Apollo
Native
Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection
Discover the rich sound of the world's most famous compressors.
- Give your tracks and mixes classic Fairchild tube warmth and character
- Add harmonics and punch to vocals, drums, and more using Fairchild’s tube-driven gain control and transformer sections
- Tweak compression easily with simple Wet/Dry, Sidechain Filter, and Headroom controls
- Enjoy the only accurate emulations of “golden-reference” vintage Fairchilds
Discover the Rich Sound of the World's most Famous Compressors
What They Say
Peter Mokran
Christina Aguilera, The Flaming Lips
Ryan West
Eminem, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z
Steve Levine
Culture Club, Beach Boys, Ziggy Marley
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection is worth it if you want the warm tube compression heard on decades of classic records. It models two of the most famous compressors ever built, giving you rich harmonic color and glue on vocals, drums, and full mixes. You can buy it outright or get it through a UAD Spark subscription, so it's accessible no matter how you prefer to pay.
The Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection stands apart because it is built from accurate circuit models of golden-reference vintage Fairchild units from Ocean Way Studios. Instead of a generic tube emulation, it captures the specific gain control, tube stages, and transformer color that made the originals so sought after. That level of detail gives you the harmonic richness and glue you just can't get from a standard digital compressor.
The Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection sounds close to the hardware because Universal Audio modeled golden-reference units from Ocean Way Studios, component by component. The models follow the variable-mu tube gain control and transformer behavior of the originals, not just their broad compression curve. The result carries the same tube glow and harmonic character that made the vintage units famous.
The Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection includes two units, the mono 660 and the stereo 670. The 660 is the more aggressive of the pair and adds punch to single tracks like piano, bass, and guitar. The 670 is the flagship stereo compressor, suited to full mixes, buses, and mastering where you want vibe and color across the whole stereo image.
Use the Fairchild 660 for individual tracks and the Fairchild 670 for stereo material. Reach for the 660 when you want punch and attitude on a single source such as bass or guitar. Reach for the 670 when you are compressing a drum bus, a mix bus, or a master and want cohesive stereo glue.
Yes, the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection adds analog warmth from its modeled tube stages and transformers, even when you apply little or no gain reduction. Running a signal through it introduces gentle harmonic saturation that thickens vocals, drums, and buses. The Headroom control lets you push into grittier tube texture or keep things clean for mastering.
The Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection adds two controls not found on the original hardware, Wet/Dry Mix and Headroom. Mix blends your uncompressed signal with the compressed signal, so you can dial in parallel compression on a single insert. Headroom raises the compression threshold and lowers distortion for clean mastering, or lowers it for grit and drive on tracks and buses.
No, the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection runs natively on your Mac or Windows computer with no Universal Audio hardware required. It is a UAD native plug-in, so your computer's processor handles it inside your DAW. If you own an Apollo interface or a UAD Accelerator, you can also run it accelerated on that hardware.
Yes, the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection works on both macOS and Windows as a native plug-in. It runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs and loads in your DAW like any other plug-in. You manage the license with a free iLok account, and an iLok USB key is supported but not required.
The Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection works on almost any source, but it shines on vocals, drums, bass, and full mixes. On single tracks it adds punch and tube color, and on buses and masters it provides smooth, cohesive glue. Engineers reach for it when they want character and warmth rather than transparent, surgical control.
On drums, the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection adds punch and tube weight to a single hit or a whole drum bus. Use the Sidechain Filter so the kick does not over-trigger the compressor, which keeps the groove punchy and avoids unwanted pumping. For extra impact, set up a parallel drum bus and blend the compressed sound back in with the Wet/Dry Mix control.
Yes, vintage tube compressor emulations like the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection remain a core part of professional mixing. The tube and transformer character they add is still what engineers reach for to make vocals, drums, and mixes sound finished and musical. Modern native processing means you can run these classic sounds on any current Mac or Windows computer without extra hardware.
The Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection comes in a UAD native version that runs on your computer's processor and an Apollo/UAD-2 version that runs on Universal Audio hardware. The two share the same sound, so the choice comes down to your setup. Buying the plug-in gives you a license for both, so you can run it natively today and accelerate it later if you add an Apollo interface or UAD Accelerator.
Yes, the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection is included with a UAD Spark subscription, alongside the rest of the UAD native plug-in library. UAD Spark is our monthly or yearly subscription that gives you access to the full native catalog. If you prefer to own it outright, you can also buy the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection on its own.
A Fairchild compressor is a variable-mu tube compressor from the late 1950s, and the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection models two of them, the 660 and the 670. The design uses vacuum tubes to control gain, which produces exceptionally smooth compression and a warm harmonic character. It became famous on hundreds of classic records and is now one of the most sought-after compressors in recording history, which also makes the original hardware rare and expensive.
The Fairchild 670, the flagship stereo unit in the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection, is used to add glue, warmth, and cohesion to stereo material. Engineers place it on drum buses, mix buses, and masters to bring separate elements together with a single, musical tube compressor. Its lateral/vertical mode compresses the mid and side of a stereo image independently, which helps you control width and depth across a full mix.