We all love technology when it makes our job easier, right? This is why we love companies like Sound Radix, the company behind brilliant and helpful plug-ins such as Auto Align, SurferEQ Drum Leveler (see our Drum Leveler review and our SurferEQ review).
Today Sound Radix unveiled a brand new plug-in called POWAIR at AES 2017.
The POWAIR plugin is in their own words “a smarter, more natural sounding dynamic processor. ”
POWAIR is a novel design two-stage leveler/compressor plug-in, designed to control dynamics and bring a sense of power to vocals, instruments, and mixes.
The first stage in POWAIR is a k-weighted perceived loudness (LKFS) auto-leveler. Whether you need to deliver tracks to EBU specifications or control the levels of a dynamic performance, the loudness leveler will smoothly ride your tracks and get them to your target level.
POWAIR uses an innovative gain detection and reduction engine, capable of fast gain changes with minimal distortion and adaptive response to the recorded source signal. The unique characteristics of POWAIR allow powerful dynamics shaping while maintaining the timbre of the source material even when pushed to extremes.
The unique Punch feature enables full control over the transients levels during the Attack stage; making it possible to shape the transients length while keeping peak levels under control.
And in an industry first, POWAIR features Adaptive Compression to maintain an average compression action, adding intensity and glue while keeping the natural dynamics in the recording.
Nir Averbuch from Sound Radix explains how POWAIR’s Adaptive Compression feature came into being. “A couple of years ago at the AES show, our dearest friend and evangelist, the one and only Frank Filipetti, pulled us as aside and said (more or less in these words): “Listen guys, I work on this vocal track and I get the compressor to work all smooth and nice on this section and then when the loud part comes in, the compressor over-compresses and kills my sound. Now, I could automate the threshold but what I want is a compressor that will keep the sound I did in the soft part, in the loud part as well. Can you do it?”
After a few drinks and sleepless nights we’re happy to say “Yes we can!”
Visitors to AES 2017 can get an exclusive first look at Sound Radix POWAIR plug-in by visiting the Sound Radix at booth 345. The 143rd International Convention AES NEW YORK 2017 takes place between October 18-20.
