Start Page l Favorite l RSS l Edited 2026.02.07 [23:21]
THE/AUDIO/FIRM 'FURNACE': A Red-Hot Three-Way Saturation Plug-In with Mid-Side Processing
THE/AUDIO/FIRM 'FURNACE': A Red-Hot Three-Way Saturation Plug-In with Mid-Side Processing
THE/AUDIO/FIRM 'FURNACE': A Red-Hot Three-Way Saturation Plug-In with Mid-Side Processing
Founded as a creative collaboration between veteran mix and mastering engineer Sean J. Vincent and Vic Lewis of Fazertone—whose world-leading DSP (Digital Signal Processing) work helped pioneer neural-network-based analog emulation—plug-in developer THE/AUDIO/FIRM is proud to announce the release of 'FURNACE', its inaugural plug-in: a powerful three-way saturation processor featuring mid-side processing.
The debut plug-in has been a long time in the making, as THE/AUDIO/FIRM co-owner Sean J. Vincent explains: "It's been coming for ages. About two years ago, I approached a number of plug-in companies with some ideas. I had extended conversations with a few of them and even started working with one, but we couldn't align on how I wanted this to be. It just wasn't going in the right direction, so I stopped. I kept listening, though—I was looking for someone I could work with in a smaller, more focused way to build exactly what I had in mind. Earlier this year, I met Vic Lewis from Fazertone, who makes fantastic guitar pedal emulations. We talked and realized we were both aiming for the same thing. He was open to my ideas, I was open to his workflow, and we clicked immediately. We've been working on a range of plug-ins all year, and the first one is ready right now."
FURNACE makes extensive use of Fazertone's renowned DSP technology, delivering authentic tape, transformer, and tube saturation captured directly from iconic hardware and modeled using custom real-time neural networks—all forged into a single, red-hot plug-in. Its photorealistic GUI is as elegant as it is intuitive. Engaging the 456 button recreates analog tape saturation, captured from a real half-inch tape machine running Ampex 456 tape. TFM models transformer saturation, sampled from a pair of 1084 input stages plus an additional "mystery" transformer on the output. AX7 delivers tube saturation, captured using a pair of 12AX7 long-plate tubes feeding a Lundahl transformer stage.
Each mode sounds exactly as it should. "We designed the 456 tape emulator so that no matter what you do with the DRIVE, it never completely blows up," Vincent explains. "This is tape—not tape being destroyed. If you set DRIVE around nine o'clock and turn MIX all the way up, you'll get a very subtle tape character." Coming from someone with 35 years of professional engineering experience, the claim carries considerable weight.
FURNACE also offers a selection of additional controls for fine-tuning. The X button introduces a touch of transformer warmth along with a gentle EQ curve and a slight high-frequency side emphasis; it can even be used on its own, making it ideal for individual instruments rather than buses. The Mid-Sides control allows users to focus saturation anywhere within the stereo field, while the Hi Boost switch adds a subtle high-frequency lift when needed.
Designed to respond exactly like hardware, FURNACE delivers gentle warmth and thickness at conservative INPUT levels—perfect for adding analog character to channels and buses without drawing attention to itself. Push the INPUT into the red, however, and things get decidedly more aggressive, making it easy to add thick distortion to guitars, basses, drums, or virtually any source. As always, the MIX control remains key for blending the effect to taste.
Developing FURNACE required close collaboration and deep technical expertise. Giving credit where it's due, Vincent notes: "I designed how it looks and what it does, but I don't code—so that's where Vic comes in. He's using a neural-network inference engine combined with detailed circuit analysis and modeling. It all runs in real time and does some incredible things—unlike anything I've ever heard. It just sounds completely analog. The technology is pretty amazing."
And the results speak for themselves. "The tape emulator sounds cohesive—it sounds like tape," Vincent says. "The transformer circuit might be my favorite; it has that unmistakable transformer warmth—it sounds like hardware. The tube adds depth and dimension. To my ears, using this feels very much like operating real hardware, and that's the key."
FURNACE also ships with a collection of professionally designed presets, giving users an immediate path to a wide range of musically useful saturation flavors—right out of the box.
Price $59.99 USD / €50.00 EUR / £45.00 GBP
* Available in AAX, AU, and VST3 formats for Mac (OS X 11 or later, Native M1 or Intel from 2014 or later) and PC (Windows 7, 8, 10 or 11, 64-bit, from 2013 or later) with no iLok required.
** THE/AUDIO/FIRM's FURNACE plug-in can be bought directly from Fazertone (https://www.fazertone.com/plugin/furnace).
*** A 14-day trial version without any limitation is also available to download.
For more information on 'FURNACE'
Walkthrough
About 'THE/AUDIO/FIRM' Founded in 2025, THE/AUDIO/FIRM is a collaboration between veteran mix/mastering engineer Sean J Vincent — originally a studio-based mix and mastering engineer who later became a live engineer, touring all over the world with acts like Tom Bailey, Andy Bell, Howard Jones, OMD, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others (including Kim Wilde, for whom he has also acted as a studio mixing and mastering engineer for over 20 years) — and Vic Lewis of Fazertone, famed for being one of the first companies to emulate analogue gear using neural networks. Needless to say, with 35 years of sound engineering experience to Sean's notable name creatively combined with Vic's groundbreaking DSP (Digital Signal Processing) developments, they are poised to take big strides into the plug-in industry.
< Copyright ⓒ The Music Telegraph :: Prohibit reprinting and redistribution >
COMPANY LINK
Comment
The Audio Firm Related Articles
|
Most Read
Most Recent
|
About "The Music Telegraph" ㅣ Advertise ㅣ Privacy ㅣ Membership Terms ㅣ Youth Protection Policy (Korean) ㅣ Opinion
Company: The Music Telegraph Ltd | Press Title (제호): The Music Telegraph (뮤직텔레그래프)
Address: 503 Gunseol Office, Gasan-ro 33, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel : +82 10 9256 2759 | Fax: +82 2 3217 0775
License Number: Seoul, 아05458 | Registration Date: 28 Oct 2018
Publisher & Editor: Yong Jin Kim | Publication Date: 16 Nov 2018
Youth Protection Manager: Yong Jin kim
Contact Info: [email protected]
Copyright ⓒ 2018-2026 The Music Telegraph. All rights reserved.
