The Producer’s Pack 1 for Nebula Pro

My first collection did include some hardware sampling as well, but primarily focused on bringing to life my theoretical work of finding a way to dynamically bring the entire chain of an analog recording studio to the user within a plug-in. This meant not only capturing the personality of one piece of gear, but sampling very complex emulations of the order of events from a channel input to it’s corresponding tape track, returned to channel, sent to channel group, and out to two track. Many of the stages involved were real pieces of hardware and others were calculated events that I set up in different programs to be sampled in the proper order at constantly manipulated settings. My second library release, "Mastering Suite", is a collection of high quality mastering eq’s, bell and shelving, enhanced mix settings, all created with scientifically-based harmonics that benefit the volume and fullness of a recording without adding any perceived negative side-effects. These eq’s are as accurate as many linear software eq’s, but can out-perform many of the world’s most sought-after analog mastering filters in character and musicality.

Elements of the "Producer’s Pack" were created parallel to the "Retro Analog Studio Suite" as part of the same process. Much of the same technology has been incorporated, and the purpose of this library is to compliment the mixing tools of the "Retro" collection by providing extremely high quality templates of many of my own personal ‘signature’ settings. These are not typical ‘cut-and-paste’ presets often found bundled with software plug-ins, but have a wide range of character-driven personality that should bring a lot of artistic expression to your mixes.

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The Concept

My goal with "The Producer’s Pack" is to compliment the "Retro Analog Studio Suite" library with a set of mixing tools that address many specific parts of the multi-track mixing process. Some tools are created as problem solvers and creative solutions to common tasks, and others are special ‘outside-of-the-box’ settings you may not have considered, but they may be just the thing to make your mix come alive!

Where the "Retro" library provides several high quality equalizers with full frequency range control, bus limiting and compression algorithms that generate tape and transformer-based harmonic saturation, etc., this collection centers around specific settings of equalization, ‘inspired-by’ compression and limiting for specially tweaked, highly sought after sonic fingerprints that are considered ‘secret weapons’ that not everyone would know how to achieve. Most programs are not only an emulation of devices in their optimized settings directed at specific tasks, but also include multiple aspects of the signal chain. In achieving a certain sound for a snare track, for instance, one might wish to have the right eq sent to the right compressor, each unit contributing valuable harmonic content. Also, just because much of the primary focus is on idealized settings, don’t by misled to think that this collection is limited in flexibility. Nearly every program has a range of use that can be achieved just by varying the input level of the signal used. While most compression settings are meant to be fixed and not adjusted for the desired effect, they are in fact created to react differently to a wide dynamic range, and lower inputs will impart a different value than pushing the input hard.

For several months I have promised to get busy on new tutorials for mixing and mastering. I have made it through one leg of the journey, but there is so much more that I want to provide to those with a passion for music and recording. I felt that with this collection finally in place, there can now be a point of reference to compliment the flexibility of tools in "Retro", the base Nebula Commercial Collection, and the ever-widening, amazing collection of presets from other users of the Nebula community at large.

I will comment that those who have supported the CDSoundMaster programs that I have created have made it possible for me to take some time in development, site information, YoutTube tutorials, question-answering, and overall perfecting of programs that simply would not have been possible otherwise. I thank you all SO much for being so supportive, and a special thanks to those that have climbed on board support for the Nebula plug-in, as Giancarlo’s efforts have been remarkably tireless, consistent, and among the most impressive technical support and customer attention that I’ve ever heard of in audio software. I truly believe that, at every stage of the Nebula’s development, it has been the best thing out there in sound processing.

One last thought about "The Producer’s Pack" being a commercial release at a reasonable cost: I have sought to provide Nebula users a value ‘for-the-money’ that is consistent with the Acustica Audio philosophy. I believe that in comparison, these libraries would retail at least 10 times the cost from any other developer, not only because of the research involved, but the range of tools would easily reflect an entire year of plug-in releases. This current library will be helping to complete my vision for providing inspired sound creation that helps others create mixes that can be the top-of-their-class, making the capability of final masters a new standard!

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Funding The Dream

This final product that I am developing, I am proud to announce, is an actual piece of hardware! Yes, you read that right. HARDWARE!

