VTC-2 vintage tube compressor plugin interface by Black Rooster Audio

VTC-2: Vintage Tube Compressor Plugin by Black Rooster Audio

Rated 4.6/5 on Plugin Boutique (83 ratings)

VTC-2 is a compressor plugin from Black Rooster Audio that emulates vintage tube leveling amplifiers from the 1950s to the 1970s. It is available in VST3, VST2, AU and AAX formats for Windows and macOS.

VST3VST2AUAAXWindowsmacOS64-bit

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01Overview

VTC-2 is a dynamics processor built around the sound of classic tube leveling amplifiers. Black Rooster Audio based its circuit simulation on units from the 1950s through the 1970s, and the plugin adds saturation and warmth to the signal as it compresses. It is aimed at producers who want a vintage character on drums, bass, vocals and other sources, and it can also be used on mix buses. The plugin supports stereo operation and parallel compression.

Best for

Drum compression
Bass leveling
Vocal warmth
Bus compression
Parallel compression
Brass and guitar processing

Developer: Black Rooster Audio
Category: Compressors
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Tube compressor emulation based on 1950s–70s leveling amplifiers
Warm saturation from a circuit simulation approach
Stereo and parallel compression
Automatic oversampling matched to session sample rate
Low-latency linear phase Dolph-Chebyshev polyphase oversampling
SSE2-optimized DSP code
HighDPI and Retina interface support
Available in VST3, VST2, AU and AAX formats

03In depth

Vintage Tube Character and Saturation

Black Rooster Audio says the VTC-2 was modeled on well-known tube leveling amplifiers from the 50s to the 70s, while remaining an original plugin design. The developer describes its circuit simulation approach as producing smooth saturation with a warm spectrum.

The plugin is intended for dynamics work on drums, bass and vocals, and the developer also cites brass, guitar and bus use. Because the saturation is part of the compression stage, the tonal coloration changes with the amount of gain reduction.

Workflow, Oversampling and Interface

VTC-2 includes stereo and parallel compression modes. Its oversampling rate is adjusted automatically to the session sample rate, which the developer says reduces CPU use while keeping aliasing low. The DSP uses the SSE2 instruction set for performance.

The user interface supports high pixel density on both Windows and macOS. On Windows, check your DAW's HighDPI support in its manual.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	Black Rooster Audio
Type	Plugin
Category	Compressor
Formats	VST3, VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What formats is VTC-2 available in?

VTC-2 is available in VST3, VST2, AU and AAX formats.

Which operating systems does VTC-2 support?

VTC-2 runs on Windows and macOS. The macOS requirements list Mac OS X 10.9 or newer, with M1 and M2 Apple Silicon supported, and the Windows requirements list Windows 7 or newer.

What do I need to run VTC-2?

You need a 64-bit VST, VST3, AU or AAX compatible host, at least 1GB of RAM, and a display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or more. Windows systems need an SSE2 compatible processor, and Intel Core CPUs are recommended.