View other reviews for this product:
moosers
Published on 06/22/10 at 17:21
The DB Audioware Sidechain Compressor is a VST and Audio Units plug-ins that can be used either on Mac or PC systems. The process of downloading and installing the plug-in was simple enough, as it didn't take too long before I had the plug-in up and running. The interface of the plug-in has a good amount going on, with a lot of control over your sound, which is something that I always welcome. The compressor section itself has parameters for threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee, and gain, as well as switch for auto gain make up. The sidechain section has parameters for low cut, hi cut, shape, and bypass. There is VU metering for the sidechain and as well for the compression's gain reduction. This is an easy enough plug-in to use that I don't believe users will need a manual.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
I'm currently running the DB Audioware Sidechain Compressor plug-in on a Mac Book Pro that has a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM. While you can't normally run this plug-in in Pro Tools since it only comes in VST and AU plug-in formats, if you've got the Fxpansion VST to RTAS converter like I do, it is possible to run it in Pro Tools without issues. I'm able to run a number of these at a time within my system without issues, but I'd encourage those interested to check out the demo to get a gauge of how well it will run on your own system.
OVERALL OPINION
While not free like many of the DB Audioware plug-ins, the Sidechain Compressor is definitely a step above the free bees. It's got a good amount of control and has a full bodied sound that is easily adaptable to many different situations. The sound of it reminds me somewhat of Digidesign's Smack plug-in, but not as high quality or full bodied. The price of this plug-in is more than reasonable, as you will find with many of the DB Audioware plug-ins. I don't think that I'd recommend this as your first compression plug-in, but if you wanted to add another color to your palette for a very cheap price, the Sidechain Compressor is something that I'd check out for sure.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
I'm currently running the DB Audioware Sidechain Compressor plug-in on a Mac Book Pro that has a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM. While you can't normally run this plug-in in Pro Tools since it only comes in VST and AU plug-in formats, if you've got the Fxpansion VST to RTAS converter like I do, it is possible to run it in Pro Tools without issues. I'm able to run a number of these at a time within my system without issues, but I'd encourage those interested to check out the demo to get a gauge of how well it will run on your own system.
OVERALL OPINION
While not free like many of the DB Audioware plug-ins, the Sidechain Compressor is definitely a step above the free bees. It's got a good amount of control and has a full bodied sound that is easily adaptable to many different situations. The sound of it reminds me somewhat of Digidesign's Smack plug-in, but not as high quality or full bodied. The price of this plug-in is more than reasonable, as you will find with many of the DB Audioware plug-ins. I don't think that I'd recommend this as your first compression plug-in, but if you wanted to add another color to your palette for a very cheap price, the Sidechain Compressor is something that I'd check out for sure.