Get Softube VCA Compressor VST for free for a limited time!
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Everyone loves free stuff. And we’ve got loads of free plugins in the pro audio world! But there are premium manufacturers whose mixing effects are rarely on sale, let alone available for free. That’s why if a company like Softube offers one of their premium effects for free, you’ve got to be quick! Because the Softube VCA Compressor VST will only be free for a limited time. Let’s take a look.
Softube VCA Compressor: legendary studio hardware with digital enhancements
While they’re a bit shy about which studio compressor the Softube VCA Compressor emulates, it’s pretty clear that this VST is modeled after the famed DBX 160. Compared to the punchiness of 1176-style compressors for drums and vocal vocalsand the gooey opto-compression of LA-2As for bass or strings, the 160 is a more subtle, cleaner affair. Its compression is still full of character, but it’s less in-your-face.
Slap a 160 on a snare recording, or a bunch of rowdy guitars, and you’ll hear its magic. This emulation is just as grabby with its hard-knee compression curve. And just as warm-sounding. It does offer, however, a couple of extra features compared to the famed original that make this plug-in version a bit more versatile.
Compared to the 160, Softube added controls for Attack and Release (the hardware version did not have these), a side-chain section, a Dry/Wet control for parallel compression duties and a dedicated drive knob. This way, you can control the amount of analog warmth.
Even more options, presets and compression behavior
If you’ve been looking at images of the Softube VCA Compressor, or you’ve managed to register a free copy (the company’s severs are being a bit overrun right now), and you’re wondering where the threshold dial is: it’s part of the design. The “Compression” knob combines input level and threshold inverted, meaning, the more you turn it up, the higher the input gain and the lower the threshold.
There are also a couple of nifty controls in the middle to make working in the digital domain easier. With HF Make-up, you compensate for a loss of high-frequency content in the compressed signal that often happens with these kinds of compressors. In addition, with Stereo-Link, you can unlink left and right and have Softube VCA Compressor use independent thresholds on each side. And then, there is a whole side-chain section where you can manipulate how the VST reacts to the internal or an external side-chain signal.
How long will the Softube VCA Compressor be available for free?
Softube’s generous offer will be available for free until March 31, 2024. You can get it on their website.
The plug-in runs standalone on Windows 10 or higher, macOS 12 or higher (including Apple Silicon support), and as VST, VST3, AAX, and AU in all known DAWs. VCA Compressor is also compatible with the Console 1 system. To authorize the VST, you need a free iLok account (or dongle) and the free Softube Central software.
More on the Softube VCA Compressor
Audio examples
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2 responses to “Get Softube VCA Compressor VST for free for a limited time!”
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