Overview

Designed for a “Big Impact”
The original hardware Vertigo VSC-2 Quad Discrete Compressor built its stellar reputation largely on the four custom hand-built, discrete “1979” VCAs used in its design. Unlike other VCA compressors, the VSC-2 incorporates four discrete 1979 VCAs across two channels. This plugin version of the VSC-2 captures every nuance of the original hardware, bringing its smooth, clear, glossy, and precise performance to your DAW.

The power of Quad VCAs
Each channel in the VSC-2 is equipped with one VCA in the audio path, and another one inside the audio sidechain, allowing it to even react to out of phase peaks without image shift. The VSC-2 provides variable harmonics depending on Gain Reduction and Make Up Gain, making this compressor one of the cleanest “coloring devices”out there, perfect for precision applications like mastering and mix buss treatment.

Multiple modes, multiple colors
Although the VSC-2 was developed as a Stereo Bus Compressor, each channel provides a complete set of controls which also makes the VSC-2 a dual mono "must have" in the mix. It gets even better in plugin form with a dedicated mono version. Add on unique and innovative features such as the ratio control, which increases with amplitude in “Soft” mode for smoother compression, and you have a clean-but-colored compressor that can find its way into any mix.

Compression, soft or hard
With its Soft mode, the VSC-2 “tip toes” its way into compression, starting with ratios as low as 1:1, and then slowly and automatically increasing to as high as 8:1 as the signal intensifies. This gives you a practically inaudible start to compression, even with extremely dynamic signals. Meanwhile, the Brick mode transforms the VSC-2 into an analog limiter, effectively cutting off signal peaks for a tight, smooth tone with incredibly even transients.

 

Features

  • Ratio variable from “soft mode” through compression ratios of 2:1, 4:1, 8:1 and 10:1 all the way to “Brick” mode.

  • Soft Mode: In soft mode the ratio starts at 1:1 and increases with input level up to 8:1. The compressor “tip-toes” into compression providing a nearly inaudible start to compression.

  • Brick Mode: In Brick Mode the VSC-2 becomes an analog Limiter, effectively cutting off Signal Peaks at the set threshold.

  • SC Filters: Switches for controlling the sidechain filters. In the 60 Hz or 90 Hz positions, these frequencies are largely ignored by the compressor. In the off position, the sidechain filter is removed from the circuit.

  • Stereo/Mono: Switches the VSC-2 between stereo and dual mono modes.

Audio Examples

Industry Reviews

  • Robert L. Smith

    Robert L. Smith

    Emmy Nominated Producer/Engineer/Mixer (Lady Gaga, U2, Glee)

    I just wanted you to know I have bought most of your plug-ins in the last few months. Your gear is truly amazing! Can't mix and master without them. Thanks so much for making these excellent… Read More

  • Soundprank/Colin E. Fisher

    Soundprank/Colin E. Fisher

    Anjunabeats, Armada, Enhanced Music

    One of the best compressors I've heard, period. The way it responds to an incoming signal and shapes dynamics removes any doubt about whether a plugin can sound as good or better than… Read More

  • Tony Vincent

    Tony Vincent

    Artist/Producer (Queen’s We Will Rock You, Green Day’s American Idiot, The Voice)

    This isn’t just another compressor from PA. I compulsively use this compressor on everything from vocals to drum buss applications in MANY situations. Delicious transparency as well as… Read More

  • Jody Wisternoff

    Jody Wisternoff

    DJ, Producer (Way Out West)

    Extremely snappy, juicy little compressor. Great strapped over the drum buss, really slams.

Customer Reviews

  • Gamechanger.

