Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor (Plugin from Brainworx)

[MACMUTSCHELLER]

Hello guys,

whats your overall opinion on the Shadow Hill´s Plugin by Brainworx (in this case the version with the green lights, not the one with red lights) ? Do you think it beats the SSL G Master Buss by Waves for mastering purposes?

Thanks

[HcDoom]

Forget about those two and go with TDR Kotelnikov free version for mastering. Once you feel it limits you, go for Gentlemans edition. If you really want to go Shadow Hill and SSL route - this is just my opinion - I would always prefer SSL for mix bus duties - but not the Waves one - IKM Buss compressor, SSL Native v2 or new Softube Buss compressor are better choice. But, like I said, it all comes down to taste. But dont skip Kotelnikov.

[jamcat]

A master buss compressor is not a mastering compressor. The SSL compressor is from the SL-4000 G series mixing console. It was designed to tame errant peaks from spiking your speakers during mixing.

I use the Brainworx Townhouse compressor on my mixbuss.

Mastering is about getting your mixdown onto a specific medium at the right levels. For streaming and iTunes, you need to be concerned primarily about dynamic range. You should master using transparent multi and compression that doesn’t add distortion and has a mixed phase mode. Something like Acon Digital Multiband Dynamics.

[MACMUTSCHELLER]

so is the shadow hill intended to be a master buss compressor or a mastering compressor? I mean it say it´s a mastering compressor, but I guess you should put it on the mix bus and groups and not on the master, right?

[jamcat]

It's a mastering compressor. It's a digital model of Shadow Hills Industries $10,000 hardware mastering compressor.

There is one in Abbey Road's mastering room.

[Frankie.T]

I don't like this plugin. It sounds good, but the workflow it's very unfriendly.
I think ff pro-c have a better workflow and it's very good too.
Last but not least it's more versatile, since it's digital you can program it for every purposes you need to take care of

[musicproducerdee]

Why do you want the Shadow Hills compressor and what do you like about it?

If you want the SSL Bus Compressor, just go directly to SSL and get their version, or get the Cytomic Glue.

Anyways, I personally find Shadow Hills a little complicated to use. Way too many controls for a compressor. Also, I would say, a good digital compressor like FabFilter Pro-C2 beats these emulations any day of the week. Probably the same goes for Kotenlikov, as someone suggested.

[Azbest]

I got it for free, it may sound good, but I'll probably never know because the UI is horrid.

[jamcat]

The UI is just a direct 1:1 model of the hardware.

[kritikon]

Which means the hw is fugly as well. There's plenty of hw that is a PITA to use, it has no monopoly on ease of use.

[idoru97214]

Tone projects Unisum is my favorite mastering compressor. Beats FF IMO, but that's just IMO.

[imrae]

It's a good example of UI failing to translate really. Big knobs with small labels, to be operated simultaneously, are great in hardware. Symmetric L/R sections makes sense for a physical layout.

But in software where we have more choices, limited screen space and only one mouse the discoverability and workflow play out quite differently.

[Xbucket]

I loved the red version on bass but Elevate replaced it. Never used it on the master.

[RipleySterling]

It doesn't "beat" anything, it's useful in some situations and not others. I like the opto section a lot, especially on vocals, and in parallel. The only useful difference I found between the green and red versions is the parameter linking options. I use it all the time.

[badass_billy]

It's too aggressive-sounding for a mastering compressor. It can add size and punch to a drum bus, though.