Plug-In Power: The UA Precision Buss Compressor and the SPL Transient Designer
By Dave Crane
With the upcoming release of version 4.9 of the UAD drivers and software, UA again comes up with a two-plug-in release. Sometime in December, UAD users will be able to get their hands on two of the most useful tools in any studio’s arsenal, whether you're mixing in the box or not: The UA Precision Buss Compressor, and the incredible SPL Transient Designer!
SPL Transient Designer
Universal Audio has partnered with Germany’s Sound Performance Lab (SPL) to bring you the Transient Designer, with its unique and compelling Differential Envelope Technology for shaping the dynamic response of a sound. Only two simple audio controls are required to allow you effortlessly to reshape the attack and sustain characteristics. SPL was the first company to design an analog solution for level-independent shaping of envelopes, allowing transients to be accelerated or slowed down and sustain prolonged or shortened.
 |
| The SPL Transient Designer |
The SPL Transient Designer is considered a “modern classic” and a recording-studio essential that is regularly employed as a secret-weapon mix tool by some of the world’s finest engineers. Ed Cherney, Joe Chicarelli, Ross Hogarth and Michael Brauer all use this amazing device in their work.
The Transient Designer’s magic can be applied to virtually any other signal as well: Amplify or reduce the picking sound of an acoustic guitar, hold the sound of strings longer, reduce the reverb time of a choir.
The Transient Designer has a multitude of studio applications and can be used to solve many types of audio track problems. You can shorten or lengthen the attack and sustain of percussive signals such as kick drum, snare or toms, easily take the bleed from open mics, or expand the room sound of overheads. The Transient Designer’s magic can be applied to virtually any other signal as well: Amplify or reduce the picking sound of an acoustic guitar, hold the sound of strings longer, reduce the reverb time of a choir. Attack can be amplified or attenuated by up to 15 dB while Sustain can be amplified or attenuated by up to 24 dB. Lastly, Output allows quick gain matching with the unprocessed signal.
If you are familiar with the SPL Transient Designer you might notice from the picture that our plug-in looks very different. SPL recently released a series of modular versions of their hardware units that fit into their RackPack, and we all decided that the modular form factor was a better look for the plug-in.
 |
| Original SPL Transient Designer |
 |
| SPL’s New Modular RackPack |
UA Precision Buss Compressor
Many users who use their UAD for mastering have been asking for a plug-in like this for a long time. The Precision Buss Compressor joins UA’s prestigious Precision line of Mastering plug-ins. This dual-VCA-type dynamic processor yields modern, transparent gain reduction characteristics, and is specifically designed to “glue” mix elements together for that cohesive and polished sound, typical of master section console compressors. A flexible and intuitive tool, the Precision Buss Compressor is intended primarily for controlling the final output of your mix, but can be usefully applied to a variety of sources from drum busses or overheads to vocal groups, or even as a channel compressor on individual track inserts.
