Supercharger GT: Tube Compressor Plugin by Native Instruments

Supercharger GT applies tube-style compression with an emphasis on harmonic richness. Native Instruments says it can be used on anything in a mix, and the plugin adds three saturation types that range from subtle harmonic enhancement to a rougher, more aggressive sound.

The character modes work on the tone of the signal. Fat, Warm and Aggressive are each described as a way to fill in missing low end or smooth out harsh high frequencies, controlled by a single knob.

Automatic make-up gain keeps the output level steady while you adjust the effect, so you can judge the sound rather than the volume change. Attack and Release settings give you a selection of common timing choices, and dedicated response controls allow finer adjustment.

Mid/side mode lets you process the center and sides of a stereo mix separately, which helps when you want to tighten the low end or add space in specific parts of the stereo image. A detector high pass filter in the sidechain keeps low-frequency content from triggering the compressor unintentionally.