Vac Attack

Name: Vac Attack
Price: 125 USD
Author: Mixland

by Mixland · Compressor · Optical tube limiter

Not rated yet

Vac Attack is an analog-modeled optical limiter from Mixland, developed by mix engineer Jesse Ray Ernster and Eddie Lucciola and sold through Plugin Alliance.

It pairs a modeled light source and light-dependent resistor with vacuum tube saturation, a two-band push EQ and a three-band sidechain EQ, for $125.

Best for: Vocals, Bass, Mix Bus, Acoustic Instruments, Keys & Synths. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: tube, opto, bass, sidechain input, vocals, electric guitar, mixing, warm, drums, room mics, analog-sounding, auto-gain, bus processing, creamy, full mix, gritty, heavy, mix bus, oversampling, resizable UI, single-band, smooth, stereo-linked, subscription.

What it does

Vac Attack is Mixland's optical compressor/limiter with vacuum tube saturation, sold through Plugin Alliance. It models the light source and light-dependent resistor of an opto circuit, and the developer's aim is to "focus on changes in character, not changes in loudness."

Opto compression: non-linear, program-dependent gain reduction with automatic opto timing and an adjustable knee, from soft leveling to hard limiting.
Gain Link: links gain reduction to automatic makeup gain, so you hear changes in tone rather than changes in level.
Push EQ: two-band shelving EQ with J and E modes; Mix lists the low shelf at 52 or 230 Hz and the high shelf at 4.4 or 10 kHz.
Sidechain EQ: three bands (high-pass, bell and low-pass) to shape what the detector hears; Mix gives the high-pass as 0–450 Hz, the low-pass as 750 Hz–24 kHz and the bell as 50 Hz–10 kHz.
THD control: dials in tube harmonic distortion, from a touch of warmth to obvious grit.
Workflow: stereo link or unlink, up to 16x oversampling, a scalable interface, and artist and user preset libraries.

Version 1.0.1 has a 14-day trial and is also included in the Plugin Alliance CORE and PRO subscriptions.

Source: Mixland product page

When to use it

Vac Attack is the better pick when you want an opto leveler that also shapes tone. Compared with the Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection or the CLA-2A, it adds a push EQ, a full sidechain EQ, adjustable tube distortion and a knee control, so it can go from gentle leveling to hard limiting with extra colour. It is less transparent and less fast than Pro-C 3, which covers many compressor styles in one clean interface. Mix notes it was inspired by the discontinued Inward Connections Vac Rac TSL-4, so it targets high-end tube colour rather than a classic LA-2A copy.

Best for: smooth leveling and warmth on vocals, bass, guitars and drum rooms.
Genres: rock, pop, indie and any style that wants tube colour.
Look elsewhere if: you need fast peak control (1176 Classic Limiter Collection, CLA-76) or clean, uncoloured compression (Pro-C 3).
Tip: Mix used a hard knee with a 10 kHz shelf cut to tame fret noise on bass, and a 52 Hz shelf cut to clear rumble from guitars.

What producers say

Mix found it an excellent tube opto with forgiving headroom and no real weak spots.

Mix called it "a monster" that puts "luscious cream on everything it touches", praising the natural, program-dependent timing, the flexible sidechain EQ and the THD knob.
Mix sessions: it used Vac Attack on rock vocals, bass, electric guitars (in parallel) and drum room mics, where the factory "JRay Drum Vibe" preset applies heavy compression with maximum THD.

Mix review

Where to buy

Plugin Alliance: $125

Tutorials and reviews

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