Ever since the Summer to November in 2008, I have not just been developing and tweaking "The Producer’s Pack", but I have also been fine-tuning and developing the final piece of the puzzle to make the Nebula plug-in the very best it can be.

By developing a way to improve the sound of each user’s SOURCE material AT the source, there is a way to help standardize and upgrade what every user can achieve!

The results are truly remarkable, and the sonic benefits are far from subtle. There is no signal path, and no studio budget that will not benefit from the final result of my design. I have partnered with a very talented individual to make my design a hardware reality in true keeping with the ideals that make the CDSoundMaster plug-ins sound as good as they can. With the "Retro" collection based upon the best aspects of musical non-linearity that produces sound the way we wish to hear it, along with mastering tools that provide scientifically proven eq curves and harmonic structure fundamentals into every setting, and the "Producer’s Pack" which gives a solution to many of the mixing engineer’s more challenging situations, we now have a way to improve every single channel recorded, mixed, bussed, output, mastered, and remastered.

"The Producer’s Pack" will be helping me to reach the financial goals to complete the actual manufacturing process, now that research and development has been finalized with the manufacturer. There is still a certain level of confidentiality involved in the hardware release, but I want you to know that the final result is a true breakthrough in design and in price bracket.

There are absolutely zero sonic short-cuts being taken, and I believe that we are all going to find 2009 to be the year that many of us finally reach that goal of THE sonic improvement in sound we have been after.

So, what I ask is that you email me for more information on the CDSoundMaster audio hardware project. Information and pre-orders are going to be of a very limited number, as I intend to take a personal interest in aiding each user’s first productions with the hardware, along with extensive before-after processes for you to hear. If you are only going to make one or two hardware upgrades to your studio in the next few months, I seriously recommend that you consider holding out for this new creation before any new microphone, cable, preamp, compressor, and yes, even AD/DA converter upgrade! Other than your room and monitoring choices, there is no single hardware investment that I think you can make that will benefit you more.

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OK, Now Back To "The Producer’s Pack"

The "Producer’s Pack" is finally here! It was my promise to customers that the third library would come to compliment the "Retro" release. The "Producers’ Pack" is a collection of 50, yes 50 high quality programs for the Nebula Commercial plug-in!

Often we purchase software that is well made, only to find the presets included hastily developed, poorly chosen, or simply non-existent. Many users rely on the relevance of their software purchases to help guide their learning the right approaches to mixing. It can be extremely challenging to develop your own sound as a mixing engineer and source recorder without a grasp on the flexibility and range of tools available. This collection addresses these issues with tools that reflect the way I work with my projects. There are set eq, compressor, bus group, and special settings made specifically to ‘get the job done’ with a great deal of musicality, and also in such a way to work hand-in-hand with specific settings used in the "Retro" series.

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About the presets

All of the presets for this library are found in the "P-P" category (that stands for "Producer’s Pack")!.

Use Nebula’s up and down arrows to scroll through the category list until you find "P-P". For Nebula3 Commercial users, these programs make use of the latest Nebula technology in preset sub-categories!

Click "P-P" once for all programs.

Click a second time and you will see the individual "EQ, Com, and TAP" categories appear.

The "EQ" section has a collection of programs inpired by the Neve 1073, labeled "73". You can click the "EQ" category a third time to select from only this group of eq’s.

Here is the list of presets:

Compressors:
6StrEQComp
Bright_Drum_1
Bright_Drum_2
Bright_Drum_3
bus1
BusLim2
Bus_Lim_1
Smack_Snare1
Smack_Snare2
DynUreiBass
eqDrumSlam1
eqDrumSlam2
Fast Attack
1176_Type_Comp
La2a_Compressor
FemaleVox_EQLim
FemVox_EQLim2
FemVox_EQLim3
La2a_Limiter
Sustain
Equalizers:
1073-Inspired:
73 6String
73 6String2
73 Bass DI
73 Bass Pick
73 Bass Slap
73 Bright
73 Drum Bus EQ
73 Fem Vocal
73 Guitar1
73 Guitar2
73 GuitarDI
73 House Loop
73 Kick 1
73 Kick 2
73 Lead Vocal
73 Lead Vocal 2
73 Overhead 1
73Snare1
73Snare2
73Snare3
More EQ:
CombFiltereq
NiceBass1
NiceBass2
Tube_Hi_Shelf1
VintCurve1
Vint_hi_Curve1
WarmGtrRibbon
Tape:
EQ_Tape_WarmBus
HalfTape

