Audio Damage Kombinat Dva Upgrade - Manual (Page 5)

Introduction
Thank you for purchasing Kombinat, Audio Damage's multi-destruction toolbox. Kombinat is named with the
Russian term for a conglomeration, as it is not a single effect, but rather a group of effects that work towards
a defined end. This plug-in includes a set of crossover filters (otherwise known as a DJ EQ or "band killer"),
three distortion engines, a lowpass filter, and a compressor. Each effect can be used individually, but they
combine to give Kombinat a distinct sound, not entirely unlike accidentally dropping a piece of sheet metal
into a paper shredder.
Kombinat works on any given signal is dependent on several factors; these include, in no particular order, how
hot the input signal is and how much of the frequency spectrum it occupies, how much gain the input knob is
sending to the various effects, how much gain the crossover bands are adding or removing, and how hard the
compressor is working. Kombinat comes with 80 presets, but it is worth remembering that Kombinat is
extremely input-dependent, and these presets are not meant to describe how the plug-in should be used in
any particular context; rather, they are merely starting ideas.
You'll find that the sound of the unit can be drastically changed on almost any preset merely by changing the
setting of the input knob, and we recommend some experimentation in this regard. All the gain knobs will
boost the signal’s loudness, up to 7dB per knob, so it is possible to heavily overload the individual distortion
engines, the filter, and the compressor.
Finally, you should remember that at high levels of gain, Kombinat is somewhat unpredictable. This is by
design; the filter can be overdriven to the point of breaking up, the individual distortion engines can be
overdriven in to strange territory, and the compressor can be overloaded to the point where it is also a
distortion engine.
All of these factors come in to play to create a plug-in that is essentially unique in every context. Unlike a
traditional filter or EQ, which will generally only remove things from your sound, or a traditional distortion-
based effect, which will generally only color what already exists, Kombinat can (and will) add its own
personality in each instance. It is almost instrument-like in this regard, and rather than just programming it,
we suggest you actually think about playing it.