Tubechild 670

Name: Tubechild 670
Price: 19 USD
Author: Antelope Audio

by Antelope Audio · Compressor · Fairchild 670-style vari-mu compressor

Not rated yet

Tubechild 670 models the 1950s Fairchild 670 vari-mu tube compressor/limiter with six timing curves.

It adds tube warmth and thickness, pushes sources forward and glues mixes, for $149 (on sale for $19.90 at KVR).

Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering, Vocals, Drums, Bass. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: glue, vari-mu, thick, 50s, tube, bus processing, mixing, drums, hardware emulation, mastering, mix bus, vocals, warm, full mix, room mics, smooth, transformer, vintage, bass, circuit-modelled, component-modelled, enhancement, gentle, single-band, spacious, subscription, tracking.

What it does

Tubechild 670 is Antelope Audio's model of the Fairchild 670, the 1950s vari-mu tube compressor/limiter. Antelope says it measured every component of the original, including its 20 matched valves and 14 transformers, to capture the unit's non-linear behaviour.

Six timing curves: selectable curves for variable release time, up to almost imperceptible severe limiting.
Compressor and limiter: works as gentle vari-mu compression or as a hard limiter for peaks and loudness.
Tube and transformer modelling: the valves and transformers are modelled to add warmth, thickness and tube tone to the signal.
Front of the mix: pushes instruments forward while keeping transients smooth.
Glue: limits and glues mixes and buses for loudness and depth.
Two versions: a native plugin for mixing in a DAW, and a Synergy Core real-time version for tracking with no perceptible latency.

The current version is 1.0.1. The product pages do not state a trial.

Source: Antelope Audio product page

When to use it

Tubechild 670 is for the thick, smooth glue of a Fairchild rather than punch. Compared with The Glue and the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, it is slower and more coloured, and it rounds off transients instead of making a bus snap. Compared with MJUC, which offers several vari-mu flavours in one plugin, it focuses on a single, specific unit. Unlike the Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection, it gives you six timing curves to choose from rather than a fixed program-dependent release. At its sale price it is one of the cheapest ways to get a Fairchild model; at the regular price it is a more considered buy.

Best for: mix bus and mastering glue, thick vocals, drum overheads and room mics.
Genres: any; especially rock, soul, pop and vintage-style productions.
Look elsewhere if: you want punchy, fast bus compression (The Glue or the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor) or transparent, precise control (Pro-C 3).

What producers say

There are few detailed reviews in English; buyers rate it well, and the main complaint from an earlier review concerned how it was sold rather than how it sounds.

Plugin Boutique customers rate it 4.5 out of 5 from 16 ratings.
Mixing.co.kr reviewed the Synergy Core Native series when it was subscription-only and disliked having "no permanent ownership options"; it is now also sold as a one-off purchase.

Where to buy

Best Service: $19
KVR Marketplace: $19.90 (regular $149)
PluginFox: $19.90 (regular $149)
AudioDeluxe: $19.90 (regular $149)
Plugin Boutique: $149
Antelope Audio: see store

Tutorials and reviews

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