Peakbuster is an attack-phase boosting and harmonic enhancement AU, AAX, and VST plugin for professional music and sound production applications. Peakbuster is a multi-band transient enhancer effect plug-in that uses an advanced automatic algorithm. Peakbuster stands out from the competition in its ability to always sound natural, even on a full-spectrum master bus. The strength of the effect depends on the material being processed: the algorithm masterfully analyses dynamics of the sound it processes, and applies boosting in quantities that are “exactly right”. Moreover, the algorithm has a suitably “fast” reaction time making its adjustments sound “fluid”, not “over the place”.

The amount of effect can be chosen independently for the lower and higher frequency ranges: this permits use of Peakbuster on a variety of program material, both full mixes and individual tracks.

Additionally, due to the nature of the algorithm’s design, Peakbuster applies a unique harmonic coloration or enhancement: so, even if the gain adjustment meter shows only a minimal transient boosting amount at a given time, the plug-in still transforms the sound being processed in a way that to some engineers may sound “on a completely another level”; we at Voxengo would call it “beyond tube warmness”.

https://www.voxengo.com/product/peakbuster/

https://imgur.com/UHqRusB

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jun 14, 2021

Sounds nice. I don't think I have tried a single plug-in from Voxengo that I didn't like so I suppose this one will be a great tool too.

 

You are missing out, great sounding plugins.

 

nver been wowed by any voxengo plugin

 

I haven't either. I find them to just be more like very useful utilities. MSED is something I use all the time.

 

Looks like a more advanced cousin of OVC 128, but uses min. phase filtering instead, has two bands, and also does not rely on heavy compression.
'Sound “on a completely another level”' is rather a marketing phrase, it is just hardwired tightly coupled odd harmonics (meaning the 5th harmonic exaggeration, in fact), following a pink noise-like curve, unlike OVC 128 (follows white noise).
I did not notice much effect of 'the algorithm masterfully analyses dynamics of the sound it processes' claim. The sound it produces is too hard for my taste and pretty much resembles the standard 'Hi-Fi EQ-ing'.
Its total distortion figure is over 2% (but it is still much less than with OVC 128).

 

Interesting comparison because OVC is a clipper and this is supposed to be a transient enhancer which is rather the opposite effect.

 

If you are replying to me, I don't think you read my comment correctly! I have tried most of them and I have liked them all They are not something very extraordinary, just great sounding tools that does what they are supposed to do.

 

I meant the techniques [modules] and principles used can be compared, not the purpose. Both plugins use a transient shaping and a saturation module. With the same tools you can raise transients of crop them.

 

I made a quick test on drums only. It's most suitable for the snare, where it's quite useful, for the rest not so much. IMHO, I must add.

 

I agree. The sound improvement is rather minor, and not worth turbidness introduced by IR degradation, (pretty much) increased THD, and EQ amplitude wavering created by multiband compression.

 

Very few usable settings for drums bus. Had it next to a track where I am doing a shootout with the Warmy EP1A & other Pultec variants.
After deleting track with Peakbuster, was very surprised to hear a similar but more open tone with the Pultec plugins.

Like the Voxengo OldSkoolVerb & TempoDelay (also free). Their other plugins are good. Just not keepers for me.

 

any noticeable transient enhancement will result in signal overload, which is only natural, but when you balance the volume the signal become lower to unusable in volume. I understand enhancing the transient will took headroom, but I can't get the right setting for this one. I suppose you have to use a clipper to make it work (unchanged volume) but, what's the point then. hmm

 

Yep, this one would heavily benefit from an auto gain.

Simple, sound.

 

thanks for the reviews here - was thinking of taking a hard look at this, but dammit, no videos on youtube, no demo's anymore, the thoughts expressed here are a good reference point, thanks so much *community*