It's very subtle as a mastering compressor should be. The compressor is simply too plain and tame in most cases, however it works well if you need to 'tuck-in' your audio a little bit. I find this to be perhaps the most unused feature on the plugin, especially now that VBC is out. The compressor is very transparent and simple in its design.
It's consists of a compressor and a limiter section. The FG-X is a mastering plugin from Slate Digital.
#Slate fgx pro
Until then, if you're a Logic Pro X user on a 64bit OS X and can't run Logic in 32bit mode (like me) then avoid this until their website says it works on 64 bit.
#Slate fgx 64 Bit
If they DO release a 64 bit version then I will update this review accordingly because even if I get refunded I'll definitely buy it again. I'm currently in the process of trying to obtain a refund from Thomann as it's not possible to run this on my machine, therefore it doesn't work, but as I've registered it I may have to take it on the chin and hope that they release a 64 bit version in the near future - although I'm not holding my breath as it looks like Slate Digital made an announcement back in 2012 that they were "working on it" and it's now 2014, so.
Hopefully they will update that soon to prevent other users experiencing this headache. Now, had I have known that ahead of time I could have saved 3 hours of my life trying to get the damn thing to work - at time of purchase the Thomann website did not mention that it's only available as a 32bit plugin on OS X. It turns out that FG-X is only 64bit on Windows! In fact, it even says so on Slate Digital's website under "System Requirements": So, I went looking onto forums for help and then my heart sank. I was most confused considering I'd just installed the VBC compressors without a hitch. Initially I thought I'd done something wrong when I installed it, so I uninstalled and reinstalled, restarted my system a few times etc. The reason? Well, after installing it, registering it and authenticating the iLok so I could try it out, Logic Pro X won't even recognise it as an Audio Unit. Those guys havent missed yet….I'm only giving this one star because in truth, I can't even evaluate it. thats a whole other can of worms), because life’s too short to not have excellent sounding, super dynamic Masters to enjoy : ) - Props to Graham for this article/video and Props to Steven and Fabrice at Slate Digital. Dynamic Perception knob, and worry no longer about your masters feeling too flat and lifeless (now im not saying this knob is a magic cure for improper gain staging through out the mastering process, its not. Enter the Dynamic Perception knob : ) Whatever you feel your master is lacking in Dynamic Range, grab you ol buddy, Mr. My metering is saying DR of 6-8, but it just doesnt sound like it to ME. How many times have I tried to master a song using an EQ, Compressor, some “sweetening (as you’d say Graham) ” and then a limiter, only to find that even though I have a conservative overall level of -10RMS, set my Ceiling at -.3, my Dynamic Range has mysteriously gone *poof*. Steven and Fabrice you are my heroes (and Steven’s my Jersey brethren) for including this magical feature in your mastering suite. Last but certainly not least, is something that makes the FG-X better than any limting plug-in on the planet…. The limiter does magical things that lets your mix sound like your mix going through it! And if I find I’m lacking some of the lows or highs, I’ve got the Low and High end Detail knobs to compensate or add a little extra something-something to the master. No need to worry about that with the FG-X. As I’m sure a lot of people know, some limiters squash your mixes, dynamic range, etc to the point where you start to lose some of that beefy low end or lush shimmering highs you worked so hard on preserving in your mix. This (i hate to call it a limiter, bc its so much more than that, but for lack of a better term i’ll call it a limiter) “limiter” has to be the best I’ve ever used.
Sometimes I find myself just using the compressor on the 2Buss or my DrumBuss bc it glues everything together so well with being extremely transparent. The Compressor is one of the best plug-in compressors I’ve heard, period. I, like you can no longer master w/o the Slate Digital FG-X.