Ugo Audio Metallurgy User's Guide
Version 1.5
www.ugoaudio.com
Metallurgy Users Guide
Overview
Thank you for purchasing Metallurgy. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Metallurgy is a PC VST multi effect that is capable of providing sounds ranging from some basic,
subtle, filter tweaks to twisted, complex, walls of sound that have virtually no resemblance to the
original audio.
Metallurgy offers 3 filters with multiple modulation options, 2 digital distortions, 2 downsamplers, dual
delay, an envelope follower, a gate sequencer, and a Metal effect that, in addition to flanging and
metallic effects, also provides the ability to produce pitched sequences, and can even be played in
real time via your MIDI controller or sequencer...nearly turning Metallurgy into an synth on its own.
Metallurgy is useful for many styles of music and is effective with a wide variety of input material.
I always encourage experimentation with all my VST’s but it’s especially so with this one since, by
virtue of being an effect, you can run anything you want through it. You’ll find that some features of
Metallurgy work better with certain types of sounds than others, so just feed it lots of different stuff,
see what it spits out, and have fun!
Installation
Open the zip and extract the Disturbance folder into your host’s VST folder. Yup, that’s it. No annoying copy protection, no tricky registration and no troublesome installers.
Signal Path
Metallurgy is a mono effect up until the second filth section. Because of this, your stereo input signal
will be merged nearly as soon as it enters. The signal flow is essentially fixed and most parts run in
series, except the three filters which run in parallel and can be panned.
Each section has it’s own on/off switch so you can use it on its own or in combination with others.
For example, If you just want the Metal and the Gate, turn them on and you’ll hear the Metal running
into the Gate without the rest of the effects.
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Patches / Getting Started
For some, all these controls might look a bit daunting, but Metallurgy is actually a relatively easy
VST to use. You just need to get acquainted with each section. The best way to do that is to turn off
all but one section and start tweaking it. As you get a feel for how it sounds and works, move on to
another section. Once you’ve got the basic feel for each section, start trying out some combinations.
You’ll probably start to get the hang of Metallurgy pretty quickly.
Additionally, to help you find out what all those abbreviated controls are...for most of them, if you
hover your mouse of the control, a pop up will appear that will tell you the full name of the control.
Where applicable, it will also tell you it’s MIDI CC number.
Of course, if you are feeling less inclined to “roll your own,” Metallurgy comes loaded with a wide
variety of patches...from basic effects, to serious sonic manglers. The patches are all labeled
according to what the designers feel they are most useful for, or what they feel is the defining
functions are. Consider these suggestions rather than rules. The vast majority of these patches are
useful for far more than what they are labeled as.
Here’s what those labels stand for:
(DRM) - Drums
(PAD) - Pads, drones, atmospheres and other sustained floaty stuff
(BAS) - Bass...bass guitar, synth bass, etc.
(LED) - Leads...guitar, synth leads, etc.
(GSQ) - Gate sequenced
(FSQ) - Filter sequenced
(PSQ) - Pitch sequenced (Metal sequencer)
(SFX) - Totally weird stuff
(VOX) - Vocals
(KEY) - Piano, clav, etc.
(GEN) - General purpose...includes basic filtering, simple delay, basic overdrive, etc. and are likely to
be useful on lots of stuff.
Important Note: Watch your volume when checking out the patches. It can vary widely depending
on the volume and type of the incoming audio.
MIDI
The majority of Metallurgy’s performance controls can be tweaked via MIDI. All controls that have
CC’s assigned to them have their number displayed in their tool tip pop up. Just hover your mouse
over a control to see it. In most cases, this will also show you the control’s full name.
Metal Sequencer’s Octave and Note switches, however, have been assigned NRPN’s instead of
CC’s. The Octave row uses 1-16 and the Note row uses 17-32.
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Metallurgy’s Controls
Main
This is the master input / output section controls what you would expect it to: input level, output level,
and mix. As mentioned above, Metallurgy accepts stereo input, but is a mono effect. However one
item of note is that the more dry your Mix setting, the more of the original stereo sound is retained.
So with all the effects off, the Mix control can actually be used as an adjustable stereo-to-mono
merge. Also, the Mix slider has been assigned to CC#1, which is the default for most keyboard mod
wheels, so you can easily tweak the wet/dry (or mono/stereo) mix in real-time.
IN
Input level.
MIX
Sets the wet / dry mix.
OUT
Output level.
Filth 1
Right below the Main section is Filth 1. This consists of a downsampler (DW)
and a distortion (DIS), and gets quite filthy.
O
On / off switch for Filth 1.
MIX
Adjusts the mix between the clean signal and the filth.
DW
In it’s upper most position, the downsampler is off. As you lower it, you’ll hear
the sample rate decrease...creating a really nasty digital distortion. Also, the
LED indicator below it will light up to show that the effect is active.
DIS
When you turn the Filth on, you’ll already get some low level distortion. As you crank up this
distortion slider, the signal will get louder and more distorted. All things considered, It’s actually a
pretty mild distortion, more of an overdrive than anything else. However, see that little round switch
below it?...
F
This switches between 3 distortion modes. The filthier things get, the more angry the face.
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LFO
Can modulate the downsampler for both Filth 1 and Filth 2.
– Top switches turn the LFO on and select which downsampler gets modulated.
Combinations are also possible. The options are as follows:
– Off...no modulation
– DW1+...provides positive modulation of the downsampler in Filth 1
– DW1-...negative modulation
– DW+/-...both positive and negative modulation
– DW2+...positive modulation for Filth 2’s downsampler
– DW2-...negative modulation
– DW2+/-...both positive and negative modulation
– DW1+ 2-...alternating modulation...postive for downsampler 1, negative for
downsampler 2
– DW1+/- 2+...positive and negative for downsampler 1, positive for downsampler 2.
– Middle switches set the waveform of the LFO.
– Bottom switches set the speed of the LFO.
?
You’ll see these all over Metallurgy. They are the randomizers and they will tweak out most controls
for that specific section. This one randomizes the downsamplers, distortions, F switches, LFO
waveform, and LFO speed for both filth sections.
Metal
Those familiar with my synths Texture and String Theory will recognize this effect, and it has been
tweaked and expanded once again. The metal effect is built from high speed delays and its used for
creating metallic, clangerous sounds, flanging effects, and now even for creating pitched notes!
O
On / off.
MIX
Adjusts the mix of the non Metal to Metal
sound. Note that unlike the main mix, this
doesn’t adjust the full stereo dry signal,
only the mono signal or the signal coming
from Filth 1.
V
Volume of the Metal effect.
AP
This is an all pass filter which tweaks the sound made by the Metal effect (not what goes into the
effect.)
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