Acustica Audio have announced the release of Frost, a new channels strip plug-in that utilises their Hyper technology. The company say this latest offering is one of their most versatile and creative plug-ins yet, and that the combination of its preamp, equaliser, and compressor sections provide the ultimate all-in-one channel strip.
Frost’s EQ section features dedicated high- and low-pass filters in addition to four bands of equalisation. The high- and low-frequency bands offer ±6dB of gain at five fixed cutoff frequencies, whilst the low- and high-mid bands each boast a gain range of ±10dB and a choice of eleven centre frequencies. In addition to the default Left-Right stereo processing mode, the section can also be switched into Mid or Sides modes which, as their names suggest, allow the plug-in to process just the mid or sides elements of an incoming stereo signal.
The plug-in’s compressor section provides all of the expected controls and is capable of functioning simply as a compressor, but can also be used to turn the first section into a dynamic equaliser. By engaging a Dyn EQ button above the section, the section’s parameters are used define when the equaliser’s settings are applied.
BW1 and BW2 buttons offer two different models of brickwall limiter, the second of which can be adjusted using the plug-ins SHMOD control, which helps to preserve a signal’s transients whilst achieving the desired volume. An FLT parameter allows users to introduce a high-pass filter into the compressor’s side-chain, and Frost also provides an additional input for those who wish to employ an external side-chain signal.
Central to the GUI is the Preamp section, which offers a ±24dB input trim control and is followed by a Saturation knob with two modes of operation: Clipper and Saturation. Clipper mode is the more subtle of the two, with Acustica warning that Saturation should be used wisely, as it can sound particularly aggressive when pushed hard. Finally, an Output dial provides another ±24dB gain stage, allowing users to tackle any level differences caused by the plug-in’s processing.
As with many of Acustica’s recent offerings, Frost has a range of oversampling options which apply to all of the plug-in’s sections. There is also an alternative ZL (zero-latency) version provided, which is suitable for use during tracking, but at the cost of additional CPU usage.
Compatibility
Frost is supported on Windows and Mac platforms, and is available in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
Pricing & Availability
Frost is available now, priced at €139.
