The Shadow Hills Mastering compressor offers two compressors in series, per channel that can act in stereo, or dual mono. Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Vst; Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Plugin Free Download “TDR Kotelnikov is a wideband dynamics processor combining high fidelity dynamic range control with deep musical flexibility.
In this episode I stack two versions of a classic compressor against one another - the new “Class A” version of the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor and the.

Shadow Hills Compressor Plugin
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This has been my bread and butter whether I’m mixing or mastering. It is not a transparent sonic tool. There are plenty of boring boxes out there :)

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However, it will not be invasive coloring nor change your program in a bad way. The ability to engage both compressors or just use one, makes the SHMC incredibly versatile. There’s enough dynamic control to make you go crazy and squash the life of a source or to simply tame the unwanted peaks. Three sets of transformers to choose from is like having multiple consoles at your fingertips. The Dual mono and stereo option is a must have and although my personal preference is the first, there are many occasions where linking the channels has saved the day on mixes in need of a punchy and solid low end.

The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor is my desert island dynamics processor and what Brainworx has done, is a meticulously accurate emulation of my beloved hardware. No compromises. It just works like it should. No shady business. Without a shadow of doubt, the one tool you will always be reaching for!

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As I cover in-depth in my new online course (Mastering In The Box), compression is a great tool for any mastering engineer. It can help shape the tone, control dynamics, and boost the perceived (and actual) loudness of your source material.

Here’s a roundup of my most used compressor plugins as well as some unique features of each.

1. UAD Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor

The hardware unit is a behemoth, consisting of several compressors in one, with many different controls and options. Don’t let the complicated look fool you; once you get a feel for the Shadow Hills, it’s extremely easy to dial in a great sound.

I generally use slow attack and fast release times when applying compression to an entire mix, and only want to be applying 1-2dB of gain reduction as to not introduce pumping or compromise the mix. The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor can be very transparent, or it can be pushed to get a huge, modern, in-your-face sound.

Unique feature: There are many unique features on this one, but I’d have to go with the Nickel, Iron and Steel Transformer Types. Nickel is clean, Iron is subtly saturated, and Steel adds a pretty noticeable low end bump to your material.

2. Cytomic The Glue

The Glue is my favorite of the SSL-style compressors because it has a wet/dry blend knob. The Glue lives up to its name and really helps your material subtly breathe and “sit” within the same context.

The original SSL Bus Compressor has a very simple and functional layout, making it easy to quickly dial in a sound. You’ll find other emulations of this classic compressor from Waves and UAD.

Unique feature: As mentioned, The Glue has a wet/dry blend, so if I want to really push it and go for more than 3dB of gain reduction — add some subtle pumping — this allows me to dial back the entire mix for a more transparent sound while still boosting perceived loudness.

3. PSP MasterComp

Here’s another extremely versatile compressor with a lot of controls. It’s also specifically designed for mastering. PSP MasterComp is mostly transparent as long as it’s not pushed too hard, which is honestly what I’m looking for in a compressor most of the time. It does a fine job of adding intensity without unwanted pumping.

The metering is also great and includes more detail than most other mastering compressors.

Unique feature: It has a mix knob (wet/dry control), which as I’ve established, I really love. Additionally, it has unique side-chaining options, allowing you to compress more subtly by preventing extreme high and low frequencies from driving the compressor. It even has an external side-chain option, which is somewhat rare for a mastering compressor.

4. UAD Manley Vari-Mu

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This is definitely the compressor on the list with the most tone. It doesn’t have as many features or intricate controls, but that doesn’t matter because this compressor makes your material sound better simply with the warm, rich tone it imparts onto the signal.

I’m very familiar with the hardware original and this is an excellent and faithful emulation.

Unique feature: The ability to work in mid-side mode adds a useful feature to what is already one of the most sought-after bus compressors.

5. iZotope Ozone 7 Vintage Compressor

The Vintage Compressor in Ozone 7 does a great job of combining the precise digital controls typical to the entire Ozone 7 Suite with a warm, vibey tone. I immediately notice a pleasant bump in the high end when using this compressor.

The three different modes and mid-side option make it a very versatile choice if you need to add some vintage character to your material.

Unique feature: The Auto-Gain Compensation feature allows you to really hear if the compression that you’re applying is enhancing your source material, or simply making it louder.

6. Vertigo VSC-2

I love the VSC-2 Quad Discrete Compressor from Vertigo Sound for when I am looking for the functionality of an SSL buss compressor, but with a different sonic flavor. UAD and Brainworx nailed this emulation of the very first hardware unit from Germany’s Vertigo Sound. The VSC-2 has a decidedly vintage flavor to it and is great for adding coloration and ‘glue’ to your two-buss and/or masters.

If you’re hoping for a mastering compressor that simply boosts perceived loudness without imparting character and ‘movement’ to your music, you may be better served elsewhere, but if adding texture and life to your program material is in order, the VSC-2 brings the goods. The stepped attack and release controls offer similar times to the famed SSL compressor unit, with the attack ranging from .1 to 30ms, and the release ranging from .1 to 1.2 seconds (also featuring an auto setting).

There are two unique settings on the ratio control: ‘soft’ which allows for more transparent taming of transients, and ‘brick’ which cuts off signal peaks entirely. Both of which are quite usable depending on the material. I recently mixed a rock track that needed some vintage vibe, and the VSC-2 did just the trick. Kick and snare transients are shaped in a really distinct way, and the mid-range becomes a bit more lively.

Mastering Tip: Make use of the sidechain (SC) filter. It’s advisable, especially when using extreme settings and therefore applying large amounts of compression, to preserve the low end by engaging a sidechain filter. Essentially, what happens is the filter assures that less low-end frequencies are fed to the compressor, and will prevent excessive ‘pumping’ and other negative artifacts. The VSC-2 sidechain section features separate 60Hz and 90Hz sections, which really allow you to dial in how the compressor reacts to low frequencies.

7. UAD SSL G-Buss

Widely hailed as the ultimate ‘glue’ compressor for mix buss duties, the SSL G-Buss Compressor plugin from Universal Audio is an end-to-end emulation of the legendary hardware unit which has sculpted the dynamics of countless records. UAD integrated several useful extra features including an internal sidechain filter which allows you to prevent an excess of low frequencies reaching the compressor and causing unwanted ‘pumping’ , a mix control wh

Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Plugin Free Download