Airwindows has released Pressure4, a freeware stereo compressor effect available in VST and AU plugin formats for PC and Mac.
As mentioned in our news section earlier this year, Airwindows (a Mac-only plugin developer up until recently) has decided to set all off their products free (with optional donations via Patreon), as well as to make them available for use on Windows. The first Windows VST plugins from Airwindows are already coming in, with Pressure4 being the one that completely blew us away.
See also: Best FREE Compressor VST/AU Plugins!Pressure4 is a stereo compressor with a unique character that is not easy to describe without reaching for the overused marketing terms like huge, punchy, organic, etc. You sort of have to hear it in action in order to fully grasp what it does and how it sounds, but this truly is one of the most “organic” compressors I’ve tested. It does amazing things to drum tracks, basslines, and other mix components that benefit from tightening up and a good bit of careful dynamics “smashing”.
The plugin features only four control parameters: Pressure, Speed, Mewiness (as in Mu-iness) and Output Gain. The parameters, although not exactly following the standard naming conventions, are still rather self-explanatory. Pressure controls the amount of applied compression, Speed controls the attack and release parameters and Mu-iness controls the correlation between the input gain and compression ratio. Output Gain was added in the latest update, as per user request (and it is indeed rather useful for finding the compression sweet spot without being fooled by the volume boost).
Don’t be fooled by the simple control scheme, though. Pressure4 is capable of handling many different compression tasks the right way and it’s definitely not just a drum buss tool. The three main control parameters (Pressure, Speed and Mewiness) change the plugin’s character quite drastically, so your best bet is to carefully listen to the output and take some time to dial in the right settings for the track you’re working on.
In standard Airwindows fashion, Pressure4 uses the host application’s native GUI, meaning that there are no graphics related performance issues to worry about. Although I have to admit that I’m a big fan of nice looking user interfaces, the lack of a custom skin doesn’t bother me at all in this case. With only four control parameters available on the panel, the default control layout works quite well (in MuLab 6, at least) and doesn’t interfere with the workflow at all.
Pressure4 is available for free download via Airwindows (434 KB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU plugin format for Windows & Mac).
Last Updated on September 20, 2016 by Tomislav Zlatic.
