🎛️ 虚拟总线压缩器套装包含三款音色独特的动态处理器，它们基于音频行业中最经典的几款混音总线压缩器打造。在复现方面，我们格外用心地捕捉了那些赋予每款压缩器独特音色的电路路径非线性特性——包括它们的变压器、电子管、VCA、放大器、相位失真、谐波失真和时序特性。VBC 是为你混音作品增添专业最后润色的绝佳选择。
🔴 FG-RED
这款压缩器基于经典的红色面板压缩器建模。它是混音传奇人物 Chris Lord-Alge 的最爱，多年前我拜访他工作室时，他第一次向我展示了它。当时我其实觉得很奇怪：这款似乎没怎么见别人用过的压缩器，设置是 1.5:1 的压缩比，而启动时间对于总线压缩器来说看起来非常快。这让我很困惑，因为我通常认为快速的启动时间会损失瞬态冲击力，但如果你听过 Chris 的混音作品，就会知道他的混音效果恰恰相反！作为一个不折不扣的设备迷，我马上买了一台（我买的是带输入和输出变压器的版本）。我做的第一件事就是把它用在混音上，按照 Chris 展示的设置：压缩比 1.5:1，启动时间在 10/11 点钟方向，自动释放，压缩量仅 2-3 分贝顶。然后……哇！这是我从自己音箱里听到过的最清晰、冲击力最强的摇滚混音之一。这设备太不可思议了！！！
当我和 Fabrice 分析 RED 时，我们发现它真是个非常独特的家伙。它的启动和自动释放以非常有趣且富有乐感的方式工作，但我们发现真正的魔力在输出部分！我们发现，只需将补增益（makeup gain）推高几分贝，声音就会发生惊人的变化！轻轻一推，声音就变得更有冲击力、更肥厚、更带感。进一步分析后，我们意识到这是由于输出变压器引起的一系列非线性反应。Howie Weinberg（一位著名母带工程师，他的工作室就在我们园区）向我们透露了一个小秘密：他用 RED 不是为了压缩，而只是为了用它的输出增益来获得那种惊人的效果！所以我决定做一件原版设备做不到的事——我把那个输出变压器效果做成了一个叫做“驱动”（DRIVE）的旋钮。当你推动 DRIVE 旋钮时，你会得到漂亮的冲击力和清晰的瞬态表现，而且你可以随心所欲地控制其大小，无论你是否使用补增益！著名摇滚混音师 Justin Netbank 测试了 FG-RED 的 Beta 版，他非常喜欢 DRIVE 功能，并建议“6.6”是个神奇数值。但你也可以尝试把它开到最大，体验一下有趣的效果！
🔘 FG-GREY
FG-GREY 始于对经典的英国“4000 系列调音台压缩器”的精密建模。我使用这款硬件多年，但直到在建模过程中深入研究它，我才完全体会到它的精妙之处。它有一种能力，能够收紧混音中的各个元素并将其“凝聚”起来，效果可以从自动释放模式下的相当通透，转变为手动模式下的极具冲击力。
我们在虚拟模型中对其电路做了一处小修改，我想你会喜欢的。我们借鉴了经典的英国分立式变压器，并将其部分特性融入了信号路径。这对中频和低频的清晰度产生了惊人的效果，因为当你开始加大压缩量时，原硬件单元往往容易吸走过多的低频。原硬件单元的中频也可能略显“憋闷”，但我们的虚拟变压器级能让低频保持饱满圆润，中频更加开阔，同时依然保留了原版的经典音色。你会注意到，即使你用 FG-GREY 进行重度压缩，低频的衰减也会少一些，丰富的中频依然清晰可闻，非常动听——我既喜欢它的手动模式，也喜欢自动模式，用在鼓和吉他上也同样出色！
🟡 FG-MU
我很幸运，能听到并用上一些世界上最经典、最难找的电子管总线压缩器（比如 Fairchild 670 和 Manley Vari Mu）。让我告诉你，当你的混音通过一件精心设计的电子管设备时，确实会有一些神奇的魔力发生：中频变得更厚实，低频更紧致圆润，高频舒展开来，带着美丽的空气感……甚至更好的是，那些刺耳的中高泛音似乎也被驯服了。对于 FG-MU，我们将所有这些美妙的特质都融入了算法中。首次体验 FG-MU 时，你甚至不需要做任何压缩，仅仅让信号通过处理器而不施加任何增益衰减，由于电子管电路路径的建模，你就能听到一种优美开阔的声音。即使在我使用 FG-GREY 或 FG-RED 时，我也喜欢用 VBC 机架，只为了让音频信号能通过 FG-MU！
而且，FG-MU 本身也是一款音色惊艳的压缩器。浏览一下预设，你就能很好地了解它的能力：顺滑丰厚的压缩、肥厚温暖的压缩，甚至是略带侵略性的压缩。总的来说，这款处理器充满了模拟设备的“魔力”和氛围感，绝对能为你的“盒内”（ITB）混音增色不少！
Virtual Buss Compressors is a suite of three unique-sounding dynamic processors that are modeled from some of the most classic mix buss compressors in the audio industry. Careful attention was paid to recreating the unique nonlinearities of the circuit paths that give each compressor its distinct tone – including their transformers, tubes, VCA’s, amplifiers, phase distortions, harmonic distortions and timing. VBC is perfect for adding a professional final touch to your mixes.
