THE GLUE
Bus compression, done right
A feed-forward VCA compressor in the spirit of the SSL G-series — the sound that holds a mix together. Subtle, cohesive gain movement that makes a busy arrangement feel like one performance.
What it does
SSL CONTROLS
Stepped & program-dependent
The classic stepped ratio, attack and release, plus an Auto release that adapts to the music — brief peaks recover fast, sustained passages breathe slowly.
SIDECHAIN HPF
Stop the low-end pump
A high-pass on the detector keeps kick and bass from triggering the whole bus, so the compression follows the music instead of riding the sub. The single most important control for mastering glue.
MID / SIDE
Centre and sides, apart
Switch the detector into Mid/Side and compress the centre and the stereo sides independently — tighten the middle without squashing the width, or vice versa. Adjustable stereo link from dual-mono to fully linked.
PARALLEL MIX
New-York blend
A wet/dry Mix control for parallel compression — slam the compressed path and dial it back under the dry signal for density and punch without losing the transients.
METERING
See the gain ride
A large gain-reduction meter anchors the panel, flanked by input and output levels, with a soft knee, makeup and an auto-gain option so the level stays matched while you dial in the feel.
One studio, one language
Glue is one half of the SHLabs mastering bench — the dynamics to Stesso's tone.
A paid, closed-source SHLabs plugin in active development. This page is an early look; pricing and availability will be announced when it ships. Follow SHLabs to hear when it lands.