Some sounds are at the right level and still feel thin. Turning them up is not the answer. Black Box HG-2 by Brainworx is a tube saturation plugin that adds weight, body and thickness without wrecking the clarity of the sound. In this lesson KOOROW explains its two tubes and every control, then uses it on a psytrance lead and a bass line, always A/B’d at the same level.
The video is a short preview of the full lesson. It is spoken in Persian and has an English audio track: in the player, open Settings → Audio track → English. This article covers the whole lesson in English.
What Black Box HG-2 adds
- Weight and size: the sound comes forward and feels bigger
- Thickness: a little grit that makes the sound more solid
- A touch of saturation: harmonics, without audible distortion when used gently
- At the same loudness: once the output is matched, on and off are equally loud, and the “on” version simply sounds better
Where to use it
This is not a genre-specific tool. Use it on the main lines, the ones you want to be bold and sit up front:
- Psytrance, darkpsy, hi-tech: the lead
- Techno and melodic techno: the arp, the melody or the lead
- Vocals in pop, rock and similar styles, but more gently
- Bass: it works very well here. If your bass already sits at around −12 dB and still feels too quiet, Black Box gives it size, and you then match the level again
Listen on headphones while you set it. Weight and size are not dramatic effects. Used the right way, the change is subtle on laptop speakers. If you can hear it clearly without headphones, you have probably gone too far.
The two tubes: Pentode and Triode
The plugin has two tubes, just like the hardware unit it is modelled on.
- Pentode is the body of the sound. Turn it up and the sound gains warmth and size and moves closer to the listener.
- Triode adds thickness. In one word: grit, plus a little sense of space.
The two stages run in series: the signal goes through the Pentode first, then the Triode, then out. That is why they interact. With the Pentode turned up high, even a small amount of Triode tips the sound into saturation or distortion. With the Pentode lower, you can push the Triode further before it breaks up. A balanced setting of the two gives size and warmth from the Pentode and grit from the Triode, without distortion.
The other controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Saturation + parallel switch | With the parallel switch on, the processed signal is added on top of the untouched original. The Saturation knob sets how much. Ideal for bass, and good on leads too. |
| Sat. Freq (Low / Flat / High) | Chooses which part of the spectrum is saturated most. Low focuses on the low frequencies, Flat treats the whole range. |
| Air + Air Amount | Lifts the “air”, everything from about 10 kHz up. |
| Alt Tube | Switches to the second, harder tube for tougher saturation. |
| Output | The output level. Set it last, after everything else, to match the level. |
On a psytrance lead
The lead in the lesson is an FM lead built in Serum 2, with a delay after it. Its level was set first, by RMS rather than by peak. It sounded hollow and thin. The settings that fixed it:
- Turn the Pentode up for size. This lead needed weight, and its grit was already fine.
- Leave the Triode around the middle.
- Switch the parallel mode on and use the Saturation knob to control how much is added.
- Lower the Output until switching the plugin on and off no longer changes the volume.
- A/B it. Off, the lead feels empty and hollow. On, it is clearly stronger, with no increase in level.
On a bass line
- Set Sat. Freq to Low.
- Switch parallel on. The original bass stays clean and the saturation is added as a layer on top.
- Around 45% Saturation worked well in the session.
- Match the level again. In the lesson the peak reads the same with the plugin on and off, yet the bass is clearly heavier and bigger.
- If it starts to rumble, lower the amount.
The golden rule: A/B at the same level
Whenever you test what a plugin has done to your sound, switch it on and off without a change in volume. Louder always sounds better, so an unmatched comparison will fool you every time. Lower the output first, then judge.
Match the level by RMS or loudness, not by the peak reading alone. It gives a far more reliable comparison.
Don’t overdo it
Black Box HG-2 is a simple device that gives a great result when used with restraint. If you are after heavy distortion and buzz, there are better tools for that job. What this plugin does best is what you heard in the lesson: more weight and size at the same level.
Watch the full lesson
The complete 20+ minute lesson is in Koorow Premium: an FM lead built from scratch in Serum 2, the delay tip for rhythmic sounds, level matching by RMS, every Black Box control, and parallel saturation on the bass line. Members also get weekly lessons, project breakdowns, samples, presets and feedback on their own tracks.