MARTINIC VST 2.4, AU Colorsound Tremolo User Manual
- June 13, 2024
- MARTINIC
Table of Contents
MARTINIC VST 2.4, AU Colorsound Tremolo User Manual
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing or trying Martinic Colorsound Tremolo.
Colorsound Tremolo is a virtual effect plugin that aims to recreate the
tremolo effects from two different iterations of the popular stomp box.
A Brief History
In the 1970s, brothers Larry and Joe Macari of Sola Sound developed the Colorsound Tremolo, modeled after the tremolo of a VOX® AC30 tube amp, using only 4 transistors.
Our Colorsound Tremolo
Martinic Colorsound Tremolo is modeled closely on the original tremolo, offering the same features (and flaws) to perfectly preserve the character of the original effect.
Free Trial
Before purchasing a license, you are allowed to try Colorsound Tremolo free of
charge for up to 30 days for testing purposes and in non-published work.
When Colorsound Tremolo runs in demo mode, once every minute the user
interface will display Trial Version in red, and white noise is added to the
output signal.
Installation
System Requirements
Colorsound Tremolo is available as a VST 2.4, AU (Audio Units), or CLAP
(CLever Audio Plugin) effect plug-in, which means it needs to run inside VST,
AU, or CLAP hosting software, e.g. Ableton Live, Cubase, GarageBand, Logic
Pro, REAPER, Studio One, etc.
Although Colorsound Tremolo should be able to run at any sample rate the host
provides, a rate of at least 44.1 kHz is recommended.
Colorsound Tremolo is designed to run on Windows 7 or newer, or Mac OS X 10.9
(Mavericks) or newer.
Windows Installation
To install Colorsound Tremolo on Windows,
download the Windows
32/64-bit VST/CLAP installer, and save it on your computer (e.g. in your
Downloads folder).
Navigate to this folder, locate the installer and double-click on it, and then
click on the Next button to start the installation process.
Carefully read the license, and then click on the I Agree button to continue.
Next select which versions of the plugin you want to install.
Select Customize GUI Scale to manually override the scaling factor of the
plugin in a later screen.
Optionally you can select License Key if you have purchased a license.
Click on the Next button to continue.
Optionally change the install location, and again click on the Next button.
Then select your VST2 32-bit and/or 64-bit plugin folder, and optionally
select your license key file (if you have purchased a license), confirming
each selection by clicking on the Next button.
If you have previously chosen to customize the GUI scale, you will be able to
select different options before selecting Next to begin installation
Now wait for the installation to complete (this should take only a few seconds), click on the Close button, and you are ready.
Mac Installation
To install Colorsound Tremolo on Mac OS X or macOS
download the Mac 64-bit VST/AU
installer disk image (DMG), and save it on your computer (e.g. in your
Downloads folder).
If you have purchased a license, then you should copy your license key file to
the same folder in which you have saved the installer disk image (DMG), so it
can be installed along with the plug-in(s).
Navigate to the folder in which you have saved the installer, locate the
installer disk image (DMG) and double-click on it, and then double-click on
the Color sound Tremolo Installer.pkg icon.
Click on the Continue button to confirm that the installation package will run
a program, and then click on Continue (in the bottom right corner of the
installation
window) to start the installation process.
Carefully read the license, click on the Continue button, and then click on
Agree.
Next select which versions of the plug-in you want to install (it is
recommended that you install both the VST2 and AU versions, just to be sure),
optionally select License Key if you have purchased a license, and click on
the Continue button.
Optionally change the install location, and then click on the Install button.
Now wait for the installation to complete (this should take only a few seconds), click on the Close button, and you are ready.
Loading Colorsound Tremolo
Launch your host, and create an audio track or load a project to which you
want to add Colorsound Tremolo.
Please refer to the documentation of your hosting software on how to do this.
Note: Most hosts will list Colorsound Tremolo as Martinic Colorsound Tremolo,
but some may list it as Colorsound Tremolo or ColorsoundTremolo.
