Edelweiss`72
by Black Rooster Audio · Channel Strip · Mixing and mastering channel strip
Not rated yet
A mixing and mastering channel strip with an expander, a five-band fixed-frequency EQ, a soft-knee compressor and a brickwall limiter.
It works in L/R or M/S, offers a linear-phase EQ option and K-system metering, for $79 at Plugin Boutique.
Best for: Mastering, Mix Bus, Drums, Vocals. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: mastering, mixing, mid/side, metering, drums, bus processing, downward expansion, linear-phase, mix bus, vocals, oversampling, auto-gain, full mix, resizable UI, circuit-modelled, vintage.
What it does
Edelweiss`72 is Black Rooster Audio's "vintage-flavoured" mixing and mastering channel strip. It puts an expander, a fixed-frequency EQ, a compressor and a brickwall limiter on one panel, with M/S processing and mastering meters.
- Expander: front-of-chain expander with threshold, ratio (1:1 to 10:1), attack and release, in a static soft-knee design.
- EQ: five fixed bands: an 80 Hz low shelf, 450 Hz, 1.5 kHz and 4.5 kHz bands, and a 12 kHz high shelf, each at plus or minus 15 dB, with an output trim of plus or minus 30 dB per L/R or M/S section.
- Linear phase: the EQ can switch from the standard (IIR) mode to a linear-phase FIR mode for mastering.
- Compressor: soft-knee compressor with threshold, ratio up to 10:1, attack and release, plus Auto Gain makeup.
- Limiter: brickwall limiter with ceiling, release and gain controls, also with Auto Gain.
- L/R and M/S: stereo or mid/side processing, with band linking between the two channels.
- Workflow and meters: 17 individual bypasses, solo for each section, K-12, K-14 and K-20 meters, and phase correlation and balance meters.
Black Rooster builds it on component-based circuit simulation with automatically adjusted oversampling and a HiDPI/Retina interface. A free 14-day trial is available.
Source: Black Rooster Audio product page
When to use it
Edelweiss`72 is the better pick when you want a full dynamics-and-EQ chain for the mix bus or master in one window, with M/S and K-System metering built in. Compared with Scheps Omni Channel or SSL Native Channel Strip 2, its EQ is fixed-frequency rather than sweepable, which speeds up decisions but limits surgical work. Unlike the bx_console SSL 4000 E or the API Vision collection, it does not model a specific console, and it adds mastering features they lack, such as a brickwall limiter, linear-phase EQ and K-meters. It is narrower than Neutron 5, with no assistant or unmasking tools, but much simpler. For tracking-style channel work on many tracks, a console strip is the more natural fit.
- Best for: mix bus and mastering chains with M/S EQ, and full-channel processing on drum stems or vocals.
- Genres: general purpose; works in any genre.
- Look elsewhere if: you want sweepable EQ bands (Scheps Omni Channel or SSL Native Channel Strip 2), a specific console sound (bx_console SSL 4000 E), or assisted mixing (Neutron 5).
What producers say
There is little public discussion, but the owners who post are positive, especially on drums.
- VI-Control thread one owner (2023) said it gives a drum stem in an EDM track "a nice snap and power"; another planned to use it based on their other Black Rooster plugins.
- Open question: a VI-Control user asked whether the "auto-adjusted oversampling" actually oversamples or just follows the session rate; the thread gave no clear answer.
Where to buy
- Plugin Boutique: $79
- PluginFox: $129
Tutorials and reviews
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