Kazrog has released MHB Red, a virtual analog compressor/saturator plugin developed in close collaboration with Grammy-winning mix engineer Michael H. Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer, Florence and the Machine). The plugin is based on Brauer’s rare Fairchild 666 compressor, a hybrid opto-compressor distinct from the delta-mu topology of the better-known Fairchild 660 and 670.
The original Fairchild 666 paired 12BH7 and 12AX7 vacuum tubes in the audio signal path with solid-state control circuitry, producing a compression character and tube saturation profile unique within the Fairchild lineage. MHB Red captures the tone and behavior of Brauer’s personal unit, with modernized controls for a plugin workflow.
“The 666 has a very different feel from other Fairchild designs. It responds in a way that’s uniquely musical, and brings elusive character to vocals and other tracks like nothing else. MHB Red captures that behavior in a way I can easily integrate into my mix templates, as its own unique color in the sonic palette.” — Michael Brauer.
MHB Red is the second plugin in the Kazrog/Brauer collaboration series, following MHB Green (based on Brauer’s custom modified AWA G7201 Limiting Amplifier), released in late 2024.
Features include:
- Attack (10ms to 200ms), ratio (2:1 to 8:1), threshold (0dB to -40dB), release (30ms to 3s), and makeup gain (0dB to 20dB).
- THD control for adjustable tube saturation, from subtle warmth to heavy distortion.
- Sidechain high-pass and low-pass filters.
- Stereo link (dual mono by default, linkable for stereo bus use).
- Wet/dry mix control for parallel compression.
- Analog Entropy — Kazrog’s component tolerance variation modeling for realistic stereo width without phase issues.
- A/B preset comparison.
- Copper and black UI themes based on alternate faceplates from the original hardware.
- Adaptive oversampling with independent online and offline quality settings.
- Resizable interface.
MHB Red is available in VST2, VST3, AAX, Audio Units, and LV2 formats for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It does not require authorization — the demo and full versions are separate downloads. The demo is time-unlimited.
Pricing
MHB Red is available for $49.99 USD.
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