Triodia gives Windows users a free vocal toolkit with tube tone built in. Kalu Audio has packed a de-esser, compressor, echo, and plate reverb into one plugin. Each effect can be switched off separately, making it easy to keep the chain simple.
The tube section goes beyond basic saturation. Norman Koren's circuit equations, also used in SPICE, help model plate load, B+ power, bias, and grid behavior. Those parts affect gain, headroom, and harmonics based on the valve type.
Nine tube models are available. ROCK uses a 12AX7 for more drive, while AIR runs an ECC88 for a cleaner tone. VINTAGE draws on the EF86, while GLUE uses a 6386 and SILK gets a 6BC8. Each has different traits when pushed.
Kalu Audio also models high-frequency loss from the Miller effect, transformer saturation, and capacitor behavior. The valve section runs with 2x oversampling to help keep the processing clean.
Compression uses a soft knee, a bass-filtered detector, and release that reacts to the audio. The de-esser targets harsh S sounds rather than plain volume spikes. Echo gets darker with each repeat and has a stereo ping-pong setting.
For reverb, the plugin uses Jon Dattorro's plate algorithm, with controls for the gap before the effect starts and the amount of bass it keeps. Pretty handy for getting a vocal chain set up without adding more plugins.
A VU display can show output strength or how much gain the compressor cuts. There is also a peak LED and an animated tube that glows as drive changes. Users get 13 volume-matched presets for vocals, spoken material, and creative effects.
The interface can be resized and comes in olive green, black, or red. CPU use sits at roughly 2% of one core when running at 48 kHz, according to Kalu Audio.
Triodia works on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. It comes as a VST3 plugin, with a separate standalone app in the package. Both are free.
The tube section goes beyond basic saturation. Norman Koren's circuit equations, also used in SPICE, help model plate load, B+ power, bias, and grid behavior. Those parts affect gain, headroom, and harmonics based on the valve type.
Nine tube models are available. ROCK uses a 12AX7 for more drive, while AIR runs an ECC88 for a cleaner tone. VINTAGE draws on the EF86, while GLUE uses a 6386 and SILK gets a 6BC8. Each has different traits when pushed.
Kalu Audio also models high-frequency loss from the Miller effect, transformer saturation, and capacitor behavior. The valve section runs with 2x oversampling to help keep the processing clean.
Compression uses a soft knee, a bass-filtered detector, and release that reacts to the audio. The de-esser targets harsh S sounds rather than plain volume spikes. Echo gets darker with each repeat and has a stereo ping-pong setting.
For reverb, the plugin uses Jon Dattorro's plate algorithm, with controls for the gap before the effect starts and the amount of bass it keeps. Pretty handy for getting a vocal chain set up without adding more plugins.
A VU display can show output strength or how much gain the compressor cuts. There is also a peak LED and an animated tube that glows as drive changes. Users get 13 volume-matched presets for vocals, spoken material, and creative effects.
The interface can be resized and comes in olive green, black, or red. CPU use sits at roughly 2% of one core when running at 48 kHz, according to Kalu Audio.
Triodia works on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. It comes as a VST3 plugin, with a separate standalone app in the package. Both are free.
