- top rated
Release The Beast.
Thrash metal is visceral, energetic, aggressive. Getting the right depth and texture of sound, the right bite in the attack, the right snarl on the tail, is essential. You need an amp like a wild animal, like a fighter, like a beast.
Kerry King has spent four decades at the vanguard of the scene, blazing trails and busting guts with his edgy in-your-face sound, so naturally his signature amp – the custom Marshall 2203KK, a.k.a. “The Beast” – is the only place to start if you’re after super high gain and punchy articulation in a single rig.
- Beast Mode: "Beast Mode" engages Kerry's own signature EQ-boost-and-gate combo for an extra million percent of awesome.
- Expert Engineers: Softube brought in Kerry's own engineers, Terry Date for studio setups, and Chris Paccou for live, to give the most authentic, mix-ready version of Kerry's sound possible.
- Component-modelled for Perfection: Close enough is not good enough for Kerry, for Marshall, or for Softube. So they go component-by-component to build the most detailed software models possible.
More than an Amp
Signature amps are nothing new – this plug-in is a model of the custom hardware Kerry King signature amp from Marshall, closely recreating Kerry's very own unit with all its quirks and special sauce. What's extra-special about this plug-in is the detail beyond the amp itself – down to the cab, the microphones, the engineers, the spaces, Softube have built a complete mix-ready workflow.
The amp’s four KT88 power stage tubes have been expertly modelled, along with every other individual component of this premium hand-wired unit, to give the most accurate software emulation imaginable. But that’s only the beginning of the signature experience.
Top Experts in Thrash Tone
Softube recorded impulse responses from Kerry’s own Marshall Mode Four 4x12” cabinets (featuring Celestion G12-100K 12” speakers) at the famous Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles with multiple professional mic selections and placements designed by iconic producer/engineer Terry Date, famous for his work with Deftones, Pantera, Dream Theater, and Overkill. So down to the cab, the room, the microphones, you’re getting all the top-quality studio sound of a mix-ready thrash setup.
On top of that, they visited with Kerry at a stadium show in Stockholm in 2019 to capture his on-stage live setup too, overseen by FoH engineer Chris Paccou. There’s huge variety in this plug-in, and yet at every setting, it sounds phenomenal; curated by the world’s leading engineers in these tones.
The Kerry King Cabs Panel
In addition to the amp itself, the plug-in provides a complete setup and workflow for getting mix-ready sounds. Both studio and live setups are represented in the side panel with cabs and microphones recorded in real-world situations for the greatest depth and authenticity of sound.
You can take the recommendations of Terry Date, engineer for some of the greatest bands in the history of heavy music, or tweak and combine them in the 'custom' section, with a channel for each specific microphone placement offering pan, volume, and phase. Explore every fantastic facet of this amp's sound.
The Real Thing
Making great music requires a mix of hard work and inspiration. Softube have done a ton of hard work on this plug-in so you can get inspired by using the very same gear as a verifiable colossus of the thrash metal scene.
So whether you’re engaging “Beast Mode” and smashing a stadium with Kerry’s own signature EQ-boost-and-gate combo, or laying down gutsy layers in the studio, you can rely on the Softube Marshall Kerry King Signature amp to get you sounding bigger, better, and beastlier than any mere human should.
Features
- A faithful emulation of the Kerry King Signature amplifier, Marshall 2203KK a.k.a. “The Beast”
- Two Marshall Mode Four cabinets recorded in two studio setups and one live stage setup
- The studio setups 'Studio' and 'Custom' are recorded by the famous producer Terry Date in Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles
- The 'Live' setup is recorded by Chris Paccou at Hovet Arena in Stockholm, Sweden
- Over 25 finely tuned Kerry King-inspired presets that define the sound of Kerry King
- Three different cabinet recording options: Studio, Live and Custom
- 'Studio' has five different mix-ready microphone combinations to choose from, 'Live' has Kerry King’s live setup as one setting with two microphones and 'Custom' has seven different microphone choices to combine freely
- The cabinets and microphone options are presented in pictures and graphics in 'Studio' and 'Live'. In 'Custom', each microphone is controlled as a studio channel strip that includes pans, volume faders, on/off, and phase
System Requirements
- macOS Big Sur 11, Monterey 12, Ventura 13
- Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 11
- Softube account
- iLok account
- Computer with AU, VST, VST3, and/or AAX-compatible DAW host software
- Internet access (for downloading installers and managing licenses)
Supported CPU Families
- Apple macOS computers with Intel Core i3/i5/i7 or Apple silicon (M1 or newer) CPU. Apple silicon is supported natively.
- Windows computers with quad-core Intel Core i3/i5/i7 or AMD quad-core processors with SSE 4.2 support.
- Other Intel processors (Celeron, Pentium, and Xeon) are compatible if they support SSE 4.2 instructions.
Supported Host Software (DAW)
Any 64-bit VST, VST3, AU, or AAX (Pro Tools 11.0.2 or higher) compatible host application should work. However, due to plug-in host differences between DAWs—and our rigorous standards—Softube only officially test their plug-ins and instruments in the most recent versions of Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Ableton Live, Studio One, and Reaper. Softube plug-ins are not tested regularly in non-listed systems. They will likely work if the system requirements are met. However, the manufacturer cannot guarantee a solution for issues in unsupported systems.
Softube strongly recommend using VST3, as some of their plug-ins have features that are not present in the older VST format. Supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 kHz, in both mono and stereo. The most recent maintenance release of your DAW application is recommended. AAX DSP is not currently in active development. TDM/VENUE/RTAS are no longer supported. See Legacy Installers.
Important Note: Make sure that you always use the latest iLok License Manager. It is not included in the Softube installer but can be downloaded from www.ilok.com
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