BeatSkillz has announced the release of MAX1, a freeware auto-compressor and maximizer effect in VST/AU/AAX plugin formats for PC and Mac.
It can even be called a maximizer, if you intend to push the average level of your music up. Regardless, a high quality limiter plugin is essential to have in your music production arsenal. But which Limiter VST Plugin (or plugin bundle) should you choose? Well, here is my complete list of recommendations for you (in no particular order).
From my experience, of all the mixing tools like equalizers, limiters, and reverbs, the compressor is the one that takes the most time to learn. When setting up the compressor, it’s easy to go overboard and outright destroy the processed audio signal on the input. Apart from a set of trained ears and a clear understanding of the concept of compression, you’ll also need a proper listening setup that will allow you to hear what the compressor does to the processed audio material.
For those who’d like to take some of the guesswork out of the mixing process, BeatSkillz has just released a freeware automatic compression tool called MAX1. The effect features an auto-release algorithm which conforms the compressor’s response to the characteristics of the processed signal. To make the workflow simpler than what is normally seen in a compressor, MAX1 features only the threshold, attack, and post gain (aka output volume) knobs, along with a soft clipper switch and a peak/RMS switch for the gain reduction and volume meters. In practice, this means that the user can simply load the plugin on a channel that needs to be compressed, adjust the threshold value to set the compression amount, and adjust the attack time to taste (depending on how much or little the transients need to be emphasized).
I put MAX1 through a quick test in MuLab 6 and I’m happy to say that it worked as advertised. Not having a release time parameter on a compressor can be a blessing or a curse, but chances are that you won’t regret losing that added layer of control if you’re using an automated tool like MAX1 to begin with. Where this compressor/maximizer shines is adding serious amounts of loudness and punch to percussive tracks and bass lines. I was able to drive the compressor quite a bit without having the processed signal fall apart. The soft clipper on the output helps beef up the sound even more without ending up with nasty digital artifacts. The CPU usage hovered around 3% on a single core, which is a very good result.
Just to be clear, MAX1 isn’t the only automated compressor plugin out there. Plugins similar to this one have been around for quite some time now, one of my favorites being the brilliant DC1A freeware compressor by Klanghelm. I always highly recommend that one for processing vocals and even some more dynamic parts like bass guitars. However, MAX1 is a slightly different beast, and I’m expecting it to become quite a popular tool for maximizing electronic drums, synthesized basslines, and even entire electronic music mixes. It’s definitely a well-made maximizer that’s worth adding to your plugin collection.
The plugin is available for direct download from the developer’s website, no registration required in advance. It does need to be activated, though, meaning that you’ll need to register your copy eventually, but it’s one of the smoothest registration processes I’ve seen to date. When loading the plugin for the first time, simply enter your email address on the popup screen and click the “Free Serial” button. Your personal serial number will be delivered to your email address and the plugin will be activated as soon as you enter that number in the DAW. Cool!
MAX1 is available for free download via BeatSkillz(13.7 MB download size, EXE installer, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU/AAX plug-in formats for Windows & Mac OS).
Formats: Mac OS 9, OS X & PC VST, PC Direct X
The hardware BBE Sonic Maximizer is one of the longest established enhancer-type products, but it works very differently from the Aphex Exciter that preceded it and produces noticeably different results. Rather than add harmonics, the basic BBE process changes the relative timing and phase relationships of the harmonics occupying different sections of the audio spectrum. The theory behind this is that loudspeakers introduce an opposite phase-smearing effect, which the BBE process largely counters. A three-band processing system is employed, where the mid-band is delayed very slightly relative to the high frequencies and the low-frequency band slightly more so. A second process is included which is a type of dynamic equaliser, modifying the high- and low-frequency content of the program material in response to the program material dynamics. The result is to add a little extra clarity, but without the harshness that can be experienced using some harmonic synthesis methods.
The plug-in version can run as a VST 2 plug-in on Mac OS machines under OS 9 or OS X (but not as an Audio Units plug-in) and on any reasonably up-to-date Windows machine running software that supports Direct X plug-ins. Installation requires 4MB of hard drive space and copy protection is via a reasonably benign serial number system, though the number is so small that I had to find my reading glasses before I could enter it into the install window. The minimum computer spec is quoted as a Power Mac 604e or Intel 486 PC, machines so old that I doubt anyone is using them now for anything more demanding than keeping their feet warm.
The beauty of the BBE process is its simplicity of control: there are only three knobs, and one of those sets the output gain. This is actually very useful as the process can increase the overall level slightly, so matching the output and bypass levels makes it much easier to evaluate what difference the process is actually making. A single Process control knob adjusts the degree of enhancement while a separate Lo Contour knob allows the bass end to be adjusted separately so as to maintain a proper balance with the processed high end. There's a Bypass button on the plug-in itself as well as output level metering with clip indicators.
Testing the plug-in showed that it produces essentially the same results as its analogue rackmount counterparts, so if you already know and like the BBE process, you should take no convincing. Compared with other enhancers, the clarifying effect is quite gentle: perhaps the easiest way to describe the effect is as a subtle blend of traditional enhancement and EQ. It doesn't seem able to clarify the mid-range to the extent that is possible with something like the SPL Vitalizer or Aphex Exciter, but it's definitely possible to improve recordings without making the result sound unnatural. The Lo Contour control is also more powerful than it might first appear to be, as it allows mixes and tracks to be given a lot more low-end punch without muddying the sound. While the BBE wouldn't be my first choice for rescuing 'tragic' mixes, it is handy for providing a final polish and will appeal to those users who feel that many of the alternative enhancement techniques are too heavy-handed.
£79.99 including VAT.
Et Cetera +44 (0)1706 228039.
www.etcetera.co.uk
www.bbesound.com
Et Cetera +44 (0)1706 228039.
www.etcetera.co.uk
www.bbesound.com