About Raèld I76
Raèld I76 is modelled on the classic FET limiting amplifier, in three versions of the hardware: the early blue-stripe, the low-noise black-face and the anniversary edition. It is built from the circuit: the input attenuator and transformer, the field-effect transistor that does the gain reduction, the class-A line amplifier and the output transformer, with a detector that charges and lets go the way the hardware's does. It grabs a transient in a fraction of a millisecond, and the harder you hit it the thicker and grittier it gets.
Installing
- Close your DAW.
- Unzip
Raeld-I76-2.0.0-Windows.zipfrom the download page or your purchase email, runRaeld-I76-Setup.exeand follow the steps. It replaces version 1.0 if you have it. The plugin goes intoC:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3; choose "Plugin and standalone app" to also get the standalone app. - Open your DAW and rescan plugins. DAW plugin lists show it without the accent, as "Raeld I76", so type "raeld" in the plugin browser.
Requirements: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) and any VST3 host, or the standalone app.
Getting started
- The threshold is fixed. Turn INPUT up (towards 0) for more compression, then set the level with OUTPUT. Watch the needle: 5–8 dB is a typical vocal.
- The dials read like the hardware's, in dB of attenuation: ∞ (off) up to 0 (fully up). At 24 on both, the unit is near unity gain.
- ATTACK and RELEASE run backwards from most compressors: 7 is the fastest, 1 the slowest.
- Pick a ratio button. Shift-click (or right-click) any of them for ALL: every button in at once, the famous aggressive setting.
The three models
MODEL changes the whole unit: its circuit values, its ratio buttons, its timing, its noise and its faceplate. The change is a short crossfade, never a click. The inscription on the faceplate tells you what each one does, and hovering over it gives a starting setting.
| Model | Sound | Best on | Ratios |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE: blue-stripe | Gritty, thick, aggressive. Pushes a voice forward; the harder you hit it, the dirtier it gets. After long loud passages it lets go slowly, so rooms swell. | Rock vocals, guitars, drums, room mics | 4, 8, 12, 20; attack OFF |
| BLACK: black-face, low noise | Clean, punchy, fast. Grabs every word with little colour until you drive it; tight on bass and drums. | Lead vocals, bass, snare, kick | 4, 8, 12, 20; attack OFF |
| ANNIV.: anniversary edition | Smooth, gentle, versatile. The cleanest of the three, with a 2:1 button and a SLOW attack for glue. | Mix bus, vocals, acoustic guitar, bass | 2, 4, 8, 20; attack SLOW |
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| INPUT | How hard the unit is driven, so how much it compresses. 0 is fully up; ∞ is off. |
| OUTPUT | The level out. It never changes the compression. |
| ATTACK | 7 is the fastest (about 20 µs), 1 the slowest (about 800 µs). Fully anticlockwise it clicks into OFF: no compression, only the amplifiers' and transformers' colour. On the anniversary that position is SLOW (10 ms). |
| RELEASE | 7 is the fastest (about 50 ms), 1 the slowest (about 1.1 s). After long, heavy compression it lets go more slowly, as the hardware does. |
| RATIO | One button at a time. Shift-click or right-click for ALL. |
| METER | GR (gain reduction), the output with 0 VU at +8 or +4, or OFF (the lamp out). |
| MODEL | BLUE, BLACK or ANNIV. |
| HR | Headroom: where 0 VU sits (+12, +18 or +24 dB below full scale, so −12, −18 or −24 dBFS). More HR means less drive and less colour; the level stays the same. |
| MIX | The compressed and the untouched signal blended, in time, for parallel compression with no comb filtering. |
The strip along the bottom
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| < PRESET > and SAVE | Step through or pick factory and user presets; save your own. |
| SIZE | 90–200%; the window keeps its proportions and reopens at the size you left. The menu also turns on circular knob drag. |
| 4X | 4x oversampling, the cleanest. Off: 2x, lighter on the CPU. Changing it fades out and back in. |
| NOISE | The model's own analog noise floor (off by default). |
| LINK | One detector for both channels, which keeps the stereo image. Off: each side compresses on its own. |
| SC HPF | A high-pass filter in the detector (60–400 Hz), so the low end doesn't push the compressor. |
| MONO | Hear the output folded to mono. It isn't saved in presets. |
| BYPASS | The untouched input, in time and crossfaded, so it never clicks. |
Knobs
Drag up and down (Shift for fine control), use the mouse wheel, or click and use the arrow keys. Double-click resets. A readout shows the value while you adjust. The stepped knobs click into each position.
