From the control room
Guides
Why moves work, not just what to click. Short technical articles on compression, saturation and EQ, written at Studio 4 in Cleveland, the room where the plugins are built.
Guides
Technique articles: the mechanism first, then how to use it in a session.
Bevel EQ vs FabFilter Pro-Q 4: what each one is for
Pro-Q 4 does more, and it should at its price. What the two share, what Bevel EQ deliberately leaves out, and which one belongs in your session.
Updated Jul 29, 20267 min read
Why engineers put saturation before compression
Running a saturator in front of a compressor does more than add harmonics. It rounds the peaks the detector measures, and that changes every decision the compressor makes.
Updated Jul 9, 20267 min read
Harmonic Multiband vs FabFilter Pro-MB
What FabFilter Pro-MB clearly does better, where the two overlap, and what the Harmonic Multiband's detector saturation does that Pro-MB does not attempt.
Updated Jul 9, 20267 min read
The best Pro-Q alternatives in 2026, including free ones
An honest look at Pro-Q 4 alternatives as of July 2026: TDR Nova and Nova GE, Kirchhoff-EQ, the EQ already in your DAW, and where our own Bevel EQ fits.
Updated Jul 9, 20266 min read
FET vs opto vs tube: which compressor behavior and when
The names describe circuits, but what you hear is detection and release behavior. What FET grab, opto memory, tube knee and clean math do, and where each earns its insert.
Updated Jul 9, 20267 min read
How to use a multiband compressor without smearing your mix
Splitting a mix into bands is not free. This guide walks the crossover phase problem, how allpass compensation fixes it, and when multiband is the wrong tool.
Updated Jul 9, 20267 min read
Detector-only saturation: make a compressor hear differently
Saturate only the copy of the signal the detector measures and the compressor stops chasing micro-transients and leans on the body, while the audio path stays clean.
Updated Jul 9, 20267 min read
Zero latency compression: when plugin delay actually matters
Lookahead and oversampling buy real quality by delaying the signal, a trade that is free in a mix and poison in a headphone cue. Here is the mechanism and when to care.
Updated Jul 9, 20267 min read
How to read a spectrum analyzer, pre vs post
An analyzer only tells the truth if you know its FFT size, tilt, and smoothing. What each setting hides, and how to hunt a resonance with the display.
Updated Jul 9, 20266 min read
Manuals
Plugin manuals: every control, spec and workflow, kept current with each release.
Bevel EQ: the manual
The v1.1.0 manual for Bevel EQ: installation and license activation, band shapes and slopes, dynamic bands, per-band stereo placement, the analyzer, the keyboard map, and the FAQ.
Updated Jul 29, 202612 min read
Harmonic Multiband Compressor: the manual
Install, activate, and run the Harmonic Multiband Compressor: the Harmonics Engine, the six-band foundation, session recipes, and the full reference.
Updated Jul 9, 20267 min read
Forge Compressor: the manual
Installation, activation, the four circuit modes, sidechain routing and session recipes for Forge Compressor. The complete v1.0 reference.
Updated Jul 9, 20267 min read