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Software, Windows
Wavegrove HCL Islander v1.1.1 WiN-MOCHA screenshot
MOCHA | VST2/VST3 | 5.8 MB
Islander Vari-Mu compressor with a clipper
This is just not another compressor in an oversaturated market. This is a dual gain stage feeder with time controls that doesn’t get in the way. This is a classic vari-μ design filled with a gritty groove. This is a high-end clipper with added tonality options. This is your gain stage’s first or final step. This is Tom Hanks with fire. This is Titanic’s parallel universe survival. This is phase free raw gain at its purest form. This is Islander – our take on Handcrafted Labs ingenious parallel tube drive design.

Compressor features
✓ Stereo and Mid-side modes, Linking or Dual Mono.
✓ Two controls for gain, one for WET and one for DRY.
✓ Gain Link to inversely mirror your movements between the gain controls, to allow you to blend between wet and dry.
✓ Threshold to control where the compressor starts to react.
✓ Attack from 0.2 ms to 40 ms.
✓ Release from 50 ms to 2000 ms.
✓ VU meters to gauge your compression.
✓ Side Chaining with Feed Back and Feed Forward, at both 75 Hz and 150 Hz, and also of course Full Range.

Additional features
✓ Mastering-grade clipper allows you to push your LUFS to the limits, and maybe over them.
✓ Different emphasis styles for wet and dry. The wet side saturates to a brighter tone, while dry saturates to a smoother tone.
✓ As everything isn’t completely linear, we include Level Calibration too.
✓ Control linking to allow you to control both sides of the compressor with just one set of movements.
✓ Delta monitoring to let you hear the change from the original signal.
✓ Oversampling to allow you to get the smoothest operation at the cost of a bit of performance.


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comments

  Resident 28.12.2016 361
+89
OMG Thanks. Been wanting to try this one.
  Resident 27.05.2022 39 562
+1829
Oh hell yes! Was not expecting this one but i'm glad to see it!

Mocha, your taste in releases is exquisite, i've had my eye on you for a while now. Thanks for efforts!
  Resident 14.09.2013 9 529
+351
Bought this thing because it is just the best out there

Buy his stuff and support the real
Thankx
  Moderator 21.01.2012 2373 16092
+159129
Any technical argument?
  Member 13.07.2018 18
+1
I don't know if it's the best but this compressor sounds very nice and smooth. I will buy it for sure.
But there are many other mastering comp that sound very nice too: UAD Capitol or Fairchild, Unisum, Kotelnikov...
  Resident 9.04.2013 2 464
+165
the Comment has been Removed
  Member 6.09.2016 92
+33
the Comment has been Removed
  Resident 9.04.2013 2 464
+165
the Comment has been Removed
  Resident 11.04.2019 235
+57
the Comment has been Removed
  Member 28.05.2018 27
+9
the Comment has been Removed
  Resident 14.09.2013 9 529
+351
the Comment has been Removed
  Moderator 21.01.2012 2373 16092
+159129
All political comments cleared.
  Member 24.02.2023 183
+70
On the other side, dev created this situation ON PURPOSE
  Resident 27.02.2022 424
+108
Is it an emulation of an existing hardware compressor or not ?
  Member 29.11.2020 29 2556
+2633
https://www.frontendaudio.com/handcrafted-labs-islander-compressor/
It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it. It’s like saying, “I’m not good at being a monk.” You are either living as a monk or you’re not.
  Resident 27.02.2022 424
+108
Thanks Stevie
  Resident 22.06.2013 1 583
+377
the Comment has been Removed
  Resident 19.01.2016 249
+97
Very Nice gui 👍🏼
  Member 9.11.2016 68 402
+2989
for me poblem with windows 10 x64 intel i3 and studio one
crash daw
  Member 12.08.2019 91
+60
I have their preamp affinity and its great. Hopefully this is a great emulation of their compressor
  Member 17.04.2015 1 355
+127
very nice plugin, similar to p11 but with more saturation and air. I Prefer this over p11 or unisum but p11 uses few resources.
  Moderator 12.01.2021 588
+285
Crashed Reaper, WiN7, while adjusting Output (bottom row).

