Leveler Control

Leveler Control is an opto-style leveling amplifier built around a feature no other leveler at this price does; every compressor plugin has the same built-in bias – crank the reduction, reach for the output knob to compensate, and louder ends up sounding “better” whether or not the processing actually improved anything. Auto Gain Match removes that bias entirely. Switch it on and the plugin continuously matches output level to input level while you work, so turning Peak Reduction changes the character of the squash without changing how loud it sounds.

The base character comes first: Gain drives the signal into the opto cell, so more drive means more reduction, the same way a real optical cell responds. Peak Reduction sets how aggressively the cell reacts, independent of input level, so you’re never fighting gain staging just to dial in the amount of squash you want. A sidechain high-pass keeps kick and bass out of the detector so the low end doesn’t drag the rest of the mix down every time it hits. Compress or Limit is a single switch, not a ratio knob to second-guess – Compress gives gentle, program-dependent glue, Limit steps up to a harder ceiling for material that needs a real stop.

One VU needle handles metering, and a switch decides what it’s showing; flip to GR to watch exactly how much reduction is happening, flip to Output to read program level. Eight factory presets cover everything from gentle vocal riding to deliberately aggressive room-mic squash where you want the pump and turn Auto Gain Match off on purpose.

What’s Inside

• Auto Gain Match – Continuously trims output to hold level steady as Peak Reduction changes
• Gain – Input drive into the opto cell, -12 to +12 dB
• Peak Reduction – 0-100%, amount of gain reduction, independent of input level
• Compress / Limit – Single switch, gentle glue or a harder ceiling
• SC HPF – 20Hz-500Hz sidechain high-pass, detector only, audio path untouched
• Output – -12 to +12 dB makeup gain
• One VU meter, two readings – Switch between GR and Output
• 8 factory presets – Vocal Leveling, Bus Glue, Vocal Push, Mix Bus Silk, Drum Room Squash, Broadcast Voice, Mastering Touch, and Flat

Installation

• Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
• macOS VST3: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ | AU: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/
• Linux: ~/.vst3/ or /usr/lib/vst3/
• Restart your DAW, open the plugin, activate with your email and license key

System Requirements

• VST3 (64-bit) – Windows, macOS, Linux. AU (64-bit) – macOS only
• Windows 10/11, macOS 11 Big Sur or later (Apple Silicon + Intel), Linux Ubuntu 22.04+ or equivalent
• Perpetual license, 3 simultaneous activations