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The Presets

Compressors:

As the Nebula engine develops, so will it’s ability to sample true compression settings in real-time, directly from the equipment nearly automatically. Eventually, there will be full hardware emulations of the highest calibre. I wanted to make sure that this collection was something that would remain useful and relevent as new complete hardware programs become available, so these all represent a very specific focus in mixing that they handle very well. Many are combined compression/limiting with specialized eq settings that reduce the workload of tasks they are suited for.

6StrEQComp

I made this program to give you more than just a nice sounding eq for acoustic guitars. Often, eq’ing the high end on acoustics can make them sound thin, brittle, harsh, instead of enhancing what naturally sounds the nicest from the actual instrument. Sometimes the eq is being used because the guitar sounds nice but is a little muddy, or the attack sounds dull when placed in the context of the mix. Therefore, this program allows a range of about 6 decibels of compression designed to keep the transient attacks of the acoustic more pronounced, gently lifting the clean high frequencies while at the same time sharpening their attack. This combination helps the guitar stay fresh and easy to hear even in a dense mix. Because of the percussive nature of this program, it can also be useful with drums in certain scenarios. Listen and experiment!

Bright_Drum_1
Bright_Drum_2
Bright_Drum_3

These programs were created by recording certain levels of sound through a vintage API-style channel with a Lundahl input transformer, then manipulating, editing, and re-drawing the waveform, and setting Nebula’s parameters to offer the desired result of attack, grab, and hold. Each of these three programs rely on a combination of attack, release, and input volume affecting the original waveform to generate the desired compression effect. The eq curve is the same on all three programs and is inspired by an API 500 series sound. I created an overall frequency plot that is very useful for making your individual percussive instruments punch through a dense mix while leaving an easy pocket for the bass guitar, vocals, and other instruments.

Recording live drums can be a challenge to the beginner and to the seasoned professional. Worn heads, strange tuning, weird resonances, less-than-stellar performance, and compromised microphone positioning choices can make it extremely difficult to capture the drums as we want to hear them. Unfortunately, the accessibility of compression can lead to over-compensation in mixing.

I felt that it would be helpful for the mixing engineer to have some pre-made settings that get right to ‘the’ sound of certain drums as they are often mixed. This can be blended or even sent to effect chains separate from the original drums to help bring life to dull sounding captures. If the drums already sound very clean and punchy from great mic and preamp choices, I’d recommend other uneq’d compressors over these. But, if your drums are sounding dull and lifeless, give these three a try on each individual isolated track!

bus1

This preset uses a special combination of harmonic distortion to help glue groups of sound together. It can be used to be very clean yet musical, or you can really push it hard. With moderate input levels and the "drive" setting from -30dB to +5dB or so, it reacts like a well-tuned analog chain with prominent odd harmonics and supportive even harmonics. When pushed harder, it will begin to shape frequencies and push transients harder. It has been designed to be intuitive and reacts very naturally, like you would expect complex hardware to react. Use this to bring things together in a mix. Also, this is excellent to make things more interesting with effects busses.

BusLim2

This is an extremely clean, subtle program that I made to help give just a dose of edge at the attack of a signal so that when bringing a group of elements together, you can simply use the input level to give some edge to things when adding limiting, warm eq, and tape to group things together. Make sure not to push it too far!

Bus_Lim_1

I hope that you will find this program a ‘go-to’ among your favorite plug-ins. I have combined a very round, full sounding compression algorithm with an eq plot that addresses the most common areas of a mix that need to be cut. Obviously, you do not want to use a drastic frequency plot on just any recording. But, if you are experimenting, planning to boost and cut separate elements of a mix to piece together, or just like to work by ear on certain sections of a mix, this program really brings things together.

Your frequencies rise gradually from 0Hz to 100Hz, beginning at -10dB to 0dB. The shape of the eq in this subharmonic range helps address rumble and unwanted elements that are often recorded and not monitored very well. There is little perceived loss of low end energy, yet more volume and dynamics are freed up to 90% of what is being recorded.

