LVC-Audio has announced the release of T-Chain, a freeware modular channel strip effect in VST/VST3/AU/AAX plugin formats for PC and Mac based host applications.
T-Chain is a modular channel strip plugin, meaning that it can be fully customized by loading and rearranging different modules within the plugin’s signal chain. The basic free version of T-Chain comes with a built-in 3-band parametric equalizer, a simple digital compressor, a noise gate, and a signal splitter modules, as well as a pretty well made waveform and spectrum analyzer. This basic set of modules can be expanded at any time by purchasing additional modules from LVC Audio’s website.
The additional modules are all available in demo mode in the free version of T-Chain, causing occasional volume drops when loaded. The prices range from $9.98 to $14.98 at the moment (50% off compared to standard prices). The demo modules can also be turned off from the options menu, making the module browser a lot easier to navigate.
See also: FREE Limited-Z Limiter VST/AU Plugin by LVC-Audio!The built in-freebie effects are well made, despite the fact that their functionality is fairly basic. The truth is that, for a basic channel strip, T-Chain provides a fairly decent set of features out of the box, with optional expansions including a selection of analog style preamps, equalizers, and even an oversampling utility. The plugin also includes a preset manager (with a decent selection of factory presets), A/B testing functionality and In/Out gain metering. I would love to see some additional modules on offer in the future, such as a limiter, or a set of basic modulation effects.
I wasn’t too impressed by the GUI at first, however it has definitely grown on me after a bit of additional testing. LVC-Audio has done several rather clever things with the user interface, such as the ability to adjust the compressor module’s threshold parameter directly on the waveform analyzer’s display, which definitely helps with pinpointing the correct threshold value in relation to the input signal’s waveform. It is also possible to monitor the dry and processed waveforms simultaneously, as well as to customize the color scheme in order to make the waveforms easier to recognize.
T-Chain is available for free download via LVC-Audio (127 MB download size, ZIP archive containing EXE installer, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/VST3/AU/AAX plugin formats for Windows & Mac OS).
