Frederick Alonso has announced the release of Infinity, a freeware analog-style mastering compressor and tube saturation effect in 32-bit VST plugin format for Windows-based digital audio workstations.
This free plugin is based on a concept for a hardware device that has been patented in 2014. Apparently, the developer is planning to build a hardware version of this mastering compressor which was inspired by classic analog devices such as the Thermionic Culture and the API 2500 stereo compressor. The software version is currently available only as a 32-bit VST plugin for Windows, however, a Mac OS X version is expected to be released in the future. We don’t have any specific dates for that update, though.
Although it seems that the developer has put quite a lot of work into creating this freeware tool, I wasn’t really able to get much joy out of it during my initial test. The labels on the GUI are very small, so I’ll definitely be taking a closer look at the provided user manual before giving this plugin another go tomorrow. One thing that really put me off was the behavior of the knobs. They move incredibly slow as you drag them with your mouse, which is probably great for fine-tuning but also rather annoying if you want to quickly max out or minimize the value of a certain parameter.
UPDATE: The plugin has been updated in the meanwhile. The knobs move much quicker now (hold SHIFT for fine-tuning) and the GUI is much easier to read. I will test the plugin more thoroughly this evening, but it is already much better than the previous version. Great update!
Just to make it clear, this definitely doesn’t go to say that Infinity is a bad plugin. I’ve only tested it for a couple of minutes (if you can even call that a test) and I’ll take a closer look at it tomorrow. If you guys happen to give this plugin a try in the meanwhile, you’re more than welcome to post your impressions in the comments section below.
On the bright side, I really liked the sound of the tube saturation stage. It’s a very subtle effect, however, it’s certainly something that I could see myself using in the future. I’m really hoping that I’ll enjoy this plugin a whole lot more after I test it once again tomorrow!
To grab your free copy of Infinity, submit your email address in the form located on the right side of the product page linked below. The download pack includes the DLL file and the user manual in PDF format. You can also donate some money if you want to support the developer and his future work.
Download
Infinity is available for free download via Stab Recordings (3.68 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit VST plugin format for Windows).
19 Comments
Phil
onHaven’t tried the plug out yet, but it sure looks pretty!
Bedroom Producers Blog
onYeah, the GUI looks really nice. I wish that the labels were a bit bigger or if the font was a bit easier to read, though.
Phil
onTheir website has been down all day, will try again another time. Looking forward to giving it a go.
UserFX
onJust tried it out and immediatly deleted it. As has been said, the knob behavior is terrible. No need to put up with stuff like that when we got perfectly fine free compressors and saturation plugs to choose from already. Just put “compressor” in the BPB search ;-) Don’t waste your time with this one.
tito
onThe labels are unreadable and Lacks of presets to test.
Jawnson
onI linked the knobs to my MPD24 as a workaround. Turning knobs with your controller is much faster than using the mouse
Stoogie
onI agree it’s a very pretty looking plugin. But those labels need to be reviewed. Labels need to be in a larger font that is clear and readable (but please not comic sans).
Also, get rid of the italics (Except for the logo, that’s nice). The current labels are very hard to read and have already got more negative comments for the plugin than the nice results it can achieve.
I for one like the slow rate of the turning knobs. It is meant for mastering where small increments are very useful. The lack of pre-sets isn’t really an issue either. The hardware compressors its based on wouldn’t have had any. It means you just need to learn how to really use it.
It is a generous thing to give your work away for free. Unfortunately, there are so many options out there now that if users cant get to grips with it quickly they will tend to find another option to use.
If the labels were altered, this would join my go to list.
Sleeepydog
onDoes it say Sweetness on one of the labels? Left of “Original”. What does the Low – Hi do?
Frederick Alonso
onThe new website is online.
Diego
onIts down again
Tomislav Zlatic
onI’ll try contacting the developer today. Perhaps they’re just working on a site update or moving to a different server.
Cristopher Manca
onI have donate but where is the buttons of download?
Chris Manson
onHI guys, I don’t agree with all what I read here. This plugin is such a great thing once you got the grips on it.
Yes the labels are a bit small but use your ears.
I found out that the input and original knob needs to be on 7th position.
It’s a parallel compressor then (NY style). Also the LO – HI knob and + – right from it are some sort
of EQ that you can boost in a sidechain on the compressor itself which is genious!
Never have seen this ever before. This guy knows how to make sounds better over here!
I donated 800$ just because I sold a 4K analog unit because this vst did better.
Diego
onThe website is down. It’s says “pageok” and nothins else
Tomislav Zlatic
onYup, same here. I’ll send an email to the developer today and ask if the plugin will be back online anytime soon.
Diego
onGENIOO!! it change, it says now that the page will getting ready soon (two weeks)
Tomislav Zlatic
onFrederick told me that a temporary download should be up and running within the next two weeks. Also, a 64-bit version of the plugin is in the works!
Tomislav Zlatic
onLink updated.