Baby audio “I Heart NY“ parallel compressor plugin Free at plugin boutique for limited time using this code (eruir6yc)

True ‘New York style’ parallel compression — with an addictively punchy flavour.

Baby Audio's first plug-in goes straight for the modern classic that has become a staple across genres – New York style parallel compression, with an emphasis on the Spank.

Pros:

• About as simple as it gets
• Excellent results on mix and group busses, adding weight while preserving articulation
• Works very well as a non-parallel spanker, especially on snare drums

Cons:

• Some may not like the lack of numerical data on dials and metering
• A large interface for so few controls

The deceptive simplicity of I Heart NY allows just enough Spank control to make it an addictive tool for the mix bus and instrument channels alike.

Rating - 8/10

Parallel compression, or the ‘New York-style’, has become a widely used practice and has found favour with many. Numerous plugin compressors offer parallel functionality via Mix or separate Wet/Dry controls, but as anyone who has mixed into compression will know, the type of compressor you select presents a whole series of decisions that can seriously slow a session. I Heart NY from Baby Audio takes away most of the adjustment part by offering the user a simple two-knob, one fader parallel compressor that is about as ‘set and forget’ as you could imagine.

The plug-in interface is a little less ‘set and forget’ as it does take up a lot of screen real estate. The knobs (Spank and Output) and fader (Spank compressor level) are accompanied by a Solo switch and two bar meters: gain reduction and output. The metering, along with the controls, is free/bereft of numerical data. It’s not a problem considering DAWs are never short of level data, and there is a good argument for using your eyes as little as possible. The output meter does turn red as 0dBFS is reached, so setting a nominal ceiling isn’t a problem.

The simplicity of the control set meant that I Heart NY is in place and working within seconds and the results were, and remain, highly addictive. The immediate tendency to overuse reminds us of the Kush Audio Clariphonic EQ, and similarly, with time, a more subtle deployment makes short work in a mix.

The lack of Attack, Release, and Ratio controls might seem limiting, but the adaptive nature of the compression, or ‘Spank’, allows I Heart NY to find work all across a mix, from the master bus to individual tracks to creative FX channels. Calling the compression Spank may not persuade you to wave it near a delicate source (e.g. bowed strings), but you’d be surprised what it can enhance; on acoustic guitar it can add weight without losing articulation or amping up body resonance.

With the Solo switch engaged the plugin works as a straight compressor with Spank acting as threshold and the parallel signal fader as the make-up gain. This is a hard and relatively fast compressor that suits dynamic sources such as snare drums and choppy guitars with a behaviour that is in the Eventide Omnipressor or dbx160A ballpark: strident, punchy and clearly audible as an effect. It certainly spanks.

Heart Surgery

Though I Heart NY is capable of a large amount of artefact free gain reduction, it does seem to work best with a healthy constant low(ish) level of GR with enough parallel gain to hear a real change when bypassed, but without audibly pumping and sucking. That said, over a drum bus it can work well pushed just a little too far, especially if automated in a chorus for extra lift. Spending time with I Heart NY made it easy to quickly dial in the right amount, made all the more easy by a quality adaptive behaviour that does not buckle on bass heavy sources and doesn’t completely trash transients until you’re well into heavy gain reduction. It’s nice not knowing how fast or slow the attack and release are, or quite how high the ratio is, and just letting your ears judge the results, though they do need training out of saying ‘yes’ all the time.

For $29 there is a lot of quality and a utility range that isn’t obvious from a cursory glance at the control set. As a New York style parallel compressor it is well worth the small outlay, but in Solo mode you also get a properly spanky dynamics controller. Definitely try the demo and expect to end up buying I Heart NY.

Key Features:

• ‘New York Style’ Parallel Compression plug-in
• VST, VST3, AU, AAX formats
• Mac OS 10.7 and up, PC Windows 7 and up, 64-bit and 32-bit compatible

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 16, 2021

your code works. thank you.

 

Thank you!