Presets
| Preset | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Init | Black-face, 4:1, INPUT and OUTPUT at 24, attack 3, release 5. |
| Vocal Grab | 4:1, attack 3, release 7: the go-to lead vocal setting. |
| Bass Control | 4:1 with a medium release keeps every note of a bass level. |
| Snare Snap | The slowest attack lets the crack through, the fastest release brings up the body. |
| Room Smash | 20:1 with fast timing on room mics. |
| Peak Catcher | 12:1 at the fastest attack: catches peaks and leaves the rest alone. |
| Amp Colour Only | ATTACK OFF: no compression, just the amplifier and transformers. |
| All-Buttons Drums | Every ratio button in; blend it with MIX. |
| Blue Grit Guitar | The blue-stripe at 8:1: edge on guitars and rock vocals. |
| Anniversary Mix Glue | 2:1 with the slow attack: 1–3 dB of glue on a bus. |
| Anniversary Vocal Leveler | 4:1 on the smoothest model: steady, gentle vocal leveling. |
Tip: chain the I76 into the Raèld i2a on vocals. The I76 catches the fast peaks, the i2a smooths the overall level.
Coming from Raèld i76 1.0
Version 2.0 is a free update: it replaces 1.0, keeps its plugin ID and activates with your 1.0 license key, so your sessions open in it with their settings translated: Rev A, Rev E and AE become BLUE, BLACK and ANNIV., and INPUT and OUTPUT keep the drive you set (1.0's 24 is 2.0's 24). Your 1.0 user presets are translated the first time 2.0 opens; each original is kept beside it as .raeldpreset.v1. The sound is new, so a session may need a touch of INPUT to get the same amount of compression.
Specifications
Measured on the black-face model at 48 kHz, 4X on, INPUT and OUTPUT 24, attack 3, release 5, unless stated. 0 VU = −18 dBFS (HR +18).
| Ratios (measured just above the threshold) | 4:1 → 3.8:1, 8:1 → 7.6:1, 12:1 → 11.6:1, 20:1 → 20.0:1; ALL → 15.4:1 |
| Attack (to 63%) | 0.12–0.26 ms on a step 20 dB up |
| Release (to 37%, after 1 s at 5 dB) | 53 ms (7) to 1.55 s (1); slower after longer, heavier compression |
| Distortion | 0.003% uncompressed at −20 VU; 0.30% at 6.7 dB of reduction; mostly 2nd harmonic |
| Frequency response | −0.17 dB at 20 Hz, within 0.1 dB from 50 Hz to 20 kHz, at 44.1–192 kHz |
| Noise (NOISE on) | 81.7 dB below the threshold level |
| Latency | At 44.1/48 kHz: 93 samples (4X) or 85 (2x). At 88.2/96 kHz: 85 or 0. At 176.4/192 kHz: 0. Reported to your DAW automatically. |
| CPU | About 1.3–2.9% of one core, stereo (any model, any rate) |
| Formats | VST3 and a standalone app, Windows 10/11 64-bit; mono, mono-to-stereo and stereo tracks |
Mono and stereo
Raèld I76 runs on mono, mono-to-stereo and stereo tracks; your DAW picks automatically. On a mono-to-stereo track the mono source feeds both sides. The MONO button in the strip folds the output to mono, to check how a mix holds up on a mono speaker. It isn't saved in presets.
Activation and support
Open the plugin, click ACTIVATE and paste the license key from your purchase email, or your Raèld All Access key. A key works on 3 computers. Without a key the plugin runs as a demo, with a short moment of silence now and then. See support, or email info@raeldaudio.com.
Raèld I76 is modelled on vintage FET limiting amplifiers; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by any hardware or software maker, and no other company's names, artwork or code are used. Its models are built from published circuits, specifications and measurements, not copied from any other plugin.