Plugin Alliance announces AMEK Mastering Compressor – an intuitive compressor plugin based on renowned hardware
In collaboration with Brainworx, Plugin Alliance has released a new compressor emulation – only the new plugin has some impressive digital features.
The new AMEK Mastering Compressor is based on one of the most renowned modern stereo compressors around.
AMEK is a brand fast becoming known for its fantastic plugins. The brand itself symbolizes a partnership between Plugin Alliance and Brainworx, whereby the two renowned brands develop plugins exclusively for sale on the PA site.
For instance, the AMEX EQ 200 & EQ 250 plugins are heralded as two of the best EQ plugins available today, and AMEK’s first product was the EQ 200, and Plugin Alliance states it was “modeled after some of the most coveted hardware EQs ever designed”.
Introducing AMEK Mastering Compressor
The brand-new AMEK Mastering Compressor offers True RMS detection, meaning the compressor responds intelligently to any signal fluctuations “in the same naturally logarithmic way as the human ear”. The result is transparent dynamic control, perfect for mastering.
Of course, the average compressor gives you traditional attack & release controls. But the AMEK Mastering Compressor gives you 3 distinct detector circuits (slow, fast, and peak), allowing for more flexibility when dialing in compressor timing. Consequently, you can be specific about how much compression you apply for different aspects of your input signal and create a blend, like having three “complementary” compressors in one plugin.
Furthermore, the AMEK Mastering Compressor provides plenty of visual feedback. Brainworx designed a new detector graph that shows which of the three detector circuits is controlling the plugins’ response in real-time, in addition to favorite features like the Mono Maker, Stereo Width, Auto Listen, Headroom, and TMT controls. And its 3-band sidechain filter allows you to clean up your signal while the new VCA Clip models the soft-clipping behavior of the original analog VCA at high signal levels.
Meanwhile, the compressor utilizes a nifty output meter, borrowed from the original hardware, that displays output level, compression, and net signal change.
The AMEK Mastering Compressor gives you a gentle, program-dependent ratio that’s transparent while the ratio control is found in Mastering Compressors’ “Soft” settings. But the plugin offers a harder knee for snappier compression while not comprising on its smooth sound. At the same time, controls such as “Release Hysteresis” and “Timing” allow you to be exact when refining the shape of the compressors’ envelope.
Though the original hardware is widely in mixing and mastering studios thanks to its rich and transparent sound, it’s well-known for its application on singular instruments and audio channels such as vocals, acoustic guitar, and so on.
AMEK Mastering Compressor Features
- An analog model of Dirk Ulrich’s privately owned compressor unit
- Offers a different way to approach compression, with unrivaled transparency
- Two True RMS detectors and one Peak detector blend together to respond intelligently to real signal energy
- Brainworx Tolerance Modeling Technology (TMT, US Patent No. 10,725,727) simulates channel-to-channel variances in electronic components for the most realistic analog sound in the box
- VCA Clip control
- Ambiance – lets you easily hear exactly what your compressor is doing
- Headroom control for gain-staging
- Detector Activity Monitor – Displays the relation between the three level detectors to visualize timing behavior and Threshold setting
- Auto Listen – To accurately position the filter in the frequency domain and to clearly hear the effect of the dynamics
- Mono-Maker – Sums your low-frequency content to mono, giving you a focused, punchy bass response
- Stereo Width – To expand the stereo width of your tracks
- A separate Mono Version – for using the plugin on individual tracks such as Bass Drum, Snare, Bass, Vocals, etc.
- Scalable User Interface
- Artist Presets provided by Craig Bauer
Availability
The AMEK Mastering Compressor is available for an introductory price of $149.99, though its regular retail price will be $399. However, you can use PA’s Rent-To-Own payment model and pay $24.99 in 6 monthly payments.
With that said, the latest AMEK plugin is included in all of PA’s MEGA and MIX & MASTER Bundles, and it’s available to FOREVER 29 users as well.
Finally, the AMEK Mastering Compressor is available in VST, AU, and AAX plugin formats.