Recording - February 2021 - 54

-Review by Bill Stunt

Gauge

Precision Instruments

LUSH VOX

Para-Comp + Plug-in
Deep modeling processes
controlled by a simple interface
make your vocals pop beautifully
Fresh off the release of the Mic Locker microphone
emulation plugin (reviewed October 2020), Gauge
Precision Instruments has just dropped a brand new
parallel compression plugin that they promise " will have
you believing in miracles. " Developed by Jeff Piergeorge
and Dr. Chandler Bridges of Gauge alongside the Final Mix
software team, LUSH VOX is primarily designed for vocals;
Gauge also maintains that it's a good fit for lead instrument
tracks that need to pop as well.

Integrated parallel processes

Many compressor plugins feature a mix or blend control to
achieve parallel compression. LUSH VOX takes that concept
further. LUSH VOX isn't a single compressor, it's a series of
compressors and components bundled under one hood. While
not getting specific, Gauge mentions that they modeled vintage
and modern devices for LUSH VOX-cool!

Lush life

The simple, clean layout of LUSH VOX is similar to Mic Locker.
A pair of VU-style meters display input and output levels. Below the
meters are a series of processing buttons that light up when selected,
with Smooth, M/S (Medium-Smooth), Medium, M/H (MediumHard), and Hard options. A slider labeled Para Comp + adjusts the
amount of processing. The slider has an extensive range, so you
can perfectly dial in very subtle to in-your-face amounts of effect.

In a parallel universe

To get a sense of the range of LUSH VOX, I pushed the slider
to Max and toggled through the processing options. It became
54 RECORDING February 2021

immediately apparent that multiple compressor types and settings were used for the various settings. As you'd expect, the
compression effects get more aggressive as you move from
Smooth to Hard.
The Smooth setting does indeed result in a very smooth
sounding track. The effect is subtle yet effective even with the
slider moved to Max. This setting worked best for me on a
ballad-the baked-in attack, release and knee settings made
for a natural-sounding, glued-together result. There's a subtle
bit of weight added as you increase the amount slider, and this
is apparent on all the settings. It also sounds like there's some
saturation being applied in the modeled signal path.
As you move up to the more aggressive settings, the compressors' attack time seems to get slower. I tried the plugin on
a mid-tempo rock tune with a vocal that has a wide dynamic
range. The Medium setting worked best. I set the amount to the
point where I was just a little too aware of the effect, and then
I pulled it back a notch from there. This turned out to be the
sweet spot, and the vocal sat in the track perfectly. The louder
parts of the singing got a nice bit of 'aggro' from the various
modeled components.
For fun, I recorded myself belting out an uptempo tune, turned
on the Hard setting and dialed the amount up towards Max. I
achieved a very aggressive modern rock vocal sound. Here the
processing was quite noticeable and produced the ubiquitous
'compression as an effect' sound prevalent in modern music.
Finally, I set up LUSH VOX on a lead guitar track. This was
on the mid-tempo rock tune mentioned above, with a relatively
thick, mildly distorted lead guitar sound. Wow! I was pleased
with the sound I had on that track before, but a little bit of LUSH
VOX on the Medium setting put it firmly in the saddle and made
me say, " Giddy Up! "

Conclusion

Gauge modeled some sophisticated tools and signal paths
when creating LUSH VOX that can yield gorgeous (perhaps
miraculous) results. It would be nice to have a bit of control
over some of the internal settings in a perfect world. Still,
there's enough range provided to cover most situations, and
having extra controls would take away from one of this plugin's
biggest charms-its effective simplicity.
Bill Stunt (stunt@recordingmag.com) is a recording engineer,
producer, and recording musician, living in Ottawa.
Price: $99 ($29 Introductory price) More From: gauge-usa.com

http://www.gauge-usa.com

Recording - February 2021

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