gbSoundLab TubeMUv2 plug-in: more of that good vari-MU stuff!
Developer gbSoundLab released TubeMUv2, the second version of its vintage vari-MU compressor plug-in. TubeMUv2 retains what made the first one great at emulating vintage compression. It is, however, tamer and cleaner-sounding to better fit modern productions. There’s also a new secondary compressor section and a new quality control to adjust oversampling. Here’s more about the plug-in…
gbSoundLab TubeMUv2 vintage compressor plug-in
TubeMUv2 emulates the type of compressor which uses valves with a variable MU factor (Vari-MU). This means the amplification gain is variable, thus the higher the amplified signal, the higher the control voltage – and resulting gain reduction. It’s a very organic compression method with a distinct musicality to it. There’s a reason why such a decades-old concept lives on to this day.
The second version of the plug-in offers greater flexibility. Users can choose between the conventional response of an older compressor or another with greater precision. It is also possible to choose between feed-forward and feed-backward compression. The latter sounds closer to the typical response of vari-MU compressors.
The Limit section has two choices for circuitry, resulting in either VCA-like behavior or soft clipping. The latter is useful for heavier-hitting compression suitable for drums and percussive material with sharp transients.
If you want a competent vari-MU type compressor that’s not a straight-up Fairchild emulation, TubeMUv2 seems to cut it. There’s a free demo to try out and the plug-in is quite affordable. A very welcome update, all in all. It arrives just about a year after the original release – you can read more about it here. The article goes deeper into the compressor’s workings.
Price and availability
Priced EUR 30, the plug-in is available in 64-bit AU, VST, and VST3 formats for macOS 10.11+ and Windows 8.1+. You can download a free demo and a user manual.
More information
TubeMUv2 Video
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