Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor
Customer Reviews
Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor
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E. Deon
Lacks a lot in drum transients compared to HW dynamics
Just compare to the test file in this thread:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/gear-shoot-outs-sound-file-comparisons-audio-tests/699125-hardware-compressor-amp-limiter-comparison-thread-audio-files.html
Sadly, the shadow hill comp is amazing over the whole track, but the plugin just sucks out the transients in a way all too common for SW dynamics. Easy to find the plugin in a level matched blind test. UAD 1176s are great, but this doesn't seem to cut it.
L. Conrad
GUI needs improvement
Sure, it's a great sounding compressor, especially for master glue, but the GUI is not helpful. Fabfilter understands how to make amazing GUI's that are easy to see and quick to navigate. I think it's annoying when GUI's maintain the exact look and dimensions of the hardware. Why?? The settings are nearly impossible to read from any distance. Also, there's no easy way to toggle through presets when using the VST version in Ableton Live. You have to pop open a dialogue window each time you'd like to recall a preset. Stupid. Oh, and MS would have been dope. Hard to justify paying $300 for this, but I did because it rounded out my mastering inventory.
L. Kopanski
Could be better.
Nice emulation, but it doesn't have air. It's closed on the top frequencies. It is not this hd sound that I expect from uad.
R. Jacobi
Nice compression, no coloration
The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor is another Brainworx product and you can hear that instantly. The compression algorithms are nice, but there is almost no harmonic coloration. It sounds very clean without adding any color, character or vibe to the sound. The plug-in interface looks awesome but the sound is rather mediocre. Looking under the hood (17 instances vs. 4 instances for the FATSO per DSP) you quickly realize the true quality of the plug-in shows only in its visual interface not in the sound quality underneath it. I would love to see an emulation of the Shadow Hills Compressor done by Softube, they put sound first and invest time and time again into actually replicating the analog sound and simply get it right.
L. Carlozo
Lou Carlozo, pro audio and pro journalist
I am in the demo stage on this one and I'm definitely not impressed--why is this?
1) The control panel is laid out in a very confusing manner, with numbers and dial indicators way tiny and confusing to read.
2) Quite simply it's so "all or nothing" in its treatment of sound that I'd rather master through my Boss Compressor foot pedal for guitar that I've had since I was in a 1980s big-hair band.
3) It doesn't play nice with other plug ins. I can combine an ATR-102, for example, with all manner of compressors and limiters, but not this one.
Skip this plug-in and go for something more user friendly and sonicall superior, like the UAD multi-band.
J. Kline
I'd pay $50.00 for the plugin, but over 200? Seriously? The emperor is naked!
This plugin was difficult to decide. I've happily paid for some expensive UAD plugins, but even in UA''s promo video the plugin and the analog unit did not sound comparable side by side. Not even close. I think that the GUI is so cool that it blinds users to exactly how mediocre this plugin is, and its slick appearance is undoubtedly a reason for its popularity. I tried a few presets and tweaks, and although the plugin would probably be useful, I don't see what it gives me over and above the plugins that I already own. With UAD plugins, the Precision Multiband and Precision Maximizer do the trick pretty well. For this money, you're better off buying Izotope Ozone 5.
P. Alanko
demo expired and...
All I'm going to say is that I didn't purchase the plugin after the demo had expired, for various reasons. I didn't feel it was close enough of a real thing. With certain settings it fooled most of the three of us working with it, but the sound of the "in-between settings" were the ones that made me not buy it. Something's missing.
I don't know much about modeling analog circuits, but I came up with a theory where the third party using Uaudio tools had chosen the faster and shorter route, and the original was modeled with "less sampling points", so to speak, and thus the sound misses the original here and there.
What I've described here is damn close to metaphysics, and with next grace period, the testing continues.
D. Rosenblum
Not up to the standard UAD snuff...
I'm as unabashed a supporter of UAD plugins as a whole as there is, think that on balance they really sound better than anything else, which is why UA should have made this, not Brainworx. Past UAD plugins have sounded SPOOKILY close to the hardware - this isn't even really in the same ballpark. It doesn't sound objectively BAD per se, but it sounds vastly, vastly worse than the hardware unit (which I've worked with on a few occasions now and is always a treat to use). It's thin and slow sounding by comparison, and it sounds downright ugly when you push it hard. I'm very disappointed to be honest. Seems like a downhill trend ever since the Studer/Ampex emulations. Time to step it up again UA!
D. Carter
Disappointed
This is the first bad review I've ever givin UA. Felt like i was listening to a waves plugin or something. This is not what i expected from the best plugin makers in the world. I'm really disappointed. Doesn't hold up under pressure like all the other UA compressor plugs. Start's distorting way to easy and just doesnt sound good overall. Not gonna buy. Love the K Stereo though. Bought it. Can't live without it.
D. Odom
I would like to actually hear this done by UA
I didn't buy... I always demo first. Just not up to snuff with the rest of the UA plug ins. It looks great for sure.
J. Tom
why bx
this might be a better plug if uad made it. bx is is becoming involved in uad territory. if i need bx ill go there 4 other reasons not for hardware plugs.
J. Ferraro
UA should've done this one instead Brainworx
Short and sweet, this doesn't sound close at all the hardware, nor does it sound particularly remarkable as a plugin in it's own right. It uses less DSP than an instance of the old UAD Precision EQ (under 6%), and sounds like *a lot* of corners were cut - a cursory attempt at making a software model of a sophisticated device. It doesn't sound like a $300 plugin in the least. The score I've given it reflects the rather glaring last of attention to detail and ridiculous price point for a ho-hum plugin like this one. UA would do well to put Bx to task on getting this right in a future update (FOR FREE), as it is easily one of their weakest links right now amid an otherwise pretty impressive line up.