As one of the longest-running plugin companies, McDSP has earned its respected reputation in the professional audio, music production, and sound design industries.
Their focus is on creating plugins with utility over flash so you don’t have to use multiple tools to achieve accurate, professional results and or delay your workflow to get them.
Most of their plugins come in two formats - HD and Native. Learn about the differences between the two. Here we take a look at 10 of the most useful McDSP plugins and why they’re worth considering adding to your library.
Channel Strip
6060 Ultimate Module Collection HD v7
A lot of companies offer channel strip plugins. Their convenient, modular design lets you create custom signal chains in a “lunchbox” 500 series format. But few are as robust as McDSP’s 6060 Ultimate Module Collection.
It includes everything from the 6020 Ultimate EQ and 6030 Ultimate Compressor plugins to saturators, gates, and specialized filters. Three bays let you insert, drag-and-drop, and arrange over 25 modules based on vintage and modern designs from the most famous British and American gear.
There are level controls over the input and output stages, zero latency, and it supports mono and stereo signals in VST3, AU, and AAX plugin formats. It would be nice if the 6060 offered more inserts, but the wide range of processing options makes up for it.
Equalizers
Channel G HD v7
Loosely based on the famed SSL G-series, the Channel G is one of the most versatile emulations of its dynamics processing options. Everything can be calibrated based on how you’re using it - music, post production, whatever you need.
Multimode filters and a five-band EQ offer shelving and parametric sections so you can select the best one for the audio you’re working with. The compressor and limiter can be routed before or after the equalization, and noise reduction and a gate helps eliminate track noise and bleed.
Real-time analysis provides level and frequency readouts so you get a holistic visualization of how Channel G is affecting the signal, however you’re using it.
For a faster, more tactile workflow it integrates with hardware like Avid’s S and D series control surfaces, and S6L live sound units. It even comes with presets from world-class mixing engineers.
SPC2000 HD v7
The SPC2000 offers different ways to set up serial and parallel compression. Two, three, and four-stage compression from other plugins in the SPC line let you clamp down on signals without needing complex routing setups or multiple plugin instances.
It models the analog behavior of vintage and modern compressors, and uses two time constant methodologies through different peak detection circuits for the release control. The GUI resembles a console with identical controls on each of the four channels, input and output levels, and polarity reverse switches.
If you’re looking to set up complex compression routing, or do a lot of parallel mixing in your tracks the SPC2000 creates a cleaner way to do it.
AE600 Active EQ HD v7
Active EQs aren’t a new concept, but they do provide a perfect platform for tone shaping - especially when boosting. The AE600 features six active and fixed EQ bands with total overlap so the input signal or side-chain can trigger the equalizer’s response.
Each band can be independently set to fixed or active. Different EQ modes include vintage, parametric, proportional Q parametric, 5x Q parametric, Baxandall and new X-style shelving filters. Each band has its own frequency, Q, gain, and mode controls.
Considering the amount of modes, there’s a lot going on in the interface, so there is a little bit of a learning curve. But great as a mastering tool or used on individual tracks and busses with a detailed visual readout of how the signal is being affected.
Compressors
CompressorBank Native v7
CompressorBank might seem simple at first, but it’s a powerful compressor under the hood. Pre and post-compression EQ add flexibility, and it allows for independent phase adjustments over the left and right channels, great for instrument groups or the master buss.
To further shape sounds there is static and dynamic EQ through buttons to set the equalization to slope filtering, bell curves, or a hard bell. Dial in dynamic EQ through frequency, Q, and gain knobs.
Three release settings - including autorelease - analyze the transients and overall waveform of the incoming signal and adjust accordingly. Key adds sidechain capability, and Listen lets you zero in on exactly how the compression is affecting the signal.
It’s an easy-to-use mono and stereo compressor that brings a level of utility that lets you work quickly and efficiently.
