Sugar Engine

Sugar Engine is a fixed-order vocal channel strip running opto compressor, six-band parametric EQ, dual de-esser, and stereo doubler in series

Each stage independently bypassable, no oversampling, plugin buffer latency only. One insert. Every stage of a professional vocal chain.

$49. Perpetual license. Windows, macOS, Linux.

Four Stages. Fixed Order. Each One Independent.

The signal flows Compressor - EQ - De-esser 1 - De-esser 2 - Doubler. Every stage has its own bypass toggle. Run the full chain or use any section on its own. The order is fixed because it reflects correct vocal signal flow - dynamics first, then tone, then harshness control, then width.

Opto Compressor

Two-stage photocell release response - the longer the compressor works, the slower it lets go. That is the defining character of opto compression on vocal material and exactly what this stage models:

• Peak Reduction - Single control combining threshold and input drive. More reduction is more compression. No threshold math.
• Ratio - 2:1 (gentle leveling), 4:1 (standard vocal work), 8:1 (firm limiting).
• Release - Manual or Auto. Auto is program-dependent - faster when the compressor is working hard, slower when it is barely touching.
• Gain - Makeup gain after compression.
• VU Meter - Reads compression gain reduction or input level. Switch on the front panel.

Six-Band Parametric EQ

Analog-voiced IIR filters covering the full vocal frequency range. No linear phase, no oversampling artifacts. All six bands individually bypassable:

• HPF - Highpass, 20-500 Hz. Rolls off room buildup and low-end noise before anything else touches it.
• Band 1 - Semi-parametric low-mid, 50 Hz - 2 kHz. Body and warmth.
• Band 2 - Semi-parametric low-mid, 200 Hz - 4 kHz. Mud and boxiness.
• Band 3 - Fully parametric with adjustable Q, 500 Hz - 8 kHz. The surgical band - targeted presence cuts and narrow boosts.
• Band 4 - Semi-parametric air band, 2 kHz - 20 kHz. Presence and air.
• LPF - Lowpass, 8 kHz - 20 kHz. Rolls off harshness when the material needs it.

Dual De-Esser

Two independent de-essers targeting different problems. Most de-esser designs address one - Sugar Engine addresses both:

• De-esser 1 - Sustained sibilance. Detection range 6-10 kHz. Tunable frequency, adjustable reduction amount. Targets S sounds that linger after the transient.
• De-esser 2 - Hard consonant transients. Detection range 4-8 kHz with a faster detector time constant. Targets T, K, and CH attacks that arrive lower and faster than standard sibilance - the problem a single-band de-esser at the top end misses entirely.
• Listen mode - Available on both. Auditions the detection band solo so you can find the exact problem frequency before setting the reduction amount.

Stereo Doubler

Short delay with slow chorus modulation on the delayed signal only. Mono input, stereo output. The delayed copy wanders slightly in time - enough to sound like a second performance, not enough to cross into pitch modulation or shimmer:

• Time - 10-35 ms. Sets the delay length of the doubled signal.
• Rate - 0.1-1.5 Hz. How slowly the delayed signal wanders. The upper limit is deliberately sub-chorus - faster rates cross the line from doubling into chorus, and this is not a chorus plugin.
• Depth - How far the delayed signal wanders within the Rate cycle.
• Width - 0-100% stereo spread of the doubled signal. Full left sets hard L/R separation; center collapses the effect to mono.
• Mix - Blend of doubled signal against the dry vocal.

Platform Support

• Windows - VST3 (64-bit), Windows 10 / 11.
• macOS - VST3 + AU (64-bit Universal Binary, Intel + Apple Silicon), macOS 11 Big Sur or later. Signed and notarized - no Gatekeeper warnings.
• Linux - VST3 (64-bit), Ubuntu 22.04+. Tested with Reaper for Linux.

All three platforms in a single download.

System Requirements

• 64-bit VST3-compatible host (Windows, macOS, Linux) or AU host (macOS).
• Compatible with Reaper, Cubase, Studio One, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Bitwig Studio, Nuendo, and others; AU format for Logic Pro, GarageBand, and MainStage on macOS.

License

$49. Perpetual license - one purchase, yours forever. No subscription, no renewal, no cloud dependency. 3 simultaneous activations. Activation over HTTPS, then fully offline. No telemetry. Nothing phoning home during your session.

Free demo mode included - fully functional with a brief silence every 30 seconds. No account required to try it.

Download and demo at mmediaaudio.com.