ACUSTICA AUDIO VIOLET CM

How to use your new valve multiband compressor

Back in 239, we teamed up with Acustica Audio to bring you a deluxe equaliser plugin, Pink CM – and the Italian analogue-modelling gurus have delivered again! Violet CM is an exclusive multiband compressor that combines a dynamics-processing algorithm painstakingly modelled on the legendary Thermionic Culture The Phoenix valve compressor, paired with a three-way crossover inspired by the equally revered Tube-Tech SMC 2B multiband compressor.

By employing the same cutting-edge dynamic sampling and Volterra nonlinear convolution technology used in their other products, Acustica Audio have created a special plugin that’s ideal for adding high-end valve magic and smoothness to individual sounds, buses or – crucially – your master output.

Violet CM features familiar controls for the three bands (Attack, Release, Threshold and Makeup gain) alongside an input-dependent Ratio, and two extra controls: Pre and SHMod, the former switching in the harmonic saturation of the hardware, the latter adjusting the shape and behaviour of overall attack time. These features, alongside Acustica’s uncompromising sound quality, make Violet CM a powerful proposition for getting classy, analogue-style multiband compression… all without having to sell the family silver!

In this tutorial, we’ll run through every facet of Violet CM, show you how to integrate it into your studio workflow, and apply its magic in a typical mastering scenario.

If Violet CM is whetting your appetite for more analogue vibes, then you should check out Acustica Audio’s other great products, including their flagship Nebula 4 (€299), which is bundled with a 10Gb library containing models of over 450 drool-worthy EQ, preamp, compressor, tape saturation and reverb units. Find out more at… www.acustica-audio.com