Producer Joey Sturgis introduced Joey Sturgis Tones (JTS), a new range of plug-ins a little while back. He says that the JST collection is a growing family of plug-ins designed to address some of the toughest recording challenges, including the new Gain Reduction Deluxe vocal compressor, as well as the Toneforge Menace, a virtual guitar rig designed to deliver aggressive power and punch from tracking to mixdown. The latest release is Toneforge Ben Bruce, a version of Toneforge designed in conjunction with Ben Bruce, the lead guitarist of Asking Alexandria. Joey Sturgis says that, by combining select elements from each Asking Alexandria production along with key features from Ben Bruce's live setup, the brand new Toneforge model nails the entire range heard on Asking Alexandria's albums. It offers rhythm and clean channels, four stomp boxes (overdrive, stereo delay, rotary, and reverb) as well as Joey's uniquely designed mixing DSP to take your guitar sound from direct input to final mix.

Ben Bruce had this to say, "I love how versatile it is. Guitarists who use this product will not be limited to any one particular genre. You can go all out heavy and write riff after riff, or you can dial it back and play some tasty blues licks. The clean Channel is superb and is capable of delivering crystal clear, crisp tones or can be dirtied up enough to still sound clean and soft but provide players with the grit and balls reminiscent of early Jimmy Page licks."

Here's a press release on JTS that we've just received.

In the world of rock and metal recording, Joey Sturgis has earned a well-deserved reputation as a master of the craft. His work with artists like Asking Alexandra, We Came As Romans, and The Devil Wears Prada have earned him multiple awards and accolades, and his signature sound is unmistakable. As Sturgis explains, a big part of that sound is down to his nature as an obsessive tinkerer.

"I've used pretty much every plug-in available, and I've spent a considerable amount of time trying to get them to do things they weren't designed to do," says Sturgis. "I would end up coming up with these huge chains of plus-ins, each one tweaked to an extreme to get some sort of crazy tone or sonic result I was searching for."

Frustration with trying to achieve the sounds in his head led Sturgis to create Joey Sturgis Tones, an outlet for his "other" sonic creations. "I've produced and recorded a lot of music, and that's just one aspect of what I do," he explains. "These plug-ins are, in a sense, a different type of artistic endeavor."

Sturgis cites his ongoing educational efforts as part of what led him to share his plug-ins. "I've been sharing knowledge online for several years now, and recently started teaching courses on CreativeLive. I'm often asked about how I achieve certain sounds, so I decided to create plug-ins that make it easier to do what creative people wanted to do - make great music. In addition to providing these tools, I've also gone to great lengths to explain the process behind them." It's not just metal and hardcore either - JST plug-ins have found their way into hip hop, pop, and even country recordings.

"A lot of producers keep their production techniques secret, as if someone will steal them away," remarks Sturgis. "To me, sharing my ideas is a way to inspire creativity in others. The more an artist can be freed from the technology, the more they can focus on the creative process. It's my hope that other musicians, artists, and producers will find some inspiration in these sounds, and that they will help them to create great music."

Pricing and Availability:
Toneforge Ben Bruce costs $65

More information:

• Joey Sturgis Tones

Joey Sturgis Social

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