The curve then gently lowers a gradual -5dB between 200Hz and 350Hz, helping to eliminate some of the muddiness in mix sections that usually occur. From 1kHz to 5kHz the frequencies rise gradually by 5dB and begin to taper off by a decibel above 12kHz.

The compression can be pushed hard if needed!

Smack_Snare1

This is a very classic sounding compression program that has been designed to deliver a much sought after effect of grabbing onto the initial attack of a snare, while simulating the extension and sustain of the ring of the snare, or it can be described at accentuating the strike of the stick, or crack of a rimshot, but then ‘holding’ onto the resonance of the drum and extending it.

The eq remains mostly flat for both of these programs, with a very slight drop from 100hZ down to 0Hz of 2 dB.

Smack_Snare2

This program is a continuation of the same concept above, with much deeper compression. This is definitely more for effect and for serious squeezing!

DynUreiBass

There are subtle sonic differences in just about every revision of the more well-known compressor/limiters. The early Urei Limiting Amplifiers that are fully-functional today seem to have some personality traits all their own. These are transformer, opto, tube-based devices. There is still something unique and special about earlier models, and it can be heard in earlier recordings and in modern ones that utilize the restored versions. These units prior to their 2000 release by the next-generation descendents of Bill Putnam’s are the basis for the modern design. The concept is very much the same, but what intrigues me is the sound that is imparted on bass, where very little compression is applied, it sounds more like the reaction-and-response is more of a wrapping around the signal than a reacting to the signal. There is an emphasis in the musical expression of something along the lines of a slap bass line, where the attack transient is brighter and sharper, but usually followed by an equally sharp/bright tone variance. I found a subtle trick that seems to greatly nudge recordings more in the early direction, and this is the result. Don’t push it harder than necessary. When it works, it livens up a well-performed track with that wonderful vintage magic.Try it when you are setting up your bass mixes, and use it before, in the middle, and/or after different bass effect chains. When it works, it breathes life into a track, and you will know it.

eqDrumSlam1 & 2

These two presets both share the same eq frequency plot, but are two different compression settings. They are extremely program-dependent, in that they will really provide a wide range of results depending on what you feed them, and how hard you push the input level. The eq of the input helps to provide a clean, clear, and present sounding drum source that is fine-tuned to work well with dense mixes. Each of the two presets helps to re-voice each drum in a group-bus scenario if a more aggressive but still musical sound is desired.

Pockets for where we commonly find every instrument from group vocals to string sections to guitars are given their space in the mix by applying this setting to individual drums. Give it a try: when it works, it works like a dream!

Fast Attack

The "Fast Attack" and the "Sustain" programs are to be seen as a pair. I created these two programs to provide what I believe is a better solution to isolating transients than what I found on the market. Different from other transient-based compression processors, the "Fast Attack" program is a special transient shaping design that grabs onto the initial attack of program material and processes the remaining signal at a lower volume, while still applying a light amount of ‘grab and hold’ to the lower signal. Imagine processing the same material in parallel, and then adding the results of both processors back into a single signal.

1176_Type_Comp

This program works nicely with drum material that has some ambience, whether it is a distant room mic or a pair of overheads. It is loosely modelled around the sound of an 1176 in limiting mode, where a slightly slower attack is used with a fast release. What you hear on the right material is an emphasis on the ambience in the early portions of the attack transients. This brings the focus of the drums more into the natural sound of the room and blends nicely with close-mic’d tracks that are processed separately. Another less-common scenario to try is to experiment with this setting on the beater of an isolated kick drum track. It can really add some meat to the track without introducing any real distortion artefacts. Part of the signature sound of the 1176 in this kind of setting is the ability to get gritty and rough while still letting the personality of the material shine through. I believe this program reflects that characteristic well. This is a good program to experiment with, and I believe you will find your favorite situations to use it in.

La2a_Compressor

With the real unit, the compressor mode operates with a lower ratio than the limiting mode, but it is still very much dependent on the material as to how deep the threshold goes and how fast or slow it will grab onto and let go of the signal. There is a distinct sound of the UA reissue’s of the LA2-A, and I have tried to provide one of the more useful settings for this program. With the hardware, you can hear much more of the effect of the full chain of processes at work when hitting the input harder. This includes acting upon the transformers for a pleasant effect. I have tried to identify mostly with the clean impact of the compressor on drums, where the initial attack sounds very deep and very quick. The limiter setting included in this collection is aimed much more at hitting a very hard level to the input.

