Arturia Comp TUBE-STA – Vintage Tube Compressor Plugin (VST/AU/AAX) Arturia

Beef your signal up with fat broadcast sound. A reimagining of the legendary vacuum-tube powered Gates’ STA-Level, a secret weapon for bass and vocals since the 1950s. Accurately recreated as a powerful plug-in, you can add some studio gold-dust compression to your mix. The Arturia TUBE-STA gives you a stunning recreation of the stalwart, valve-driven compressor that was the all-American workhorse of early broadcast and recording studios. With simple controls, dynamic performance, and gorgeous vintage tone, you can now own a piece of history as a software effect in your DAW.

Entering production in the ’50s, the original Gates® compressor featured quirky non-linear attack and release that were very forgiving with almost any input. Its simple controls and fantastic, harmonically rich sound made it a favorite with radio and studio engineers, and now thanks to the power of Arturia’s exclusive TAE® modelling technology, it’s destined to become a favorite of yours, too. Analyzed, mapped out, and reborn as a software plugin, and powered up with new features that make this golden-age compressor a must-have for the modern producer.

Features:

• Virtual recreation of famed classic tube compressor
• Original tube electronic path accurately modeled, using Arturia’s state-of-the-art TAE® analog modeling
• Original variable Recovery parameter
• Additional Arturia creative side-chain features:
  • External side-chain source to trigger the compressor to an external source
  • 5 creative detection mode, including M/S processing
  • Advanced Side-chain EQ
  • Monitor Side-chain signal directly
• Dry/wet Mix knob for parallel compression
• Input-Output gain link switch
• Analog clipping LED indicator
• Comprehensive set of presets
• A/B comparison setting
• Integrated tutorials and unique dynamic preset tips
• Resizable window
• State-of-the-art TAE® analog modeling

If you want tube-tone and that magic vintage gear warmth to liven up your audio, Comp TUBE-STA could be exactly what you’re looking for. A boutique signal processor with a golden touch, the original STA-Level was well known for the intimacy, air, and subtle saturation it gave to any audio it treated. As it moved from TV and radio studios to more music-focused studios in the 60s and 70s, word got around that it had a killer sound on bass and vocals; having this awesome ability to transform weak bottom-end into fat, harmonically rich bass, and bringing voices to life. All this at the turn of one knob.

Its simplicity was certainly part of its appeal, and while Comp TUBE-STA has been given a few modern touches, Arturia’s engineers have been faithful to the original, powerfully simple design.

Through painstaking analysis of a 1950s original, Arturia’s audio engineers and developers were able to “measure the magic” on a component level. Using the same modelling technology behind the award-winning, celebrated V Collection synth compendium, the compressor was reborn as a software plugin, ready to treat your audio with that authentic vintage touch.

Retro Americana a modern French accent
There’s no replacing that iconic tone of a driven vacuum tube, but in the modern era of pristine digital audio and sleek DAWs, that time-honored sound is often forgotten.

Because Comp TUBE-STA has been reworked as a software plugin, Arturia’s engineers were also able to integrate some contemporary features that make this compressor the best of both worlds: a simple, no-nonsense, great sounding compressor that you can use with modern setups and techniques.

The top panel of the interface gives you access to all of the original controls. You can click to expand the plugin to and access its advanced, new features.

Input-output Link
Rather than the now standard “threshold” parameter, the original hardware compressor made you crank the input to engage the effect. This will obviously give you volume boosts and alter levels in your mix, but you can simply hit the “link” button to keep volume levelled as you boost the input, so you get compressed sound with steady volume.

Advanced Sidechain Control
“Shame compressors from the ’50s weren’t set up for side-chaining” you cry, but don’t worry, this has you covered. The advanced panel gives you access to contemporary sidechain controls with SSL-style EQ, as well as mid-side processing so you can carve exactly the sound you want to control the compressor.

New York, New York
One of the oldest recording studio tricks was to split a signal’s path in two, leave one dry, heavily compress the other, and then mix the two signals back together. It became known as “New York” compression, or parallel compression. This simplified the process, and it includes a “Mix” knob so you easily get the same effect.