ME-30 Gated Compressor / Mixer — Magical Mystery Audio

The story

From the broadcast van to the mix bus.

In the early '80s, broadcasters and location recordists needed one small box that could take a few microphones, keep the levels steady and stay quiet doing it. The ME-30 was that box: three inputs, a built-in compressor, an honest meter, and a clever trick called gated memory that stopped background noise creeping up whenever nobody was talking.

It did that job for years. Then it started turning up in recording studios, because engineers had found out what happens when you stop treating it politely. Drive the inputs and the compressor starts to grind: dense, gritty, a little unhinged, and impossible to get from a clean modern compressor. It became the quiet secret behind a lot of crunchy drum rooms and in-your-face vocals.

Our ME-30 is modelled on the real unit, switch for switch and knob for knob. It levels as smoothly as the original when you're gentle with it, and it misbehaves just as beautifully when you're not.

The controls

Every switch, right where it was.

No redesigned layout and no hidden menus. If you've used the hardware, you already know your way around. If you haven't, here's what everything does.

Front panel of the ME-30 plugin: tone oscillator and lo-cut switches, three input knobs, output knob, VU range, gated memory light, response rate knob, compression meter and meter, stereo, gated memory and power switches

Input 1 · 2 · 3: Three input levels feeding the compressor, just like the hardware's three channels. Keep them low for clean levelling, or push past 7 for grit.
Response Rate: From 0 (fast) to 10 (slow). Fast grabs transients and crunches them; slow rides the level smoothly and stays out of the way.
Lo-Cut: One switch per input that trims low rumble before it reaches the compressor, so kick drums and handling noise don't drive the gain down.
Gated Memory: When the signal drops below the gate, the gain holds where it was instead of swelling back up. The little window turns red while it's holding.
Output: Master level after compression. It's the red knob, so you can't miss it.
Comp.: Turns the compressor off and leaves the input and output stages. Handy for colour without any squash.
Tone Osc.: The built-in line-up tone, for setting levels the old-fashioned way.
Meter: Switches the meter between output level (VU) and how much it's compressing (dB Comp.).
VU Range: Moves the meter's scale between +4 and +8, so hot signals stay readable.
Stereo: Links both channels so the stereo image stays put on buses and stereo sources.
Power: Switches the whole unit in or out, for instant before-and-after comparisons.

Where it shines

Six ways to use it.

Starting points to get you going. Every source is different, so trust your ears from here.

Drum room crush

Put it on the room mics and push the input until the kit explodes. Fast response and the compressor on, then blend it in to taste.

Start hereInput 8 · Response 1 · Output 4

Vocals that sit still

A moderate input and a slower response keep a vocal steady without flattening it. Gated memory stops breaths and room noise jumping up between lines.

Start hereInput 5 · Response 6 · Gated Mem. on

Bass that stays put

Evens out every note so the bass sits at one level in the mix, with a little extra growl on top.

Start hereInput 5 · Response 4 · Lo-Cut out

Voice-over and podcasts

The job it was built for. Lo-cut in, slow response and gated memory on, and your voice stays at one steady, quiet-backed level.

Start hereInput 4 · Response 8 · Gated Mem. on

Parallel grit

Put it on an aux, crank it hard, then sneak 10–20% of it under the drum bus or the whole mix for size and attitude.

Start hereInput 9 · Response 2 · Comp. on

Lo-fi texture

Push the input high and pull the output down for broken-radio character on synths, guitars and samples.

Start hereInput 10 · Lo-Cut in · Output 3

Tech specs

What you get.

Formats: VST3 · AU
macOS: macOS 11 or later, Intel & Apple Silicon
Windows: Windows 10 or later
Channels: Mono & stereo
Sample rates: Up to 192 kHz
Copy protection: None. DRM-free, no activation
Updates: Free for life
Delivery: Instant download via Gumroad

Questions

Good to know.

Do I need an iLok, a dongle or an account?

No. The ME-30 has no copy protection and no activation. Download it, install it, and it works, even offline. We only ask that you don't share your copy.

Which DAWs does it work in?

Any host that loads VST3 or AU plugins, including Logic Pro, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper and Bitwig. Pro Tools isn't supported at the moment, because it needs the AAX format.

How do I get it after I buy?

Checkout happens through Gumroad. As soon as you've paid, you get a download link by email, and the plugin stays in your Gumroad library so you can download it again any time.

How many computers can I install it on?

All of the computers you personally own or use, such as your studio machine and your laptop.

Are updates free?

Yes. Every future update to the ME-30 is free for everyone who bought it.

What if it doesn't work on my computer?

Get in touch at support@magicalmysteryaudio.com and we'll do our best to fix it.

ME-30