FirComp 2, BaxEQ, PhillyDI: Free Plugins of the Week
3,7 / 5,0 | 
FirComp 2, BaxEQ, PhillyDI: Free Plugins of the Week · Source: Jon V Audio, ToneLib, Make Believe Studios
FirComp 2 is one of the best compressor plugins out there – and now you can download it for free! This week’s round-up of the best free plugins also features a Baxandall EQ and an emulation of a rare custom DI box.
Jon V Audio FirComp 2 Is Now Pay-What-You-Want
FirComp 2 by Jon V Audio is one of the best-kept secrets in the plugin world – some even say that this ultra-transparent compressor rivals big dogs such as FabFilter Pro-C2. And now you can download it for free! The developer has updated the pricing and made FirComp 2 available on a pay-what-you-want basis (it used to cost £23). While you don’t have to enter a price to download it, we suggest you support the developer if you can, as this is a truly outstanding compressor.
FirComp 2 can handle pretty much any audio source and compression task from clean and transparent dynamic shaping to brickwall limiting. It’s got it all: comprehensive controls, multiple compression modes, an external sidechain input, mid/side processing, and excellent metering. Highly recommended!
FirComp 2 is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU versions. There’s also a Linuxversion, but it’s experimental and not officially supported.
ToneLib TL BaxEQ: Free Baxandall EQ
TL BaxEQ by ToneLib is a free Baxandall EQ plugin for gentle tone shaping with a transparent and musical sound. It’s great for adding presence or brightness to the highs, or beefing up the lows without making them sound boomy or muddy.
In addition to low and high shelving bands, each with frequency and level controls, TL BaxEQ offers sweepable low-cut and high-cut filters. It’s also got a great animated EQ curve display, which helps to find the right frequencies.
TL BaxEQ is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, and standalone versions.
Make Believe Studios Philly DI: Free Emulation of a Rare Custom DI Box
Craving that old-school Philly sound? Philly DI by Make Believe Studios is a free emulation of the rare custom-built DI box created by Joe Tarsia, founder of Sigma Sound Studios. Designed as a general-purpose DI box, the Sigma DI became a favorite of guitar and bass players due to its superior sound. It can be heard on recordings by the Jays, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, the Stylistics, the Spinners, MFSB, Grover Washington Jr., and Patti LaBelle, among others.
Only 50 of these DI boxes were ever made, so the chances of getting your hands on an original hardware unit are rather slim. Luckily, this free plugin brings the sound of this coveted box to your DAW. The developer says that it faithfully emulates the transformer characteristics of the original. There’s also a level-compensated drive control, which lets you hit the transformer harder if desired, as well as an integrated compressor.
Philly DI is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, and AU formats.
Looking for more free plugins like FirComp 2, TL BaxEQ, and PhillyDI? Check out our archive!
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