No nonsense
In their series of no-nonsense plugins Arturia release a new range of emulations of classics. In addition, they added features that you would expect from any new compressor out there like sidechain and parallel compression options. At first glance it looks like they copied one compressor three times and give them a different skin. But once you fire them up and use them, you’ll notice that even though they look just the same beside the skin. They very well behave differently. Each of them has its own sweet spot so once you found them, you’re set for using them in your mix environment. The thing is that I couldn’t care less about true emulations. A plugin can be inspired by an analogue legend but it still should be able to hold up by itself.
FET-76
The emulation of the famous UREI 1176. There are various emulations out there but this one actually sounds very organic and warm. Together with the sidechain and parallel compression options you can use the wide range this emulation can give you. The original can handle quite a high input but with the FET-76 you’ll have to watch that since the saturation can get a little gritty and the compression itself will choke a bit.
VCA-65
The emulation of the famous DBX-165A. A true style RMS VCA compressor. Unlike the 1176 this is rarer in the emulation realm but this VCA compressor does a little more subtle colouring and when pushed a lot it will start to distort in the good way. Luscious overtones are a given with this one.
TUBE-STA
The emulation of the famous Gates tube compressor. If you need warm and organic mids this is the one to check out. Similar to the 1176 when pushed the sound caves in the high chokes quite a bit. When the input is handled correctly this can have the same impact as using a real analogue EQ.
Conclusion
The 3 new compressors from Arturia are an absolute delight to work with as straight forward colouring compressors to spice up your mixes.
Msrp 199 euro