Universal Audio has launched the Capitol Mastering Compressor plugin, which provides the “rich” tone of the handbuilt tube mastering compressor, the CM5511, used by Capitol Studios.
The CM5511 was used at Capitol Studios on historic catalogues and thousands of hit records. There are only four of these in existence (with the brand dubbing them as “unattainable”), and you can now get your hands on an authentic emulation thanks to UAD.
The CM5511 compressor has mastered countless records from Capitol, Motown, Geffen, Blue Note, Def Jam, and plenty more. Universal Audio also states that it was used on a range of modern records by Black Sabbath, Demi Lovato, and also Selena Gomez.
It was inspired by the vintage Fairchild 670 and Gates Sta‑Level tube limiters, and the UAD Capitol Mastering Compressor is described as “an exacting emulation” of this “spare no expense” hardware.
The plugin hosts controls for Input, Threshold, Attack, Release, Ratio and Output, which are provided independently for the left and right channels. It is capable of operating in dual mono and side-chain link modes, as well as in either a left/right or mid-side configuration.
There is also an expanded set of modern controls to improve upon the classics, such as a Mono Fold feature which should tighten the low end of a mix, an option to add subtle saturation to the input signal, side-chain filtering and comprehensive dBFS and LUFS metering.
Check it out in the video below:
The Capitol Mastering Compressor plugin is available now from Universal Audio for 50 percent off until the end of May £174 (rising to £349). Find out more at UAudio.com.
