PSP Audio - New Multi-Band Compressor

[wst3]

Jay has me thinking a lot more about multi-band compressors (MBC) lately. I used to use the iZotope MBC that came with Sound Forge a long time ago, but it is an x86 plugin, so it has gone by the wayside. Somewhere along the way I discovered dynamic equalizers, basically an MBC turned inside out. For some reason they work better for me - just the way by brain works? Or doesn't?

PSP announced their oldTimerMB recently, and I decided to take it for a spin. I am a huge (especially after the holidays) fan of all the PSP effects processors, I own them all, and several of them are permanent residents in my basic template. I also like several of their EQ and dynamics processors, although they get called up for special cases, as there are others with which I am more comfortable. A post for another day.

The oldTImerMB sounds fantastic! There are some nice features, I especially like the ability to process the MID/SIDE signals and the ability to blend processed and unprocessed signals - both of which are easy enough to accomplish when they are not part of a plugin, but it is so nice to have them right there.

The Attack/Release/Ratio model for control will be familiar to most, and it works quite well. I did not really like either of the auto-release modes, but I haven't spent that much time with it, so I can probably tame them to my tastes with a little effort.

The cross-over frequency control, and especially the ability to change the shape of the filters, works really well.

Overall I like this, although I am not quite ready to purchase it. My only real concern is that it is really easy to over use it. It seems like the smallest bump of pretty much any of the controls can turn a nice sounding mix into a bit of a nightmare. All of the sudden things you did not want to spotlight are sitting front and center. That's most likely me misusing it, but it is still frustrating.

For anyone that is a fan of either multi-band compression or the PSP Oldtimer this is worth an audition!

[tack]

I have the FabFilter Pro-MB which does a lot of the same stuff (per-band mid/side, global mix level, etc) but I guess the key differentiator here is the vintage character? In principle, I wonder how using something like this would compare to using a character EQ or saturation in combination with a clean multiband compressor like Pro-MB.