FemaleVox_EQLim
FemVox_EQLim2
FemVox_EQLim3

These three programs represent a full signal chain that is optimized towards helping a female vocal track sit well in the mix. I recommend simply trying all three out when you run into a difficult blending of lead vocal in a mix. The eq curve helps round out the sound of vocals in a range from alto to soprano, lessening the effects of close mic’ing on lower frequncies, and emphasizing a very clean presence from 5kHz to 18kHz. I believe that you will find one of these settings to be just the right thing for particular tracks, and it helps control dynamics and eliminate trouble frequencies all at once! Depending on the source material, it is advisable to control sibilance and edit breaths or mouth-clicks before running into this chain.

La2a_Limiter

This program has been created to provide more of the heavy-hitting sound of the LA2-A in limiting mode, where it acts on peaks very aggressively but with a very full, round tone. It is best to simply try it out on the source. When it is right it works great, but it does not react accurately to all source as the original hardware would. Go with your instincts, and when it sounds right, you will know it!

Sustain

The other half of the solution to the "Fast Attack" program, this preset will analyze the first portion of your signal and provide a clean sustainful reduction to loud, initial transients, while separately providing a deeper threshold, lower ratio sustain on the longer portions of program material. The result is similar to transient shaping devices that would be emphasizing the smooth, less dynamic musical content and lowering the effect of fast, sharp transients. The difference once again, is that this acts more as two simultaneous processes happening in parallel, then mixed to the final source output. You can experiment with percussive material by loading up two tracks and applying one with the "Fast Attack" program and the other with the "Sustain" program, gaining a great deal of control over the way that drums affect the mix. Try automating variances in the two throughout portions of the song, and even try different signal chains from the two sources. The range of expression that these two programs provide you are never-ending.

Equalizers:
1073-Inspired:
The "73" series of eq programs are inspired by the presets from the Universal Audio Neve EQ release. It is rare that suggested presets in a software release be as well thought out and useful as the software itself. I was particularly impressed with many choices that they made in the presets for the 1073 eq plug-in. So, I thought it would be great to provide something similar for Nebula, but using a real piece of hardware! The following group of presets are eq settings sampled using the Chameleon 7602. This is a phenominal mix eq, and I believe there is a place for every program included here.

I have taken the concept to the max with the three Snare programs, adding 10 kernels of harmonic distortion content to the signal and pushing the device very hard. You will find this really gives your snare tracks an aggressive, three-dimensional personality. All other settings are clean settings of natural eq minus distortion.

73 6String
73 6String2
73 Bass DI
73 Bass Pick
73 Bass Slap
73 Bright
73 Drum Bus EQ
73 Fem Vocal
73 Guitar1
73 Guitar2
73 GuitarDI
73 House Loop
73 Kick 1
73 Kick 2
73 Lead Vocal
73 Lead Vocal 2
73 Overhead 1
73Snare1
73Snare2
73Snare3
More EQ:
CombFiltereq

This program has been designed for situations where you have a single mono track that you wish to make stereo. Perhaps you were provided with a mix session where you want to pan guitars in stereo, but the band only recorded one rhythm guitar. Or, you want to give some separation to some vocals, or perhaps you want to give new dimension to some of your effects but they do not operate in true stereo. This ‘comb filtering’ program has been created to split frequency bands into left and right information so that you can give stereo width and dimension to a recording in one of these situations. It makes for a great problem solver and a great special effect as well! Best of all, it will sum to mono with little to no phase cohesiveness trouble.

NiceBass1
NiceBass2

These two programs are created primarily for electric bass as an instrument, but can be applicable where a mix may be suffering from thin or poorly recorded low end material. The eq curve of the program is set at a very nice shape condusive to filling out the low end without adding unwanted volume to the mix. The upper mid frequencies are lowered by a few decibels to help regulate your balance without lead vocals or prominent instruments getting lost.

