Many years ago, my pal – Tape Op contributor and reFuse Software owner Leigh Marble – came out with Lowender, one of the first subharmonic synthesizer plug-ins that worked well and was easy to use. Tchad Blake [Tape Op #16, 133] popularized it, and countless productions benefitted. Lowender is still a useful tool, but with all the advances in processing and plug-in power, what would a new subharmonic generator look like? Baby Audio's Crystalline [#150] is one of my fave newer algorithmic reverb plug-ins, especially on electronic-based mixes, and they have a suite of all sorts of other interesting tools. With their new SubCulture plug-in, they've built a "pitch-tracking bass enhancer" that works via three engines: a Sub Layer that can go two octaves below (or above) the source, a Root Boost tracking EQ, and a tuned filter circuit in Resonance. These engines can be set to different notes, boosting upper harmonics, emphasizing root notes, and adding harmonies at the same time. There's a whole processing section as well – Saturation, Compression, mixing – allowing the user to sculpt the sound more and build presets to taste.
My first use was a simple ask: I was mixing an instrumental with a number of synthesizer elements. The bass synth parts sounded proper, but I felt they could be deeper. I duplicated the track, dropped SubCulture on it at 100 percent wet, set what looked like an octave down on the Sub Layer, and blended it in under the bass line. My intuition was correct; it tracked perfectly without much work on my part and zero understanding of the plug-in's operation – that's always a good thing! It remained on the mix, and the client loved it. Then I went deeper for more experimenting. Wow. Like any complex plug-in these days, I'll scroll through presets and see what it is capable of. On a well-recorded kick drum, I could use the Starting Point preset to add low end to fill the sound out, adding some nicely sculpted energy down there. I could also go to the moon, with presets like Crystal Magic adding synth filter bleeps and crazy effects that could help create super nutty breakdown sections in a song. On a thin-ish sounding bass amp mic, SubCulture was an instant fix. The three engines are easy to understand and all become quite audible if pushed hard.
It might seem like a complicated plug-in, but the graphic representation gives a quick and understandable view of what's going on. Honestly, I skimmed the manual but found this plug-in easy to use. The pitch tracking is interesting to watch; on the kick drum use described above, it would move to different pitches depending on how the drum was being hit. I could see this being a boon for double kick parts, though I wasn't mixing any at the time.
One fear of adding subharmonic information to any mix is that it's easy to create a big, rumbly mush of a mess between 10 and 40 Hz. I recall using a vintage dbx 100 "boom box" unit on bass tracks for a rock album years ago, and the mastering engineer told me to never do that again. I bought a Peavey Kosmos V2 [Tape Op #28] and frequently had similar low-end overload issues (it's for sale right now!). With SubCulture, and the amount of control it offers, I never feel like I’ll get chastised by clients or mastering engineers for going too far. I could go too far – way too far, because it will do that – but for fixing anemic drums and bass, it's easy to stay in the safe zone.
SubCulture is a fascinating tool that I'm glad to have access to, allowing for simple "missing lows" repair but also fun overdrives, filtering, and deep sub bass excitement. I really enjoy using it in subtle ways, but I will definitely keep it in my back pocket for some weird-ass effects when needed. It can be purchased alone, with a bundle, or via Baby Audio's unique "Subscribe to Own" plan for $14.99 a month.