Meticulously modeled by Brainworx after the legendary hardware, no details have been spared when crafting the digital version of one of the most musical and versatile compressors out there. A well known staple in the industry, the Shadow Hills compressor easily tames even the most unruly and chaotic transients with flawless tone and control. It’s no wonder that it has been the go-to buss compressor on timeless records by Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Beck, Green Day, Coldplay and countless others.
Dual compression sections for unprecedented dynamic control
One of the key things you can do with the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor is treat your signals with dual-stage compression, dialing in compression either through the Optical or the Discrete sections – use both for maximum musicality! In the Optical section you will find the traditional Threshold and Gain settings, with a two-stage release time that is similar to the one you find on an LA-2A. With this section you can easily shape your dynamic range and bring up the overall level. In the VCA Discrete section you have a more exacting control over the ratio, attack and release settings, which easily allows you to fine-tune the compression response to fit a large variety of material.
Switchable output transformers for sonic variety
Further tonal character can be built with the three unique Output Transformers. Here you can toggle between each one to easily shift the tonal balance of the compressor. Choosing between Steel, Nickel or Iron will help the compressor add distinct flavors commonly found on a few legendary consoles. Nickel offers smooth lows with a polished top end and sounds great on more subtle and sparse recordings. The Iron transformer has a more colored sound but still maintains a pristine high end with a small boost in the 100Hz range. It operates through a Class-A output stage that applies only even-ordered harmonic distortion, leaving you with a very musical sound. Finally, the Steel transformer has an extremely detailed and fast response with a subtle boost in the 40Hz range which contributes to a rocking low end.
Brainworx Plugin Only Features
To round out the huge features that came straight from the hardware, Brainworx went a step further by adding a Parallel Mix control, a Sidechain Filter and an External Sidechain option in the proprietary toolbar! The Sidechain filter can easily prevent frequencies below the setting from triggering the compression for ultra-tight sounding mixes. Try the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor now to experience a whole new level of dynamics management.
FEATURES
- Exacting emulation of the original Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor and approved and endorsed by Peter Reardon – the founder of Shadow Hills Industries himself.
- A selection of three different types of output transformers – Nickel, which adds a nice top end sparkle. Iron which adds a little character in the mid’s, and Steel which adds additional harmonic distortion.
- separate Optical and Discrete compression sections for two-stage compression techniques.
Stereo and dual-mono modes
BRAINWORX Plugin Only Features added to the Toolbar:
- Parallel Mix
- Sidechain Filter – 20Hz – 666Hz (continuously variable 12 dB per octave high pass filter)
External Sidechain
