VCL-4 Vintage Opto Leveller is an opto-style compressor plugin by Fuse Audio Labs that emulates a classic 1960s solid-state leveler. It is built for smoothing levels and taming transients on sources such as drums and vocals.
The VCL-4 Vintage Opto Leveller is a silver-face revision of a solid-state leveler based on a late 1960s opto design. Fuse Audio Labs describes its behavior as relaxed and smooth, and says the opto-based leveling process produces a more even, steady level with transients controlled easily. The plugin uses only a few controls and includes switchable ratios for working across different sources.
Fuse Audio Labs says the opto-based circuit gives a more even and steady level while taming tricky transients. On drums, the developer describes the result as added punch, tightness, sustain and control in the mix.
On vocals, the developer says the plugin adds a smoothing sheen and a little more clarity. The gain reduction behavior is meant to stay usable even at extreme settings, which the developer presents as a key strength of the design.
The VCL-4 covers a wide range with a small set of controls. Fuse Audio Labs notes that the individual components of the vintage circuitry were modeled closely, so the plugin is meant to feel like working with hardware: patch, turn knobs, print.
The switchable ratio option is designed to work with many kinds of sources, and the developer says each setting produces a different type of groove. The plugin is also described as light on CPU usage.
Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.
| Developer | Fuse Audio Labs |
|---|---|
| Type | Plugin |
| Category | Compressor |
| Formats | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX |
| Operating systems | Windows, macOS |
| Architecture | 64-bit |
| Free trial | Yes |
It is a compressor plugin by Fuse Audio Labs that emulates a classic 1960s opto leveler in a solid-state design. It is aimed at leveling and transient control.
VCL-4 is available in VST3, VST2, AU and AAX formats. It runs on Windows and macOS, and is 64-bit.
You need a VST2, VST3, AAX or Audio Units compatible host, 2GB of RAM, and a display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or more. On Mac it requires macOS 10.12 or newer with an Intel or Apple Silicon CPU, and on Windows it requires Windows 7 or newer with an Intel compatible CPU, at least 2 GHz recommended.
Yes, VCL-4 offers a trial.
FREE TRIAL
FREE TRIAL
FREE TRIAL
FREE TRIAL