These two programs offer very carefully created harmonic content as well; 7 kernels of harmonic distortion. If you are having trouble getting that scooped sound on a modern ‘nu metal’ guitar track, give these a shot and turn up the drive to +10dB or so. You can adjust the drive for a great deal of that ‘larger than life’ sound. NiceBass1 runs a little bit cleaner than NiceBass2, and the harmonic structure is slightly different on each, so give them a listen and adjust to taste!

Tube_Hi_Shelf1

This is a special design of mine that I created to provide an ideal high frequency controller for this collection. Although I do believe that the "Retro" collection is nearly all the classic equalization anyone has to have, I had an idea for a slightly different sound that would be a great addition to this collection. The concept here is providing a high shelf-type eq that is very much harmonically enhanced to add some weight to the signal whether boosting or cutting. The idea is to give greater focus and clarity to a subgroup within the mix that needs some separation. Perhaps there is an instrument that is too bright and another lacking presence. You can effectively cut the same amount of 12kHz and above that you add to the other, in essence opening the high end where it is the most desireable. An example would be if you wanted to brighten the snare track a little, but the hi hat mic is already pretty bright. You can add 2dB to the snare and remove 2dB from the hi hat, leaving an easy pocket for the adjustment having affected the exact same range. You can further adjust the harmonic content of both to fit the best together, so that some of the elements work together to blend, while providing more separation in the high details. This can be used to brighten an entire mix if you wish. Only a decibel or two makes a huge difference so be careful, as it sounds so good you may add more than you should.

VintCurve1
Vint_hi_Curve1

These two programs are fixed-setting signal chains that can quickly, and musically, help to reshape portions of your mix to a more natural, pleasant sound. These are two fairly different eq curves, but both reflect a combination of the effects of excellent tube gear and multi-track tape, while simultaneously enhancing material with unique harmonics with seven full kernels of carefully chosen distortion. You can ‘drive’ the signal simply by increasing the input level. Use these on mix bus, individual tracks, and even experiment with using them on the master bus. If two major elemenents of a mix seem to be fighting for the same space, you can try loading this one at a time and see if it helps out.

WarmGtrRibbon

This is a very special preset that should get a lot of use in your mixes. This is a combination of equalization and signal chain. This program can be viewed as a special effect, a re-amping done Nebula-style, or simply as an enhanced eq. It has been constructed of a very smooth seven kernels of harmonic distortion. The combination of eq and harmonics go to emulate running a clean signal back through a speaker cabinet, then being mic’ed off-axis with a ribbon microphone. I ran tests with a Marshall AVT20 and a Vox AD60, mic’d with an Octava Ribbon mic. These tones were compared to various software cabinets and impulse responses to come up with the sound that I wanted. This signal chain can be effective in numerous situations. Let’s say you have stereo 6-string acoustic guitars that are very bright, and you need to fill in the midrange with a fuller tone. You can send both guitars to a bus with this program and limit or effect this signal and pan it center while keeping the original bright guitars in place. In this case, instead of eq’ing the original sound, you can fill in what is missing in the midrange additively. You can use this as special effects on vocals. You can use this electric guitar tracks that are too thin or contain too much high frequency content and really warm them up, and make the overtones more expressive. Often times, individuals will get the right tone from the amp and use a dynamic microphone that emphasizes too much high end, making the source sound spitty and thin. This can help eliminate that trouble!

Tape:
EQ_Tape_WarmBus

This is a great ‘bring it all together’ bus program for group vocals, overheads, room guitar, and anything that has been recorded with a great deal of lower mids to upper mids. You get a unique interpretation of sending a bus to tape, where every element of the spectrum becomes a little more full sounding. Also, if you are dealing with too much build-up of low end mud and/or too many bright elements in a mix, you can add this in to the master mix bus as well. This makes an excellent pre-limiter group bus. It is enhanced with an extremely smooth, musical sounding 10 kernels of distortion that can really round-out the sound and bring things into unity.

HalfTape

This program is very linear, and is on the other side of the spectrum from the "EQ_Tape_WarmBus" program. It is primarily created to help bridge the gap in giving the full effect of hitting fast transients like drums to tape. Try placing this ahead of the "EQ_Tape_WarmBus" for difficult-to-please drum parts. For authentic drums-to-tape, it is hard to beat the "HalfTape/EQ_Tape_WarmBus" combo!

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