I tried out three master bus processors of the 22 plugins in the new Arturia FX Collection 2 update.
First up is the EQ Sitral-295 plugin that’s based on the Siemens W295B equalizer, a smooth, three-band stereo EQ that includes high-and low-pass filter sections. When hovering over any control, a dedicated window in the lower left shows what’s that control is doing. In stereo channel mode, the left and right controls link together (default) but you can unlink them. Because the two channels do not automatically unlink in Mid/Side mode, you could arrive at a mastering EQ in stereo mode and then switch over to M/S mode, keep the same EQ, and then tweak the Mid or Side EQs separately. I also liked the “stepped” controls for mastering applications for their solid, repeatable settings.
The Comp Diode 609’s GUI certainly looks like the modeled (hardware) Neve 33609 compressor/limiter. When I placed it after the EQ and set a 4:1 ratio, 5ms attack and 800ms recovery times, it offered a “cap” to the loud and soft dynamics of the “stop/start” nature of the song I was mastering. It was just the ticket!
Bus Force is a parallel processor that mimics the Overstayer modular that combines Dry, Compressor, and Saturation sections’ signals. All sound goes though a three-band equalizer, hi-pass and low-pass filters, and the compressor has a variable frequency filter and side-chain input routable to an external source. I discovered I could add/remove any of the EQ, Compressor and Filters sections by clicking on boxes in the GUI. It ends with an unexpected feature: a Clipping section I love to use on its own.
These are just three processors in the FXC2 collection that has a regular price of $399 for all 22 plugins.
arturia.com/products/software-effects/fx-collection/overview#en
