Plugin Alliance Releases Shadow Hills OptoMax

Plugin Alliance, Brainworx and Shadow Hills Industries have announced the release of Shadow Hills OptoMax, a new optical compressor plugin. The plugin takes the optical section from the well-regarded Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor as its foundation, expanding on the original design with new features made possible in the digital domain. Brainworx, continuing its partnership with Shadow Hills, modeled the original hardware's optical circuits to create a compressor that aims for musical character and flexibility. While traditional analog optical compressors are often known for their smooth, blooming compression, they can be limited in their timing controls. OptoMax keeps that classic feel but adds more extensive controls for attack and release, including slow, medium, and fast settings, along with expanded ratio options. For more aggressive sounds, a new limiter-style 'Push' mode has been included, offering an ultra-fast response suitable for modern production styles. The plugin also incorporates the signature transformer coloration from the original Mastering Compressor, allowing you to switch between Nickel, Iron, and Steel circuits for three distinct harmonic flavors. Further tone shaping is available via a dedicated Tone control, which can add 'Air' for high-end brilliance or engage a 'Smooth' setting to tame harshness. To fit into contemporary workflows, OptoMax includes a comprehensive sidechain section with high-pass and bell filters, a sidechain listen function, external sidechain input, and a stereo link option. A parallel Mix control and a resizable GUI are also included. Key Features: Optical compression based on the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor. Expanded Ratio and Speed controls (slow, med, fast). 'Push' mode for fast, limiter-style compression. Switchable Nickel, Iron, and Steel transformer circuits for different harmonic characters. Dedicated Tone control with 'Air' and 'Smooth' modes. Advanced sidechaining: high-pass filter, bell filter, SC Listen, and external SC. Parallel Mix control. Resizable GUI. Pricing & Availability Shadow Hills OptoMax is available now from Plugin Alliance for an intro offer of $69 (Reg. $150). YouTube/dXSHUYLFft8 Read More