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  • Overview
  • Customer Reviews
  • 4.1/5
    (140)
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Regular Price: $349.00

$69.00

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4.1/5
(140)

Get the legendary tube compressor from Capitol Studios.

Capitol Mastering Compressor gives you the rich sound of the CM5511 — a legendary handbuilt tube mastering compressor designed and used by Capitol Studios on historic catalogs and thousands of hit records. Exclusively modeled by UA, now you can get the same professional finishing touch previously only available at Capitol Studios.

Included Version

UAD Native
Runs on your Mac or PC without UA hardware.

UAD Native plug-ins run on both macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer and Windows 10 and 11. Go to our UA Support page for system requirements.

  • Give your tracks the velvet touch of Capitol's handbuilt mastering compressor, the CM5511
  • Get the pro sonics of the same hardware used on catalogs from Capitol, Blue Note, Motown, Verve, and more
  • Easily increase perceived loudness and texture in your productions with Saturator, Mix, and Headroom controls
  • Tighten your low end and expand your stereo width using simple Mono Fold and Mid/Side features

Want to Try It?

Use this plug-in free for 14 days and find out if it's right for you.

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TAKE A LISTEN

Get the Exclusive Sound of Capitol Mastering

Get the Exclusive Sound of Capitol Mastering

The CM5511 compressor has mastered entire catalogs from Capitol, Motown, Geffen, Blue Note, Def Jam, and dozens more, as well as modern records by Black Sabbath, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez.* Inspired by vintage Fairchild 670 and Gates Sta‑Level tube limiters — and designed for consistent results across Capitol's four mastering rooms — Capitol Mastering Compressor is an exacting emulation of this "spare no expense" hardware, giving you the modern tube-based sound of this custom-made dynamics masterpiece.

Expanded Controls for Complete In‑The‑Box Mastering

Expanded Controls for Complete In‑The‑Box Mastering

Easily tighten low end, add subtle saturation, and tweak the stereo field with easy‑to‑use "plug‑in only" controls. Plus, comprehensive dBFS and LUFS metering and sidechain filter means you have a full-featured, modern mastering tool at your fingertips.

Add Expensive Sound to your Instrument Groups

Add Expensive Sound to your Instrument Groups

Not just for the 2‑bus, Capitol Mastering Compressor will add its tube‑based magic to your drum bus, synths, background vocals, and more, giving you the gorgeous dynamics control only achievable with this one‑of‑a‑kind, hit‑proven hardware.

*Use of artist names does not constitute official endorsement of Capitol Mastering Compressor software.

Customer Reviews

Capitol Mastering Compressor

Overall Rating

4.1/5
(140)

D. Skeel

October 13, 2024

Great sounding compressor

What can I say? This thing is legendary, I can say I will never get a chance to touch the real thing, but this thing sounds great, you want a subtle transparent Comp……then buy this, works great on a stereo bus but also find it works great as a compressor to glue together busses, you won’t go wrong with this emulation of a legendary piece of equipment and like most of universals stuff, it’s probably very close to the same as the original piece

K. Fjeldos

October 2, 2024

In a compression battle the Capital Mastering Compressor,

This compressor can be used in mixing, mastering, on the buss, or on the end before the limiter. Capital M.C. can be used on all of the above at the same time. I usually stick with the Neve Preamp before the Capital M.C. and then use the saturator on the comp to really make the mix output as strong as it can be. Five stars my favorite mixing plugin!

F. Décamps

August 6, 2024

Excellent!

En plein mastering, j'apprécie vraiment l'apport de ce plugin bien que je n'ai pas encore pris le temps de l'exploiter pleinement. Je pense que lorsque je serai sorti de ma période d'apprentissage, cet outil va entièrement convenir à mes prochaines créations.

J. Romero

August 6, 2024

A warm and subtle compressor for mastering

It has a very subtle but charming color.

J. Smith

August 5, 2024

Another great flavor

I am loving all the features of this compressor. It's got great MOJO. Not ideal for already thick mixes but great and tasty for everything else

D. Bassal

July 27, 2024

Can't appreciate...

This is the 1000th recreation of a supposedly magical machine of the past, and, frankly, I don't know why I continue to buy them, because they all do about the same thing, and anyway most of the time I end up removing them from the plugin chain. Maybe it's the graphics, maybe the idea of grabbing for 50 bucks machines that we could only dream of back in the days? In any case, more than a couple of these in a project, and the whole thing ends up sounding like the sixties : great players, greater ideas, but shitty sound quality. Wish they somehow gave us the first two, but no, only the hazy, weird, distorted, noisy, unappealing sound.

S. B

July 26, 2024

butter + sweet saturation

it's a 5 star plugin. people who give it 4 mostly complaining about 'native only?' question.

F. Bonifazi

July 24, 2024

Great Mastering Compressor!

I bought this over the Shadow Hills plugin because of price and simplicity. I can understand this logical layout of the Capitol Mastering Compressor even if it doesn't have as many features.
I would have liked the addition of multiple frequency bands, but true to UAD - it's an exact emulation of the physical device.
I'm still learning this plugin, but already getting decent results.
Highly recommended!

P. Motyczak

July 15, 2024

Beautiful

Beautiful sound. Trying it on different instruments and buses. Wonder why there's only Native version of the plugin....

J. Ross

July 15, 2024

Love love love this!

Color! Life! Glue! I just got this plug-in two weeks ago and I’ve dropped it on every song I’ve done since. Master track, vocal track, drums bus. It’s quite amazing. Tons of presets are really varied in tone, width, depth. Pure magic. Highly recommended.

R. Butler

July 9, 2024

Unique and powerful

Talk about adding color and tone to your mix bus, this really did the trick for me. I can't say I'd use this on everything I'm mixing but this compressor really packs flavor and punch as you'd expect from the name. And UA's additional modifications, like the added Saturation give it fire even the original unit couldn't produce. I'm still getting to know the unit but happy to take the time to learn all it has to offer. Five stars is barely enough.

命. 陈

July 6, 2024

Very good, almost hardware like sound, great, come on UA

Very good, almost hardware like sound, great, come on UA

U. Behboudi

July 2, 2024

Perfect sound

Great for mastering and for use on bus.
Clear result☝

S. Downie

June 21, 2024

Its a FAB compressor for Mastering - Get this !

The sound mix from this compressor is really great and on point. You get good sonics and balance, from deep lows to crisp highs, and an edge that gives it a push. The Capitol sound it brings is interesting too. UA have done a above and beyond plugin.

b. boubacar

June 15, 2024

Dynamic

Good quality mastering dynamic

p. Besnard

June 15, 2024

Capitol mastering compressor :tried is to adopt it

the machine is a fantastic compressor, with numerous settings allowing you to optimize your mixes on a master bus. I love combining it with a massive Manley eq equalizer upstream. Its SHAPE function allows you to add bite to your mixes. An essential element to perfect your mix.

T. Mitrevej

June 15, 2024

Magic

Instant magical touch with lots of useful feathers.

.

June 9, 2024

Amazing Product, but only native?

The sound you get from this thing is great, but it's a little sensitive on the input/headroom, you can't run in too hot, as it'll easily over saturate. Also, it's native only, which seems to have upset everyone who was a customer before UA became native.

M. Stover

May 5, 2024

Stupendous subtle control

IMHO this is a better sub bus glue compressor than the api 2500. It’s great for the mix bus as well of course. Put two, one right after the other to knock off 1-2 db each and you’re sittin pretty. Simply amazing.

K. Kaspersen

April 30, 2024

Need extra little powerful push in your track?

This is the answer, very tubey sound or just a little refinement? this one will help you A LOT!