Softube and Native Instruments joined forces to create Vintage Compressors, a bundled pack of VC 76, VC 2A, and VC 160 compressor emulations.

The VC 76, VC 2A, and VC 160 are said to be painstakingly accurate emulations of three of the most heavily-used compressors in studio history. According to NI, each emulated studio effect has its own unmistakable sound, and with added sidechaining and parallel compression, these Vintage Compressors actually improve on the sound of the originals.

The VC 76 is a true workhorse of a compressor, with a fast attack, great presence, and a punchy, clear high end. This effect would work well on drums, vocals, or stereo limiting. In contrast, the VC 2A is a smoother compressor with a silky, natural sound for vocals, bass, pads, and guitar. Lastly, the VC 160 is more of a classic compressor for added attack and a subtle drive. As Native Instruments notes, this compressor is especially good on kick drum, snare, bass, or guitar.

All three Vintage Compressors come with an added sidechain input, which provides much more than the characteristic ducking / pumping sound, while allowing a wide range of creative compression techniques. Each Vintage Compressor also provides a wet / dry control for applying parallel compression.

The VC 160 and the VC 2A have an additional Low-Cut dial, which basically tells the compressor to ignore (or rather, not to compress) anything below the set frequency. This handy dial helps to avoid over-compression caused by heavy bass impulses.

These effects run in the free Guitar Rig 4 Player and in Guitar Rig 4 Pro, which allows you to enhance Vintage Compressors with a range of onboard effects. For example, you can chain Vintage Compressors together with an EQ to create your own channel strip, or experiment with complex, custom effect chains.

The Vintage Compressors bundle is now available from the Native Instruments Online Shop for $229. The individual compressors are also available separately for $119 each. For more details, visit native-instruments.com.