Nembrini Audio LoFi Vintage Clipper v1.0.2-R2R

Goes well with the zuchini limiter.

Tried it on a lot of different sources when it was free, didn't like it... at all.
Pain in th a#@~& to adjust for gain-match: 1 db of distortion makes you turn the output gain down 4db, while a distortion of 5,5 makes you turn the output gain 15,1db down and doesn't sound that good...
Saturation rolls off high-end big time (not console or tape-like roll-off, more of a high slope filter): maybe useful as an effect, but nothing camel crusher isn't better at.

I didn't keep it as a free plugin, so IMHO 79usd seems a bit overestimated...

As always thank you big time R2R & Horsemen, its's as usefull to be able try and finally dislike a plugin than to keep it!

Igor Nembrini has created virtual amplifiers for well-known brands like ENGL UAD, Ampeg, Chandler, Friedman and the latest virtual amp for Fuchs - UAD
He is one of the greatest developers of Virtual Amp for guitar and bass for Brainworx.

Nembrini says: "The distortion algorithm of the NA LoFi is based on my experience in analog modeling for over 10 years, the similarity with Avid LoFi are only in the way to use the pluign, because are both clipper and saturation.
Regarding the high end frequency and the plugin usability, the LoFi is inspired to the Avid LoFi with the same pro and cons. The idea is give to the user an alternative in every OS and formats this because the original one is used by many VIP producers.
Of course the plugin is not equal maybe someone could prefer the NA LoFi and someone else the Avid LoFi. "

High frequency roll-off occurs naturally in many (not all) vintage tube gear and many plugin makers forget this. There are a dozen saturation /tube plugins that have absolutely no roll-off when increasing the drive / saturation. Maybe people expect this, but it'snt accurate
Regards to this plugin, the ’50's 60's sound' which is less-top end rich is hard to achieve in a natural-sounding way. The natural tube sound and roll-off with this plugin is actually difficult to achieve using other plugins, as using EQ to reduce highs before or after a tube plugin to get a vintage sound just doesn't sound naturally authentic. But this Nembrini plugin does it really well.

In modeling he does not use kemper type profiling, but starts from the original electrical scheme. Take for example the equalizer, which has a type of passive circuitry inserted in a single block positioned at a certain point in the signal path: by modifying a control such as the Treble, the frequency response of the entire audio spectrum will be changed, not only the high frequency area. This behavior and interaction between the controls varies between amplifier and amplifier and can be faithfully replicated in digital with this type of modeling with the addition of final corrections made by ear, as Nembrini does.
In NLofi the Saturation settings of 0.1 to around 0.5 are the most useful in this respect, and for this effect to work, that roll-off is vital and it does it in a very natural-sounding way. Followed from a vintage EQ plugin to boost top end or a vintage channel strip like the REDD 17, it sounds retro-authentic.
I certainly believe that in the next versions there will be the necessary corrections on scaling and all the graphic issues of 1.0.
I like the sound of this plugin, but as always, it's always true that it's a question of ears.