Colorsound Tremolo is primarily meant to be used as an “insert” effect, which
is also the way in which it was originally used. However, it can also be used
as a “bus” effect.
The plugin is exclusively a stereo plugin, which means that Apple Logic users
will have to switch the preferred track from Mono to Stereo by clicking on the
◯ symbol of the track, to be able to load the Colorsound Tremolo:
Getting Around
Using the controls (plus fine-tuning and value entry)
You can adjust controls by clicking and dragging them up or down using the
mouse.
To fine-tune a parameter to a more exact value, hover your cursor over it,
hold the Ctrl key (Mac and Windows), and scroll the mouse wheel.
You can also right-click on a knob to enter a value using the computer
keyboard.
Double-clicking a knob or fader will reset it to its default value.
FX view and Settings view
The Colorsound Tremolo can be used in either FX view or Settings view.
FX view allows you to control some of the Colorsound Tremolo’s parameters, as you would on a physical version of the device.
Settings view provides an abstracted set of controls for the plugin, giving
you control over every parameter on the Colorsound Tremolo.
Here you can access all the controls, including master volume, Drive volume,
Width and tempo sync of the tremolo speed.
Colorsound Tremolo is a stereo effect, so it is applied to both the left and
right channels.
When the switch is off the effect is bypassed.
Note that this is likely not the same as bypassing Colorsound Tremolo in your
hosting software, because the input signal is still fed into the effect,
meaning that you can turn it on again at any time, smoothly and without any
pops or clicks.
Martinic Additions
Martinic Colorsound Tremolo includes Tempo sync, Stereo width, Drive volume
and Output volume controls, which were not present on the original tremolo.
You can adjust these knobs by dragging them up/down using the mouse, or you
can use the mouse wheel.
You can also right-click on a knob to enter a value using the computer
keyboard.
When you double-click on a knob, its value will be reset to its default.
Tempo sync
The Sync toggle switch synchronizes the Colorsound Tremolo to the tempo of
your DAW and switches the Speed knobs from a number to predetermined time
signatures.
Stereo width control
The Width knob allows you to control the stereo width, going from mono (0%) to
full stereo (100%).
This will make left and right channels bounce one after the other.
Input drive and output volume
The Drive knob allows you to control the subtle saturation inherent to the
Colorsound Tremolo, going from -60dB to +24dB.
The Volume knob is an overall output control. It allows you to compensate the
volume loss that happens when the Colorsound Tremolo is “On”.
It ranges from -36dB to +24dB.
1974 and 1996 modes
The Martinic Colorsound Tremolo can operate in 1974 or 1996 mode by double
clicking on the desired pedal in the FX view or by switching the Model in the
Settings view.
The 1996 model was a revived version of the successful original, but was
manufactured using updated internal components, though some people preferred
the sound of one over the other.
Default Presets
Colorsound Tremolo comes with 16 default presets.
These include 1974 and 1996 presets, which are modeled on the two incarnations
of the original stomp box.
In the VST version of the plugin, the top bar allows you to select between the
Default Presets that will be shown in your DAW.
You can navigate between these 16 spaces using the left and right arrow keys
either side of the name.
If you have a DAW that uses the AU plugin format, the above selection method will be unavailable but the default presets can be selected through your DAW’s interface and will be read-only.
Feature List
- Accurate emulation of original Colorsound Tremolo effect
- Includes two different models: 1974 and 1996
- Extended LFO speed range from 0.01 to 20 Hz
- Optional LFO host tempo sync from 16 bars to 1/64 note
- Stereo input/output with stereo width control
- Drive control that adds subtle saturation
- Output volume control
- Includes 16 presets
- No battery required
VOX® is a registered trademark of Korg Europe Limited.
Note that Korg does not endorse Martinic Colorsound Tremolo, nor is Korg in
any way associated or affiliated with Martinic.