Powair $149

Web soundradix.com Format Mac/PC Primo plugin developers Sound Radix have yet to make a plugin that innovate in one area or another, and Powair presents a novel twist on levelling and compression, just as Surfer EQ and Drum Leveller did frequency shaping and transient control respectively.

A two-stage dynamics processor for mixing and mastering, Powair makes an immediate impression with its intriguing interface, which bears no resemblance to any compressor you’ve seen before. The first of the two stages is the BS 1770-compliant Leveler. This automatically adjusts the volume level to constantly hit your specified Loudness Unit target, with adjustable maximum gain change, and detection and response speeds. The Leveler feeds into the main compressor, which operates at a fixed threshold with a soft knee, and can be switched between Left/Right and Mid/Side detection, with a slider setting the stereo separation anywhere from linked to unlinked. Simply raise the Compression knob to boost the input and ramp up the amount of compression applied. Helpfully, the Attack and Recovery (release) times can be synced to host tempo as well as set in milliseconds.

Powair’s big innovation comes in the shape of the Punch and Adaptive Compression controls. Punch acts like a limiter, but only on the transients: lower it to increasingly suppress them. Adaptive Compression is a little more complicated: at 0, the input gain determines the amount of compression, and as it’s increased, it travels through ever-more averaging to ultimately become constant, enabling a balance to be set between preservation and control of dynamics. Together, these two parameters make Powair a staggeringly versatile compressor, with a unique approach to transient shaping and transparency; but one that also somehow manages to stay intuitive, despite its unusual interface. Full marks! 253 » 10/10