Fuse Audio Labs has announced its VCL-515 plug-in, bringing the various characteristics of Vari Mu comp/limiter design in-the-box.
The unit chosen by Fuse Audio for the model was a contemporary of the Altec 436 compressor, to which adjustable time constants have been added to allow everything from super-aggressive and gritty to gentle and steady gain reduction action.
While the original hardware effectively features a single control in the form of an input gain that drives the intensity of the compression, the VCL-515 plug-in adds variable attack, release and SC (sidechain) filter parameters plus an integrated mix stage and output level control for flexibility in everyday use. The Mode switch allows the tube characteristics to be used either with (Lim) or without (Am) compression applied.
‘The 515 is one of those super-rare vintage hardware pieces that only become available on those rarest of occasions,’ says Fuse Audio Labs CEO, Reimund Dratwa. ‘Modelling and then optimising our own specimen for the DAW has been a tempting project, and the result is as great in operation as it is pleasing to the ear – Vari Mu par excellence.’
