Plugin Boutique is offering Pulsar Audio Smasher for free until April 30th. This compressor is designed to provide a smooth and natural sound, perfect for mastering and mixing. It also features a unique sidechain filter, allowing you to shape the sound of the compressor.
Bringing the Classic 1176 to Your DAW
Have you ever heard of the Urei 1176 compressor circuit? It was a popular choice of studio engineers back in the day, and now Pulsar have brought it to life in their Smasher plugin. This custom-modded version of the 1176 offers a unique, explosive sound when all the buttons are pressed in at once – and that’s exactly what Smasher was designed to recreate.
Smasher has all the classic 1176 features, plus some unique modifications that add definition to transients and make your tone more aggressive. It’s perfect for drum busses, but you can also use it for creative purposes – it works wonders on raw and gritty sounds, like those heard in Vulfpeck, The Whitefield Brothers and The Black Keys songs.
What Makes Smasher Unique?
The FET compressor design of the 1176 is known for its super-quick attack times and wide tonal range, and Smasher uses Pulsar’s proprietary Topology Preservation Technology to perfectly reproduce all the nuances of the original circuit. Plus, with its beautiful, uncomplicated interface, Smasher gives the 1176 a new personality.
How Does Smasher Sound?
Smasher can add thickness and grit to any drum or bass track, or completely crush a bus. It’s great for adding body and sustain to a snare drum, and you can use the Mix knob to add just a small amount of fuzzy saturation to a bass. Just be warned – don’t try it on lead vocals!
Main Features
- Topology Preservation Technology: Pulsar’s proprietary modelling technology guarantees a perfect emulation of the original 1176’s behaviour.
- Low CPU Consumption: Smasher has been optimized to consume as few system resources as possible.
- Parallel Compression: Smasher’s Mix knob lets you blend in the original unprocessed signal.
- Linked Sidechain: Smasher uses a single detector to process a stereo track, keeping the stereo image stable.