Actually has quite a good sound, but nothing really special.
GR only shows a third of what's really going on.
Oh, and Clip is not clipping.
  Member 19.12.2022 1 156
+72
This is my experience as well. Good compressor but nothing new really.
The clip also sounded strange to me.
I couldn't find any manual...anyone else have better luck?
  Member 17.04.2015 1 355
+127
manual here https://youtu.be/vnH4YmzkuXc
  Moderator 12.01.2021 588
+285
quote by slapnot666I couldn't find any manual...anyone else have better luck?

IIRC, it comes with the installation.
  Member 29.11.2020 29 2556
+2633
GR only shows a third of what's really going on.


The clipper works as a soft-clipper on its own but when there's GR happening on the compressor its behavior changes and reacts together (with the comp), it pushes more signal into compression to a static clip ceiling. The added volume will cause more gain reduction happening but the meter only shows GR by the compressor, completely ignoring the added GR introduced by the Clipping function.

Typically a Clipping function in a plugin will bring down the threshold/ceiling when you turn up the knob, however in this plugin there's a static ceiling where turning up the clip knob will add more volume to make the signal closer to the ceiling and eventually clip.

From the video manual the dev said it is a "True Clipping function that won't fold under pressure". I think that's how it is with the hardware. The clipping works in conjunction with the compressor to prevent excessive clipping by prioritizing the compression before the signal hits the clipping ceiling.

Two unique things I found on this compressor plugin :

1. The Wet (Saturation) knob only creates mid-range odd harmonics saturation, and can work on its own. So it can be used as a "box-tone" saturation to thicken-up the sound.

2. FF/FB mode on the compressor and a separate one for the Detector Side-Chain. It was only FF mode for the Detector Side-chain on the plugin's initial release, the FB mode was added after for more tonal shaping option.

The plugin was designed and meant to be used in Parallel as a tone-shaping box. Throw everything away and leave only the compressor, I think stock DAW compressor is better in a lot of way. The plugin with all its features and blending options can be a useful tool to help shaping the tone of a mix/master. The idea seems brilliant for a hardware to be used in a mastering chain, but for a plugin where there's 1 million other options just 2 clicks away, hmm not so much eh.

One more thing for all its glory being advertised as a Vari-Mu topology, it doesn't sound or behave like one. It sounds like your everyday VCA Bus comp. I'm saying Vari-Mu suppose to be more forgiving when you hit it hard, this plugin however is straight like a fucking arrow.
It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it. It’s like saying, “I’m not good at being a monk.” You are either living as a monk or you’re not.
  Moderator 12.01.2021 588
+285
quote by Stevie Dude The added volume will cause more gain reduction happening but the meter only shows GR by the compressor,

I was talking about the compression only. Compare it to other compressors, this one shows only (round about) a third of the reduction.

quote by Stevie DudeIt sounds like your everyday VCA Bus comp

I'd say, not like a usual VCA either because the ratio gets higher (pretty fast, BTW), with more reduction.
  Member 29.11.2020 29 2556
+2633
I'd say, not like a usual VCA either because the ratio gets higher (pretty fast, BTW), with more reduction.


I expect them to be a little slower and less obvious. I was comparing it to the Pulsar MU that even at 5 to 8 GR you can hardly "hear" the compression and it reacts more like a leveler than actually chopping the sound at lower GR. A softer knee would've been lovely. Vertigo VSC at the "Soft Ratio" setting (ratio increases with GR) is way way softer sounding than Islander, and that one is a VCA design.
It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it. It’s like saying, “I’m not good at being a monk.” You are either living as a monk or you’re not.
  Member 7.10.2018 1 447
+229
That's what I noticed today, vsc is softer sounding. I don't get the hype around this plugin...
  Moderator 12.01.2021 588
+285
quote by Stevie DudeVertigo VSC at the "Soft Ratio" setting (ratio increases with GR) is way way softer sounding than Islander

Yep, because it has way lower ratio.

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