OPTO Compressor: Optical Tube Compressor Plugin by Softube

The OPTO Compressor is modeled on an optical tube compressor with a slow attack and smooth response. Softube says the plugin reproduces the warmth and subtle tube distortion of the original hardware.

The Drive control sets the amount of distortion and character separately from the gain reduction. This lets you add color without compressing more heavily, which the original unit could not do on its own.

The High Frequency Make-up feature compensates for the slight loss of high frequencies that can occur during compression.

The Stereo Link switch toggles between linked mode, which applies matched left and right gain reduction, and Unlinked Dual Mono, which lets each channel compress independently.

A Sidechain section and Dry/Wet control add flexibility for mixing and mastering. Dry/Wet lets you blend the compressed signal with the original for parallel-style processing.

Softube positions the plugin for vocals, guitar and bass. It can also be used as a second gain reduction stage after the FET Compressor Mk II on a vocal track.