Black box vs science

The two plugins we’re working with on this page nicely illustrate the fact that there’s often more than one way to approach a particular task. Softube’s Drawmer S73 incorporates ten separate modules – including three classic compressors, multiband compression, modern transparent filtering and midside processing – but hides them from the user, with their combined settings adjusted using just four controls: Amount, Air, Style and Mix.

There are ten Style presets across three categories (Clean, Bass Control and Spatial), which govern the key settings, so all you have to do is choose one that fits and wind up the Amount control. It’s simple, quick and, as Softube suggest, great for that “brighter, louder and wider” sound we’re all chasing.

Newfangled Audio’s Elevate is a very different animal. Taking its lead from the auditory filter bank in their EQuivocate plugin, this cutting-edge design offers plenty of depth for those who want it. Intelligent adaptive algorithms handle gain, speed and transient variation on a per-band basis. These can be set globally, or you can dive in and adjust gain and transient emphasis separately for each band. Throw in the option to change the number and frequency of bands and you have a mighty mastering processor indeed.