The original boutique, all-valve, studio distortion tool — exclusively for UAD-2 and Apollo.
A singular, enigmatic piece of all-valve boutique hardware, the Thermionic Culture Vulture is a distortion hedonist's malleable plaything. For more than 15 years, this British-made, studio-grade, high-gain valve unit has provided a palette of vivid distortion colors — from sublime thickening textures to demonic growls of perverted mayhem — on countless genre-spanning recordings.
Now — thanks to an intense multi-year engineering effort from Universal Audio — you can track and mix with the only authentic circuit emulation of this one-of-a-kind valve distortion tool with the Thermionic Culture Vulture plug-in for UAD-2 hardware and Apollo interfaces.
- Get a full palette of high-gain, studio-grade, dual-stage valve distortion
- Dial-in rich harmonic content with three diverse valve topologies — including UA's first ever pentode tube emulation
- Record through the Culture Vulture in real time with Apollo
- Subtly color or utterly destroy existing tracks, buses, or a full mix with the Culture Vulture using any UAD-2 hardware
- Get the same sound and controls as the legendary analog hardware with added features like parallel Dry/Wet processing
- Mix with artist presets from Tony Maserati, Eric "ET" Thorngren, Rik Simpson, Chris Coady, and more
Thermionic Culture Vulture
Operational Overview
Two Channel Processor
Thermionic Culture Vulture is a two-channel device capable of running in stereo or dual-mono modes. When used on a stereo signal, the active mode is determined by the Control Link switch. When the plug-in is used in a mono-in/mono-out configuration, the controls for either channels can be used to adjust settings.
Controls Layout
Like the original hardware, the arrangement of the controls for Channels 1 and 2 have a mirror image of each other (the Channel 2 controls have reversed ordering compared to the Channel 1 controls).
Note: Parameter ordering is not mirrored in Controls mode (available in some DAWs) or automation views.
Unorthodox Controls
Some plug-in controls (Bias, Filter, Bypass, Power) are "backwards" when compared to traditional hardware designs. These anomalies are true to the original hardware design.
Expanded Feature Set
The Culture Vulture plug-in offers two key features not found on the original hardware: Mix and Control Link.
The Mix control can be used for parallel processing on any bus, adding gentle valve presence, punch, and grit to drums, vocals, or an entire mix. With the Control Link function, perfectly matched stereo imaging is possible to save time and preserve balances.
Artist Presets
Presets from prominent Universal Audio artists are included. You can access the artist presets using the UAD preset browser.
Thermionic Culture Vulture Controls
Controls for Channel 1 and Channel 2 are identical and therefore are only described once. The Link, Mix, and Power controls apply to both channels.
Drive
Drive adjusts the amount of input gain (amplified by the EF86 input stage valve), that is sent to the 6AS6 distortion valve. Rotating this control clockwise increases the amount of distortion.
The available Drive range is from 1 to 11. The values are arbitrary and do not represent absolute levels.
Bias
Bias varies the amount of current passed through the cathode in the 6AS6 distortion valve. The amount of Bias current is displayed by the Meters.
Bias has a significant impact on the distortion characteristics. True to the original hardware, the behavior of this control is reversed.
Clockwise (forward) rotation decreases bias current and generally produces a cleaner and thinner sound. At lower bias currents, the cathode is "starved" and the signal collapses more easily. At the lowest settings, only signal peaks are passed through the valve, resulting in a gating effect.
Counter-clockwise (backward) rotation increases bias current and generally produces a thicker, rounder tone with more harmonic distortion. At higher bias currents, the cathode is "over-fed" and outputs rich, fat distortion.
Medium settings are generally best for gently warming sounds without obvious distortion. The cleanest setting is at approximately 0.25 to 0.3 milliamperes.
The default Bias knob value is 6 for 0.45 milliamperes of bias current. The knob values of 1 to 11 are arbitrary and do not represent absolute levels.
Distortion Type
The 6AS6 distortion valve can operate in three different operating modes by changing the internal wiring of the tube circuit. Distortion Type switches this mode so different characteristics can be obtained.
This switch interacts extensively with the Drive, Bias, and Overdrive controls. The available distortion types, and their characteristics, are described below.
T (Triode)
Triode mode generates more 2nd-order (even) harmonics and is generally the cleanest, smoothest, and "sweetest" mode. Triode mode is great for adding tube warmth to signals without obvious distortion.
