SoundSpot Cyclone VST VST3 AU AAX v1.0.1 WiN/MAC

In music production, compression is arguably one of the most important processing techniques to master. Correct use of compression will bring your music to life and add a professional sheen making your productions stand out in this highly competitive industry.

As always, the SoundSpot team wanted to create a truly diverse product that could be used across the board from mixing through to mastering, whilst also adding a distinct character to the sound if required.

With this in mind, the Cyclone was born... A compressor diverse enough to glue sub groups, add groove to percussion, warm up synths and guitars, and add the final touch of magic at the mastering stage. Also our algorithm and code are so precise and specific to the task at hand, that the Cyclone is super light on your CPU, meaning you can run multiple instances with ease.

The Cyclone interface has been designed for ease of use, with the controls laid out from left to right in a typical order that most engineers will follow when making adjustments, enabling you to speed up your workflow.



Saturation
The saturation is tape style soft clipping with 100% stereo linking, when applied equally to both channels. This preserves the stereo image making the Cyclone perfect for mastering.

The intensity of the saturation is dependent on the threshold and ratio of the compressor, or to the potential gain reduction of the compressor, with the saturation knob itself being responsible for mixing in the saturation.

As the saturation effect is dependent on the compressors threshold and ratio settings. This means that the harder the ratio and threshold parameters are pushed, the more pronounced the saturation effect will be. You can then use the saturation control to dial in a value that works with your mix.

When the saturation parameter is set to zero, there will be no saturation. Conversely when the parameter is set to full, the maximum saturation will be added based on the positioning of the threshold and ratio controls.

In addition, the saturation is smoothed out in a way it mimics "tape hysterisis".

Mid/Side Processing
The Mid/Side functionality of the Cyclone allows you to process the stereo information independently from the mono information. This is useful when a mixdown requires a wider feel to the stereo image, or the mid (mono) information greater definition from the sides, to achieve a better result during playback on mono sound systems.

The Mid/Side function is perfect for adding additional sparkle to a well mixed track, and also gives the user great control to correct any irregularities in the stereo image.

Solo Channel
When creating the Cyclone, we realised that a solo function much the same as you will find in your DAW, is actually much more useful when making changes than a simple bypass button, although a anti click global bypass parameter has been added to the unit as well.

The solo buttons will allow you to singularly monitor the left or right side channel whilst you are in Stereo mode, or monitor the mid information or the side information independently when in Mid/Side mode. This results in a quicker, more precise work flow when compressing the mix.

Channel Linking
The channel linking is set up as default when the plugin is first opened which makes the editing process quicker. If however you unlink the channels and make amends, but then later decide to link the channels, the first control amended will cause the opposite side control to reflect the changes.

Many compressors will make a direct copy from left to right when the channel link button is pressed. When linking is set up in this way, it provides a very rigid user experience, with users often finding they lose the settings they wanted to keep.

Our intelligent linking system makes linked editing much more flexible and intuitive for the user.

The gain reduction caused by the compression will be equal in both channels if the settings are the same, whether the controls are linked or not. This prevents the center of the stereo image moving around if the signals differ from each other. That being said, if you apply different settings to the two channels, the gain reduction will be different, but because of the hidden stereo linking function, the center of the stereo image will move in a predictable and controlled manner, which is essential when mastering.


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