Class A Boutique Guitar Amplifier Emulated

US Nembrini Audio announces availability of Divided 11 12/06/24

Nembrini Audio has announced availability of Divided 11 which they describe as a Class A boutique amplifier plug-in with a crisp, clear tone that saturates extremely well while offering a very balanced sound across the frequency spectrum. They say that it distills the quintessential tones of the storied Divided By 13 CJ11* (currently available as a modern take on a classic Fifties-vintage tweed amp that punches well above its weight as an 11W combo) into a virtual amplifier that brings classic sound into the digital age. Here's more details in their own words...

As a tube-rectified, single-channel Class A combo amplifier emulation, Nembrini Audio's Divided 11 maintains the warmth and versatility of the original hardware that inspired it, while introducing a suite of advanced features for the modern musician. Its intuitive interface and authentic-sounding attributes conveniently convey the sought-after tube amp experience as a plug-in. At a basic level, its front panel features simple controls for POWER -- bypasses the plug-in for processed and unprocessed signal comparison; BOOST -- overdrives the preamp section so more gain is pushed into the signal for a thicker, more saturated tone; MASTER -- regulates the power amp section's level within the plug-in itself, mirroring how master volume influences the colouration and texture of the sound in the context of a real Class A amplifier; BASS and TREBLE -- dual-purpose tone controls that allow for the adjustment of the guitar tone's low and high frequencies, respectively; VOLUME -- adjusts the preamp's gain level to set how hard the preamp section of the amplifier is being driven, thereby affecting the amount of preamp distortion and overall tone; plus HIGH and LOW selector -- switches between different input configurations, simulating high and low gain inputs of a traditional amplifier, which can have a significant impact on the tone and gain structure, so allows for further tonal options.

On the face of it, then, those front panel controls should surely allow Divided 11 to do what Nembrini Audio set out to do; the analogue saturation circuits digital reproduction specialist has, however, expanded the capabilities of the original hardware, leveraging the versatility of the digital world to introduce new features for unparalleled control over its user's guitar tone by simply selecting the CABINETS - IMPULSES LOADER button to open and close its feature-packed panel namesake.

Carefully choose from, for instance, six selected cabinet emulations in CABINET mode -- namely, THIRTEEN 1x12 GREEN (based on a Divided By 13* 1x12 combo with Celestion* G12M speakers); BG 2X12 V30 (based on a Bogner* 2x12 combo with Celestion* Vintage 30 speakers); VOICE 2x12 BLUE (based on a Vox* 2x12 combo with Celestion* Blue speakers); HK 2x12 V30 (based on a Hughes and Kettner* TM 212 combo with Celestion* Vintage 30 speakers); VH 4X12 P50E (based on a VHT* 412S 4x12 combo with Eminence* P50E speakers); and VH 4X12 V30 (based on a VHT* 412 4x12 combo with Celestion* Vintage 30 speakers).

It is possible, though, to enable a range of tonal characteristics courtesy of CABINET mode since it also allows users to access MIC 1 and MIC 2 settings (simulating the use of two virtual microphones for the amplifier's recording chain) -- choose from four of the best microphone model emulations used in real recording sessions, such as DYNAMIC 57 (based on the popular Shure* SM-57 dynamic microphone); RIBBON 121 (based on a modern Royer* Labs R-121 ribbon microphone); CONDENSER 141 (based on the classic AKG* C 414 condenser microphone); and DYNAMIC 421 (based on a vintage Sennheiser* MD-421 dynamic microphone). Moreover, users can select the chosen microphones' orientation with options for ON AXIS or OFF AXIS (affecting the colour and intensity of the captured sound) and adjust the POSITION and DISTANCE of each microphone relative to the speaker (offering control over the depth and spatial effects in recordings).

Rounding things off in that regard, CABINET mode's MIXER section includes three faders that controls the volume of the two microphones -- MIC 1 and MIC 2 -- in front of the guitar and stereo AMBIENT microphones; each channel has a PAN control for stereo positioning, plus PHASE (inversion), SOLO, and MUTE switches.

And as if all that was not enough to be getting on with, the CABINETS - IMPULSES LOADER panel provides access to IMPULSES mode, effectively a powerful impulses loader that lets Divided 11 users load up to three third-party impulse responses and blend them together; there are controls with which they can change the volume, PAN, and PHASE of each impulse response, as well as SOLO or MUTE them, alongside an associated display for browsing favourites or viewing a preview of the resulting waveform.

It is also possible to completely bypass the entire cabinet/recording chain emulation from within the CABINETS - IMPULSES LOADER panel, but regardless of which of its CABINET, IMPULSES, or BYPASS modes are selected, useful FILTERS, NOISE GATE, and INPUT/OUTPUT sections are always active -- respectively designed to shape the tone by filtering specific frequency ranges, help eliminate noise associated with high gain settings, and manage the signal level entering and exiting the plug-in.

Put it this way: with Divided 11, Nembrini Audio has surely succeeded in creating a virtual amplifier that brings classic sound into the digital age!

* Divided By 13 CJ11 is a registered trademark of Divided By 13 Amplification; Divided 11 was developed by Nebrini Audio SRL based on its own modelling techniques, and Divided By 13 Amplification has not endorsed or sponsored Divided 11 in any manner, nor licensed any intellectual property for use in this plug-in. Please note that all other marks and models are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Nembrini Audio.As such, those marks and names are used for the sole purpose of describing certain tones produced using Nembrini Audio's modelling technology.

Pricing and Availability:
Divided 11 is available for purchase (as an iLok-protected AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-supporting plug-in for macOS 10.9 or newer and Windows 7 or newer) at an introductory price of only $29.99 USD until June 30, 2024 -- rising thereafter to a regular price of $137.00 USD.

Flexibility further abounds as Divided 11 is also available in AuV3 format for iOS at an introductory price of $9.99 USD until June 30, 2024 -- rising thereafter to a regular price of $19.99 USD -- on the App Store.