P1 (Pentode 1)
Pentode 1 mode generates more 3rd-order (odd) harmonics and has a harder, edgier, and louder sound than Triode mode.
P2 (Pentode 2)
Pentode 2 mode has an unusual wiring for a pentode circuit and a particularly aggressive sound, especially with high Bias current and/or when Overdrive is engaged.
This setting can produce some of the most unusual and over-the-top effects such as frequency doubling, gating, and stuttering. It is normal for this mode to be quieter than Triode or Pentode 1 modes.
Interesting phase behaviors can also be induced in this mode. Depending on the source signal, polarity may invert at extreme settings.
Overdrive
Overdrive applies 20 dB of additional gain to the 6AS6 distortion valve input for increased distortion.
Note: Exercise caution when engaging Overdrive, as output levels can increase significantly (depending on other control settings).
Overdrive is engaged when the switch is in the down position. The default value is off (up position). Like the Filter, Bypass, and Power switches, the behavior of this control is reversed from typical hardware designs.
The behavior of this switch has a variation from the original hardware. When Overdrive is off (up position), 9 dB of clean gain is added to the input signal. The extra gain is included in the plug-in to compensate for the extreme level changes that occur in the original hardware when Overdrive is engaged (making it easier to quickly compare signals with Overdrive off and on), and also to provide for a more usable range of clean settings.
Filter
Filter applies a 12 dB per octave low pass filter at the output of the 6AS6 distortion valve circuit for a smoother sound.
Like the Overdrive, Bypass, and Power switches, the behavior of this control is reversed from typical hardware designs. Filter is engaged when the switch is in the two down positions. The default value is off (up position).
Note: There is a slight rolloff of upper frequencies even when Filter is set to Off. However, this rolloff does not occur when Distortion Type is set to P2.
Output Level
Output Level controls the amount of signal going into the output valve (type 5963), which has its own coloration.
Knob values of 8-9 produce the cleanest output. Settings above 9 will overdrive the output valve for increased distortion.
The available range is from 1 to 11 and the default value is maximum. The values are arbitrary and do not represent absolute levels.
Bypass
Bypass disables plug-in processing. If a full bypass is desired to conserve UAD DSP, use the Power switch.
Distortion processing is enabled when the switch is in the down position. Like the Filter, Bypass, and Power switches, the behavior of this control is reversed from typical hardware designs.
Control Link
This switch causes the controls for Channels 1 and 2 to be stereo linked. When engaged (right position), adjusting a control on one channel will cause the equivalent control on the other channel to move to the same value.
When the plug-in is used in a stereo (or mono-in/stereo-out) configuration, Control Link is engaged by default. Disable the control (left position) for independent dual-mono processing on stereo signals.
When used in a mono configuration, the switch is fixed in the linked position.
Important: When Control Link is engaged, all Channel 1 values are copied to Channel 2, and any control offsets between channels are lost.
Mix
The output balance between the signal processed by the plug-in and the original dry source signal can be adjusted with the Mix control. Mix facilitates parallel processing techniques without having to create additional routings in the DAW.
When set to 0% (minimum), only the unprocessed (dry) source signal is output. When set to 100% (the default value), only the processed (wet) signal is output. When set to 50%, an equal blend of both the dry and wet signals is output. The balance is continuously variable and phase accurate throughout the control range.
Power
This switch determines whether the plug-in is active. When the Power switch is in the Off (up) position, plug-in processing is disabled and UAD DSP usage is reduced (unless UAD-2 DSP LoadLock is enabled).
Like the Filter, Overdrive, and Bypass switches, the behavior of this control is reversed from typical hardware designs.
Power Lamp
The lamp above the Power switch is illuminated when the plug-in is active.
Tip: Click the Power Lamp to toggle the enable/disable state of the plug-in.
Meters
The meters display the bias current, in milliamperes, flowing through the 6AS6 distortion valve. Bias current can be adjusted with the Bias control.
Note that the bias current can be affected by the source material, especially at very high distortion settings. Additionally, depending on input signal levels, the Meters may fluctuate when Bias is not being adjusted).
The original hardware unit
"Warning: Do not take this unit seriously. The Culture Vulture is a fun effects unit and has been designed for maximum pleasure!"
- Thermionic Culture Ltd.