I got this plugin for free during the Soundwide intro sale, and initially I didn't really have any expectations for it. I hadn't really been into using channel strip plugins, but decided to try it out since it was already hanging out in my plugins folder. I'm glad I did, because it's since become a key part of my mixing workflow. Most importantly, Focusrite SC has an easy to understand interface, something that many other channel strips fail to accomplish. There's no obscure labeling or confusing routing options, and controls aren't crammed too close together. It's easy to understand the signal flow and settings at a glance. This does mean the plugin is fairly large, but it has a resizable interface. Personally I think the size is a worthy tradeoff for a clear and usable interface. The THD control is, to my ears, the same one as what appears on other bx_consoles. It sounds really good on basically everything. Simple as that. The V-Gain knob, which simulates an analog noise floor, is something I never understood though. I don't really want extra noise in my recording. Worse still, even with V-Gain off, a small amount of noise (around -75dB) is still present when the gate is turned off. The EQ is a pretty versatile 4 band affair. Low and high shelves are very gentle and thus produce a natural sound. Be aware that they often dig deeper into the frequency spectrum than the markings indicate. The two mid bands both have a decent bandwidth range and a very wide frequency range. The HMF band cramps towards the top of its range, but the HF shelf sounds great so this never bothers me. No oversampling is available, which is unfortunate and strange considering the Lindell channel strips do offer oversampling. Lastly, the low and high pass filters are 12dB/oct filters with a small amount of resonance that varies with cutoff frequency. They also have an extremely wide range thanks to the x3 and /3 buttons. The resonance characteristic is neat and I'm guessing was a carefully studied artefact of the original hardware. I don't know how big a difference it really makes sonically, though. The dynamics section is the star of the channel strip. The compressor is very full featured and sounds nice on many sources. It has a naturally soft knee with a pronounced downward bend in the transfer curve, so the ratio actually goes up beyond the marking as the overage amount increases. This characteristic is more pronounced at 5:1 and above, but is barely noticeable at 1.5:1 and 2:1. The attack time also has a generous range, going from 0.3ms to 90ms. Fast times and higher ratios make it an excellent peak limiter, but it can also do very smooth and subtle compression with the 1.5:1 ratio. Since the ratio is somewhat level dependent, I find 2:1 is my go-to setting. The compressor also has a mix knob, which neatly counteracts the natural ratio behaviour if you want a snappier character. My only gripe with the compressor is that the gain reduction meter is scaled terribly - you can't see any gain reduction amount below 4dB, and the meter goes all the way up to 20 in increments of 4dB. A larger meter with finer granularity really would have been nice. Not a lot to say about the gate, it's a gate. It's got a full but relatively standard feature set for a gate, and it works like a treat. The threshold maybe could go a bit lower than -40dB, but this has never been a problem for me. The fast attack setting can add a little extra snap to drum hits. Unfortunately, due to the V-Gain issue I described earlier, you really should leave the gate on. The lower left corner of the panel has the two stars of the show: the sidechain EQ section and the de-esser. The sidechain EQ is comprehensive for any compressor, let alone one that's part of a channel strip. The dynamics sidechains get their own high and low pass filters, plus a parametric mid boost/cut, which can be routed to the compressor, the gate, both at once, or disabled. You can also listen to the sidechain filters/EQ to fine tune them. This is an incredible feature that pushes the compressor's versatility through the roof. Kudos for adding this. And lastly, the de-esser. This could be a standalone plugin on its own. It's incredibly simple and small but works a treat. Ultra natural sounding, no fuss, and the target frequency range is massive (going as low as 600Hz!). You can also listen to the de-essing band to help find exactly where the harshness is hiding. It's amazing how useful 2 tiny knobs can be. Overall, this is a really nice plugin that can get you very far into your mixes on its own. Although I got this one for free, I'd be willing to pay money to have it in my arsenal.
Focusrite sc
★★★★★
by Bangu BW
Really smooth sounding channel strip, and the tight low end. I mix in the box and different genres, the Focusrite sc sounds good on anything I put through it
Surreal!
★★★★★
by Kelvin Diniz
Um processador de canal surreal. Tem que ouvir pra acreditar! Equalizador suave, compressor firme e forte sem falar no De-esser que alterna para Exciter que é extremamente útil. Simplesmente resolvo meus problemas com os sons de violão e acordeom, de forma prática, com esse plugin
Perfect
★★★★★
by Mixed by DI
The best sounding console to me. I love the top end, the low end everything.
free
★★★★★
by hai
very nice
Clasificación
★★★★★
by Clayan5
Hermosooo
Focusrite SC
★★★★★
by MS
I honestly expected a pretty GUI with pedestrian effects behind it. Man was I wrong, and in a good way. TMT is the sonic icing on top of the cake.
CI STA
★★★★★
by rash
COOL
Focusrite SC
★★★★★
by Ben
Very musical and sweet mids and hi-end. Wonderfull filters and EQ. The de-esser is pretty good and usefull too.