HUE is an audio color and textural processing effect, in 6hp eurorack format. Hue is comprised of a chain of 5 effects (Drive, Filter, Tape Saturation, LoFi, Compressor). Each effect imparts a particular coloration, tone, distortion, and/or texture to the source audio. With HUE, Drums bang with more intensity & melodies morph into lush LoFi tones.
HUE's goal is to simply color your sound. The initial concept was born of a debate about the techniques and processes used to make drum machines sound big, bold, and delicious. The sounds that tug at the hearts of boombap, LoFi, and subsequently modbap, enthusiasts are those that have great texture, lush degradation, soft distortion, and big bold strokes of color. The classic beloved drum machines were often processed with outboard gear, recorded to tape, pressed to vinyl, played in big booming systems, sampled, and resampled and on and on. Ultimately, those are the sounds that become nostalgic and reminiscent of all that we love about classic LoFi boombap production. HUE is our attempt at bringing that vibe into eurorack with a cute little 6hp package.
The effects chain audio signal path is as follows; Drive, Filter, Tape Saturation, LoFi, Compressor. The panel layout allows for the DJ style filter knob to sit in first position for ease of tweaking. Drive boosts and lightly distorts the signal, while shift+Drive adjusts the Drive tone. The Filter is a low pass filter to the left and a high pass filter to the right. Tape effect is intended to impart cassette tape saturation, while shift+Tape adjusts the intensity. LoFi adjusts bit depth, while shift+LoFi adjusts sample rate. Lastly, the one knob compressor mini pot serves as the final glue in the signal path that brings it all together.
CV inputs for Drive, Filter, Tape Saturation, and LoFi opens loads of creative possibilities. HUE is a textural beast when creative modulation is thrown at it.
HUE puts the power to shape and transform your sound at your fingertips. It's great for beefing up drums and equally as magical on melodic content. HUE can be the glue that brings it all together. It also, pairs well with Trinity and Osiris. All in all, HUE exemplifies our tagline "Made for eurorack, dope enough for boombap!"