4030 Retro Compressor Native v7
Don’t let the name fool you. Sure the 4030 Retro Compressor can do saturated vintage compression, but it’s as modern as it is easy to use.
A continuous ratio control offers compression levels from 2:1 all the way up to 20:1 and everything in between. No detents here! This lets you dial in the perfect amount of compression for whatever source you use it on.
Active attack and release controls let you get really aggressive sounds without having to worry about digital artifacts. The output stage is one of the most important tonal elements of any compressor, and McDSP created this one to emulate the weight and dimension of a real transformer for more authentic sound.
ML4000 Native v7
McDSP has a few limiter plugins, and the ML4000 is one of their most full featured. It’s two plugins in one - the ML1 and ML4. The multi-band compressor, gate, and expander from the ML4 feeds into the ML1’s mastering limiter and creates a versatile plugin to put the final touches on the mix.
Limiters can be difficult to dial in properly without over-squashing the mix, especially for those new to audio. The ML4000’s lookahead feature reads the incoming audio signal and automatically adjusts it. This gives you a fast starting point.
There’s no dedicated EQ section, but the crossover filters and output gain effectively function as a graphic EQ. Each band’s output level can be adjusted and summed in the limiter section.
Good metering is critical in a limiter, and ML4000 offers different real-time visualization options. How the compressor, expander, and gate affect the dynamics display across each band as well as input and output gain, gain reduction, and input/output peak metering.
This isn’t a “typical” limiter like most are familiar with, and won’t suit everyone’s workflow. But it is a powerful processor with multiple tools for the final production stages that offers selectable, real-time metering readouts.
Sound Design
NR800 HD v7
Noise is one of the biggest issues in audio. Whether it’s wind captured during production, dialogue washed out by background noise, mic bleed, or the result of using older equipment for a specific effect. The NR800 is the answer to this significant problem.
Over eight bands you can intently focus the noise reduction through range and response controls. The GUI resembles a mixer with faders, mute, and direct monitoring. Accurate, numerical readouts and a spectrum analyzer present precise detail, and there is metering for input and output levels.
Noise reduction is a unique type of processing where there isn’t much room for error. With NR800 in your plugin toolbox noise in your recordings is now a thing of the past.
SA-2 Dialogue Processor Native v7
Dialogue is a critical part of post production sound, and only the right tools give the best results. McDSP’s SA-2 plugin is the brainchild of Oscar winning re-recording mixer Mike Minkler.
It’s a go-to in the film post-production sound world, but it’s equally powerful for vocals in music production. With it you can adjust the timbre, de-ess, or use the onboard multi-band compressor.
Five active frequency bands can be shifted up or down a full octave and attenuate signal. The layout is clean and simple, with easy to read digital metering that displays levels and gain reduction. Through the Monitor button you can zero in on the frequencies being removed, taking a lot of guesswork out..
The SA-2 is an Emmy winner for a reason.
FutzBox HD
Who doesn’t love a little dirt? This distortion noise generator can seriously screw with audio signals in the best way. Created with sound design in mind, Futzbox doesn’t just let you add dirt. Through Synthetic Impulse Models it provides a library of sounds from things like cell phones and TVs that are ideal for sound design and post production.
The control set allows for plenty of ways to shape the distortion. It includes EQ, filters, gating, distortion, and noise generation that help you get from classic crunch to sonic annihilation.
It’s meant to be lo-fi, so it won’t work for everything. But whether you’re working with dialogue, foley, or just need a different kind of dirt in your music production. It’s not a conventional saturation plugin, but that’s the point.
Summary
McDSP built their legacy breaking away from the norm. A lot of companies focus on meticulous analog modeling plugins, but McDSP has never been afraid to take chances. They have the essential bases like compression and EQ covered, but have some of the most unique plugins available in their lineup. They’re not shy about adding as much value into each one as possible either.
Lightweight, versatile, and efficient, McDSP plugins are a mainstay in studios and live sound environments of all levels and are a great choice to handle all aspects of audio production.