height adjustment is unique in that it affects the decay time as it’s lifted by the Height control. You can also switch between three microphones (stereo C24 and R88, or a pair of 414s), as well as the position either near the floor or hanging from the ceiling.

The Signal Path

The signal path is based on a series of Neve modules that Blackbird uses. There’s a Saturation control, LPF and HPF filters that can be switched either pre or post reverb, a four band stepped frequency equalizer, and a compressor with an Amount control. The compressor also as a ducking function so it can be used dynamically in a mix.

There are also Input and Output controls with stereo LED-style level indicators, and a host of presets.

As I said, the layout and UI of of the plugin makes a lot of sense so it’s easy to get around and easily dial in the reverb sound that works in your mix.

The BB Chamber A plugin is available for an introductory price of just $75 (normally $149) with a free trial, and it works on both Mac and PC. You can find out more here, or watch the video below for more details and to give it a listen.

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