Ray: Since you have used the MultiCOMP in over 400 projects now (big compliment for me, thanks Dante!) can you give a small review of what it can do for mixes? How is it compared to other mastering processors?

Dante:  Since the outboard TC Electronics didn't work at 96KHZ, I really needed a Scope 'in-the-box' multi-band compressor and the DADEV_Multicomp didn't seem to be as intuitive or responsive as the dNa-MultiCOMP.  The dNa-MultiCOMP fits right into my mastering paradigm which is probably a bit unconventional in that I basically use the same mastering chain and gain staging for every single track.  That is:  MasterIT=>PsyQ=>dNa MultiCOMP=>BrickMaster.  If you check out John Paul Braddock's 'Mastering The Cube' from ScopeRise #26 it's the dNa-MultiCOMP which helps fill out the vertical axis (the second dimension or frequency spectrum) of the Cube such that it helps keep each of the three bands (bass/middle/treble) all relatively full.  The first dimension is filled by a technique known as LCR (Left, Centre, Right). The third dimension is the one mentioned by yourself - that is the 'light and shade' you need similar to photography.  You need background and foreground.

Upon diving deeper into the release version of MultiCOMP I realised that this device was no one trick pony.  Not just a Multiband Compressor, but also a Multiband Mid Side Widener, Equaliser and Filter.  All of which can help to fill out the first, second and third dimensions of the cube.  So MultiCOMP can be considered as an all-round Paul Braddock's Cube filler!  Based on this theory I went ahead and removed two other devices from my mastering chain because their functionality was now covered by MultiCOMP !

Filter:  Low Cut and High Cut.  Adjustable frequency for Low and High cutoffs. 

EQ:  Low, Mid and High bands with adjustable frequency and gain per band.

MS: Stereo widening Low, Mid and High bands with adjustable crossover frequencies between bans. 

CMP: Low, Mid and High bands with adjustable frequency, compression and gain per band.

I decided to test this new mastering setup on a new track I had produced.

It was a cover version of Holly Johnson and Vangelis album title track called 'Europa'.  A stirring synth rock track about the fall of the Berlin Wall and its affect on Germany as a nation and Europe as a continent.

Also as a celebration of the release of Reason 10, I used 6 instances of the new Reason 10 synthesizer called 'Europa'.  Europa is a great shape shifting synthesizer so the challenge was to use it for as many of the parts of the arrangement as possible.  In fact all the sounds in the production are Europa except for the drums, guitars and a violin sample.

But back to Scope - now that the release MultiCOMP has replaced three Scope plug-ins in my XITE-1D mastering setup this has freed up DSP when all sections of the MultiCOMP (Compressor, Mid Side, Equaliser and Filters) are in use.

The beta version of MultiCOMP only did compression - which it was very good at across three bands.  Now that the release version gives control over tone, dynamics and stereo spread it is now a contender for a one stop mastering processor with dynamic DSP usage.

The metering showing the output of each of the three bands is also a very useful feature showing a spectral picture of your mix for quick reference.

MultiCOMP is a great all round stand-alone mastering solution that will suit many and varied studio and professional projects alike.

Dante and Ray January 2018