FG-RED
This compressor is based on the classic RED-faced compressor that has been a favorite of mix legend Chris Lord Alge, who first showed it to me when I visited his studio years ago. I thought it was odd actually: here was this compressor that nobody else seemed to really use, and it was on a setting at 1.5:1 and the attack looked very fast for a Mix-Buss compressor. This was puzzling because I usually associated a faster attack with a loss of transient punch, but if you’ve heard Chris’s mixes you know that they are the exact opposite of that! So being the classic gearslut, I bought one, (I got the unit with both input and output transformers). The first thing I did was put it on my mix in the settings that Chris showed me… 1.5:1, attack around 10/11 o’clock, auto release, compressing just 2-3db tops. And…. WOW! One of the clearest, punchiest sounding rock mixes I’d ever heard come out of my own speakers. This unit was amazing!!!
When Fabrice and I analyzed the RED, we found out that it was indeed a very unique beast. The attack and auto-release work in an interesting way and are very musical, but the real magic we found was in the output section! We found that just pushing the makeup gain a few db did some insane things to the sound! A little push and things got a ton more punchy, fat, and aggressive. After more examination, we realized that this was due to a series of nonlinear reactions caused by the output transformer. Howie Weinberg, the famous mastering engineer who has a studio on our campus, let us in on a little secret: He uses his RED not for compression, but just to use the output gain to get that amazing effect! So I decided to do something that the original unit cannot…I put that output transformer effect on a knob called DRIVE. When you push the DRIVE knob, you get a beautiful punch and articulation of the transients, and you can control just how much you want, regardless of whether or not you use the makeup gain! Famous rock mixer Justin Netbank beta tested the FG-RED and loves the drive, suggesting ‘6.6’ as the magic number. But you can try cranking it all the way for an interesting effect!
FG-GREY
The FG-GREY starts off with a very precise model of the classic British “4000 series console compressor”. I’ve used the hardware model for many years but I never fully appreciated just how magnificent the piece is until studying it during the modeling process. It has a way of being able to tighten and ‘gel’ the components of a mix in ways that can go from fairly transparent in auto-release mode, to very aggressive in manual mode.
We did a small mod to the circuit in our virtual model which I think you’ll really enjoy. We took the classic British discrete transformer and added some of its characteristics to the signal path. This does something amazing to the clarity of the midrange and bottom end, where the hardware unit tends to start sucking out too much bottom as you start to compress more. The hardware unit can also get slightly ‘choked’ in the mids as well, but our virtual transformer stage keeps the bottom big and round and the midrange more open, while still retaining the classic sound of the original unit. You’ll notice that there is a bit less of a drop in the bottom and the rich mids will still be nice and present when you heavily compress with the FG-GREY – I love it in both manual and auto mode, and it’s amazing on drums and guitars too!
FG-MU
I’ve been lucky enough to hear and use some of the most classic and hard-to-find tube buss compressors on the planet (like the Fairchild 670 and Manley Vari Mu), and let me tell you, there is some real magic that happens when your mix goes through a brilliantly-designed piece of tube gear. The midrange thickens, the lows get tighter and rounder, and the top end opens up with a beautiful sparkle… even better, those harsh upper mid overtones seems to get tamed too. For the FG-MU, we put all of these wonderful qualities into the algorithm. To experience FG-MU for the first time you don’t even have to do any compression, as just going through the processor without any gain reduction will reveal a beautiful open sound due to the modeling of the tube circuit path. Even when I’m using the FG-GREY or FG-RED, I love using the VBC Rack just so I can have the audio pass through the FG-MU!
But the FG-MU is an amazing-sounding compressor in its own right. If you scan through the presets, you’ll get a great idea of what its capable of. Smooth rich compression, fat warm compression, and even slightly aggressive compression. Overall, this is a processor that has tons of analog mojo and vibe for days. A sure hit on your ITB mixes!