Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter Collectionįor their emulations of the legendary Fairchild 660 and 670 limiters for UAD-2 and Apollo DSP systems (not yet available in the new Native format), Universal Audio have lovingly modelled the “golden reference units” owned by Ocean Way Studios, and added dry/wet Mix knobs, sidechain filters and the distortion-tailoring Headroom Control. The Legacy version is really just for compatibility with old projects for previous CL 1B owners, however, and so adds nothing to the ‘ Collection’ for newcomers. Kind of overpriced at full RRP, but seemingly on sale much of the time, this is as definitive a version of Tube-Tech’s beautiful compressor as you’ll find in software. With its nippy attack, languid opto release, easy operation and 10:1 maximum Ratio, CL 1B is, as expected, particularly keen on vocals, basses, keys, guitars and the like, and very much one of those compressors befitting the epithet ‘musical’. Rebuilt from the ground up a few years ago, the Mk II incarnation added dry/wet mix control, a sidechain high-pass filter (fixed at 80 or 220Hz) and high-res graphics, and improved the core algorithms to deliver a sound even closer to that of its hardware counterpart than the already-impressive original version. Sonically superlative, endlessly versatile and regularly improved with significant free updates, Empirical Labs’ virtual compressor is nothing short of a masterpiece – we’d honestly take it over its physical counterpart!ĭon’t be fooled by the deceptive name, as Softube’s contribution to our list actually only comprises the current and original versions of a single plugin: their emulation of Tube-Tech’s CL 1B opto compressor, itself a reimagining of the legendary Teletronix LA-2A. There’s simply no dynamics-wrangling situation that Arousor can’t handle, and the punch and energy it brings to drums, basses, vocals and anything else you might send its way is extraordinary. The ‘official’ plugin version, Arousor, not only brings you a hugely convincing take on the hardware in every sense that matters, but goes far beyond the original design with the transformative implementation of four extra ratios (1.5:1, 6.5:1, 7:1 and 8:1), two LA-2A-inspired Opto modes, attack stage shaping, and variable saturation and soft clipping. You simply cannot complain about this freebie at all.A recording industry standard since the end of the ’90s, Empirical Labs’ groundbreaking Distressor changed the dynamics processing game with its thoughtfully crafted preset compression curves, highly adaptable response and distortion characteristics, and knockout sound. So, if anyone is going to produce an authentic emulation of the legendary compressor, you’d think it would be Bill Putnam Jr. The last knob controls the mode of the VU Meter.īill Putnam’s late 1960s LA-2A Silver is probably the most versatile and most used of the original hardware units. Increasing the Peak Reduction lowers the compression threshold, increasing the amount of compression applied.īoth the Gain and Peak Reduction knobs are marked with values ranging from 0-100, but those values are just reference points and don’t represent any actual dB value. You set the amount of compression from 0 dB to -40 dB using the Peak Reduction knob. As the Gain control adjusts the output level, it doesn’t affect the amount of compression applied. Next is the Gain knob, which adds up to 40 dB of makeup gain to compensate for the compression. The compression ratios are frequency-dependent and not absolute. In Compress mode, the ratio is roughly 3:1 and roughly infinity:1 when set to Limit. It starts with the Compress/Limit switch, which sets the ratio. It’s also famous for being incredibly easy to use because it has so few controls – and the plugin is no different.
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