McDSP announces two brand new APB plugins today, designed for use with their Analog Processing Box hardware — the Royal Mu and the Royal Q!
Many of us are already familiar with McDSP, as they’ve been an award-winning audio tech company since 1998. McDSP makes both hardware and software products for DAWs including Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, and Avid live sound systems. Other companies also use McDSP-patented algorithms, such as Audiokinetic, Bioware, and Microsoft.
Perhaps most importantly, they make incredible plugins like the ones they’ve debuted today!
McDSP Royal Mu
The Royal Mu is a dual-channel compressor and limiter. It includes analog biasing and saturation, mid/side processing, equalization, and a full-featured analog compressor/limiter.
- RELATED: Mid/Side Processing Explained
The power in the Royal Mu and Q comes from the APB technology they’re meant to control. These types of McDSP plugins route audio to the APB hardware unit, controlling the analog circuitry within the box itself.
Users operate the APB plugin like any other, but processing is done in the analog domain. Settings can be saved as a preset, plugins can be recalled with a session, and parameters can even be automated with sample-level accuracy.
APB plugins provide true digital workflow with genuine analog performance, for the ultimate hybrid experience. The best of both worlds, as we say.
McDSP Royal Q
The Royal Q is a dual-channel, 4-band EQ featuring parametric and shelving, mid/side processing, and trim controls. The Royal Q equalization is complimented by a custom analog section for a truly unique hybrid processor.
The Royal Mu and Q each offer independent (or linked) control of the left and right (or mid and side) channels.
Analog Processing Box
These two new plugins are the latest additions to the growing line designed for McDSP’s Analog Processing Box. If you’re unfamiliar with it, the APB is the world’s first programmable analog processor.
The goal behind the Analog Processing Box (APB) is to combine the flexibility of software with the fidelity of premium analog processing. Each channel can be controlled by an AAX, AU, or VST3 plugin giving true digital workflow with genuine analog performance. It’s similar in concept to a UAD Satellite, but takes things a step further.
Current processing options include compressors, mastering limiters, transient enhancement devices, multi-channel and multi-band applications, and much more to come.
The best part of this release is that the Royal Mu and Royal Q plugins are free to registered APB-16 and APB-8 customers. You can expect these plugins to officially land in March this year.
- SEE ALSO: McDSP APB-16 Demo w/ Founder Colin McDowell
- SEE ALSO: Best Saturation Plugins
- SEE ALSO: Spotify Playlist Placement