“A tribute to his talent and a celebration of his unique style”: Neural DSP taps neo-soul virtuoso Mateus Asato for its latest signature Archetype plugin

Neural DSP has unveiled the latest installment in its Archetype lineup of signature plugins, for which it’s teamed up with neo-soul sensation Mateus Asato.

As one of Instagram’s earliest electric guitar stars in the emerging social media age, a true pioneer of the short-form six-string video, and all-round champion of instrumental neo-soul, Asato’s sound really needs no introduction.

The virtuoso has made a name for himself through an irresistible vocal-like approach to playing – one defined by a deft dynamic touch and effortless, expressive technicality – and a tonal palette that many would consider to include the holy grail clean sound.

As such, it’s a notable release from Neural DSP, which not only looks to bestow these sounds upon the average guitarist, but also give them the chance to “explore new horizons” in their own playing.

There are good clean tones and there are great clean tones, and much of Archetype: Mateus Asato is about achieving the latter, recruiting two dedicated digital Modern and Vintage clean guitar amps to do so.

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While the former is described as a re-interpretation of a boutique Fender-style amp “ideal for single-coil pickups”, the latter is “tighter, brighter, and punchier” and more suited to edge-of-breakup tones.

A Lead amp is also included in the drop, geared towards mid-high gain sounds that retain Asato-style precision and responsiveness. To fine-tune tones, each amp is accompanied by a nine-band graphic EQ.

The above can be paired with any of the included Neural DSP IRs – of which there are hundreds – as well as 10 virtual mics that can be positioned around the speakers however you like. Archetype: Mateus Asato also works as a standard IR loader, for non-Neural Impulse Responses.

Amps, cabs and EQs aside, there are four effects pedals to play around with: an Optical-based compressor, a mid-gain OD1 Overdrive “customized to Mateus’s requirements”, a classic distortion/fuzz OD2, and a MOD effect that combines amp-like tremolo, analog chorus and vibrato.

In the Post Effects department, Neural DSP has introduced a brand new delay algorithm, and an ambient reverb module – with Hall and Plate voices – that can supposedly “decay to almost infinite”.

Other features include a Transpose and Doubler function – for pitching guitars up or down by up to 12 semitones either way, and for simulating a stereo field – as well as a tuner and metronome.

“Collaborating with Mateus was an adventure in creativity and inspiration,” noted Neural DSP CEO Douglas Castro. “His desire for a tool that could match the intricacies of his playing led us to create a plugin containing an unrivaled collection of boutique gear with the precision and innovation that only our state-of-the-art technology can offer. 

“Archetype: Mateus Asato is a tribute to his talent, a celebration of his unique style, and an invitation to explore new horizons in your own music.”

As for Asato himself, the Suhr signature artist said his new plugin “really captures what I set out to do every day on the guitar, which is to take creativity and let it flow easily”.

To find out more about Archetype: Mateus Asato – which is available now for €119 (approx. $125) – head over to Neural DSP.

It's the latest in a long line of signature artist plugins, following the Archetype: Petrucci, Archetype: Tim Henson, Archetype: Rabea, Archetype: Tom Morello and others.

While on the subject of plugins and Neural DSP, the brand recently revealed Quad Cortex plugin compatibility is finally on the cards after three years of waiting.