MicroFX Refiner
by Heavyocity · Compressor · Bus compression and polish
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MicroFX Refiner is Heavyocity's bus polish plugin, combining EQ, clipping, compression, saturation, stereo imaging and limiting behind an XY pad.
Three modes (Gentle, Wide and Punchy) and 36 presets for drums, instruments and mastering keep it quick to use, for $49.
Best for: Mix Bus, Drum Bus, Mastering, Keys & Synths. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: bus processing, polish, drums, mastering, wide, gentle, full mix, metering, built-in mix knob, aggressive, crunchy, drum bus, enhancement, glue, minimal controls, mix bus, mixing, single-band, subtle, tight.
What it does
Refiner is an "all-in-one bus polish" from Heavyocity's MicroFX line. It puts a fixed bus-processing chain behind an XY pad and a handful of controls, aiming to give instrument and mix buses "the final finesse and extra polish" quickly.
- Signal chain: EQ, clipping, compression, saturation, stereo imaging and limiting, set up in a fixed order for bus work.
- XY pad: the horizontal axis adds Grit (crunch and character) and the vertical axis sets how tight and polished the result is, so one drag moves the whole chain.
- Modes: Gentle for subtle processing, Wide for a broader stereo picture, and Punchy for more aggressive emphasis.
- Tone and width: Emphasis for tone shaping, Clarity for high-frequency definition and Width for stereo imaging.
- Clipping: a Clipping control for distortion character, plus a Dirty option for extra saturation.
- Levels and metering: input and output level, a wet/dry Mix control and built-in meters.
- Presets: 36 presets in Drums, Instruments and Mastering categories.
A free trial is available. It is also part of the MicroFX Collection with MicroFX Obscene, Filter and Shimmer.
Source: Heavyocity product page
When to use it
Refiner is the pick when you want a bus to sound finished in a few seconds without setting up a chain of separate plugins. Compared with The Glue and the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, it gives far less control over the compressor itself, but it adds EQ, clipping, saturation, widening and limiting in the same window. Compared with Ozone 12, it is much simpler and cheaper, with no detailed module editing or metering for loudness targets. Its XY pad also makes it quicker to audition than a multi-stage chain built from Pro-C 3, Pro-Q 4 and a limiter, at the cost of knowing exactly what each stage is doing.
- Best for: quick polish on drum, instrument and mix buses, and fast rough masters of demos.
- Genres: any genre, on drum, instrument and mix buses.
- Look elsewhere if: you want detailed control of each stage; The Glue for bus compression, Pro-Q 4 for EQ and Ozone 12 for a full mastering chain give you that.
Where to buy
- Plugin Boutique: $39 (regular $49)
- Best Service: $49
- Heavyocity: $49
Tutorials and reviews
- MicroFX Refiner - Plugin Overview
- MicroFX Refiner - Preset Playthrough
- 🎧Heavyocity MicroFX Refiner🎧-Revisión Oficial en Español-
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