FireSpacer

Name: FireSpacer
Price: 69 USD
Author: United Plugins

by United Plugins · EQ · Sidechain frequency unmasker

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FireSpacer from FireSonic (sold by United Plugins) removes frequency clashes between two tracks by dynamically cutting one where the sidechain signal is active.

It has four spectral and minimum-phase modes with release and precision controls, for $78.

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

Keywords: sidechain input, spectral, bass, bus processing, vocals, high latency, drums, full mix, kick, minimum-phase, mix bus, mixing, resizable UI, skeuomorphic, static.

What it does

FireSpacer is a FireSonic plugin, sold by United Plugins, for clearing space in crowded mixes. It listens to a sidechain track in real time and subtracts the colliding frequencies from the track it sits on, an "intelligent filter" in the developer's words, so each part keeps its presence.

Sidechain analysis: real-time frequency analysis of the key track, which decides what gets cut on the host track.
Amount: the main control, setting how strongly the conflicting frequencies are pulled down.
Four processing modes: split into spectral algorithms, which are more accurate but add latency and use more CPU, and no-latency algorithms built on minimum-phase filters, which act more broadly and use less CPU.
Precision: in the spectral modes, narrows the cuts so they target the same frequencies as the key signal as exactly as possible.
Release: sets how quickly the attenuated frequencies recover once the clash has passed.
Workflow: 64-bit internal processing at any sample rate up to 192 kHz and beyond, smart bypass with click prevention, a sleep mode on silence and a resizable photorealistic interface.

Updates are free for life, and a free 15-day trial has no saving limits or noise.

Source: United Plugins product page

When to use it

FireSpacer is the quicker pick when you want a sidechain source to carve its own space automatically, with only Amount, Release and Precision to set. Compared with Pro-Q 4 or TDR Nova, which can make sidechain-triggered dynamic cuts band by band, it needs no band setup but gives you no say over which frequencies are cut. Unlike soothe3, which tames resonances inside a single track, FireSpacer reacts to a second track, so it is aimed at clashes between parts rather than harshness. Its no-latency modes make it usable while tracking, though the more precise spectral modes add latency.

Best for: making room for a vocal over a music bus, or for the kick under a bass, by ducking only the clashing frequencies.
Genres: any, especially dense pop, EDM and hip-hop mixes.
Look elsewhere if: you want to choose each cut by hand; a dynamic EQ such as Pro-Q 4 or TDR Nova gives full control. If your DAW has no sidechain routing, as with GarageBand, it will not work.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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