Softube has announced the release of Tube-Tech CL 1B, a new plug-in for Windows and Mac OS X in VST, AU and RTAS formats. Tube-Tech CL 1B is available today at the Softube web shop and through authorized dealers at an introductory price of $329 (web price, excl. VAT) that runs through October 2009. After October, the price will be $449 (web price, excl. VAT).

The original Tube-Tech CL 1B is a studio classic, heard on many records for the past 20 years. Like its hardware counterpart, the Tube-Tech CL 1B plug-in sounds soft, smooth, groovy and can compress an insane amount of decibels without sounding bad, according to Softube. The CL 1B plug-ins by Softube are the only Tube-Tech plug-ins that are fully endorsed by Tube-Tech.

This plug-in requires no DSP hardware but uses the same modeling technology and algorithms as the Tube-Tech CL 1B plug-in for TDM and PowerCore (distributed by TC Electronic). The sound is the same as its predecessor.

"There are barely words to describe what I think about the CL1B plugin. The sonics are outstanding. The GUI is awesome. I thought it was just a picture until I started turning the knobs. I own hundreds and hundreds of plugins but... the CL1B plugin is the most accurate representation of a hardware that I have EVER seen." Tony Shepperd, Producer, Mixer, Engineer (Madonna, Faith Hill, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Elton John, Back Street Boys, etc.)

A fully functional 10 day demo can be downloaded from http://www.softube.com.

Details Summary:

• Classic Tube-Tech sound in your computer.
• Created together with the designers at Lydkraft/Tube-Tech.
• Each and every component carefully modeled.
• Fix./man. mode for breaking traditional compression boundaries.
• External sidechain control.
• CPU friendly.

Compression controls:

• Gain: Up to +30 dB of make-up gain.
• Ratio: Continuous ratio control from 2:1 to 10:1.
• Threshold: Continuous threshold control from +20 dB to -40 dB.
• Attack: From 0.5 to 300 milliseconds.
• Release: From 0.05 to 10 seconds.

Attack/release select: The Tube-Tech CL 1B features a unique attack/release switch. The switch has three different positions:

• Fixed: In the fixed mode, the attack time is set to 1 millisecond and the release is set to 50 milliseconds.
• Manual: In the manual mode, the attack and release controls work as normal.
• Fix./man: In the fix./man. mode, the release control works as in manual mode. The attack, however, is fixed to a fast attack and the attack knob turns into a delay for the release time.

Sidechain bus select:

• Setting the Sidechain bus select to 'external' lets you use an external sidechain.

Meter options: At your disposal is an old school VU meter capable of showing three different things.

• Input: The VU meter shows the input level.
• Compression: The VU meter shows the amount of gain reduction.
• Output: The VU meter shows the output level.