    ★★★★★
    by EILIV
    Just got this, and I’ve put this everywhere since. It delivers everything from discrete and smooth compression to massive punch. It has this clear and glassy, yet warm sound that feels very high… Read More

  • Extremely snappy and clean

    ★★★★★
    by PaoloT
    This is the compressor you want to use when you want everything to be neat, clean, classy. It's modern and with not a hint of vintage. It has something of the API sound, but without the dirt.Read More

  • True Classic

    ★★★★★
    by Glenn Loopez
    really good compressor. amazing on drums, but very useful on plenty of material. A true classic high quality vst

  • VSC-2

    ★★★★★
    by Trevor Weber
    This compressor is one of my all time favorites. Often I use Izotope RX to render my waveforms. I like to see the results and save CPU on my tracks. When other compressors don't quite get me there,… Read More

  • Incredible amount of punch

    ★★★★★
    by B. van kaa
    Love it on a snare, Incredible on de parallel smash buss. It brings tone and character of the instruments to live.
View All Customer Reviews

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX DSP, AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 15 down to macOS 12
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel, or Apple Silicon

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

VSC-2 Installers

Installation Manager

Manuals

ChangeLog

VSC-2

Vertigo VSC-2 - Changelog

Version 1.15.1 (Oct 9, 2023)
- General: fixed CPU spikes on Mac OS

Version 1.15.0 (Aug 15, 2023)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for AAX
- General: added macOS Ventura support
- General: improved plugin loading time in the DAW
- General: fixed issue causing Logic to crash when closing the plugin UI
- General: improved font drawing behavior

Version 1.14 (Mar 15, 2022)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for VST3, VST2 and AU
- General: added macOS Monterey support
- General: added Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H1 support
- General: discontinued Windows 7 support
- General: discontinued macOS 10.9 and 10.11 support
- General: fixed metering behavior in block sizes of 2048 samples and higher

Version 1.13 (Mar 22, 2021)
- General: Compatibility with Logic on Apple Silicon devices via the Rosetta-2 layer
- General: Fixed possible artefacts when freezing or bouncing tracks in Pro Tools
- General: Fixed automation highlighting disappearing in Studio One
- General: Improved license dialog visibility in dark mode

Version 1.12 (May 27, 2020)
- General: Qualified for use with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update
- General: VST3: Fixed potential hangs in a DAW upon loading
- General: Fixed logical issues in undo / redo behavior
- General: Fixed UI resizing issues in Ableton Live on Windows
- General: Fixed audio processing initialization issues on amp and delay products
- Added plugin toolbar
- Added scalable UI feature

Version 1.11 (Nov 06, 2019)
- General: Qualified for use with macOS 10.15 Catalina
- General: Qualified for use with Windows 10 November 2019 Update
- General: Fixed plugin validation in Logic under macOS Catalina
- General: Fixed preset name restore in Logic when reopening a session
- General: Fixed opening authorization dialog triggering automation
- General: Improved instantiation times for plugins
- General: Improved license functionality and branding for subscription
- General: Removed 32-bit support on macOS and Windows

Version 1.10 (Jul 10, 2019)
- General: macOS 10.14.5 Update compatibility
- General: Windows 10 1903 Update compatibility
- General: Fixed activation issue in Windows hosts set to non-English language (e.g. Cakewalk)
- General: AU: Fixed issue with increased CPU and memory on reopening UI
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with adapting to host knob mode, and now prioritizing linear
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with VST3 preset permissions
- General: VST3: Improved synchronization between parameter states and some UI functions, e.g. toolbar reset

Version 1.9 (Nov 16, 2018)
- General: macOS Mojave compatibility
- General: Windows October 2018 update compatibility
- General: adding Windows High DPI support for VST2/3 plugins
- General: Fixed potential crashes in Cubase and other VST2 / VST3 DAWs
- General: Fixed potential CPU spikes and audio dropouts
- General: Fixed rendering in Pro Tools on the start of a session
- General: Fixed missing presets in Wavelab and other VST3 DAWs
- General: Improving keyboard control, fixing issues with catched keys preventing it from passing through to DAW
- General: Fixed parallel use of host sessions (e.g. with Live)

Version 1.8 (May 24, 2018)
- General: Microsoft Windows Redstone 4 compatibility
- General: Added computer keyboard control for plugin parameters
- General: Fixed Mouse scroll wheel not working in Windows 8
- General: Fixed an issue where plugins will not validate or load after a certain amount of plugins have been loaded (Windows)
- General: Fixed visual GUI freezes when adjusting DAW parameters, meters, analyzers (Mac)
- General: Fixed possible issue with Pick Pack licenses
- General: Small licenser stability fix

Version 1.7 (Oct 23, 2017)
- General: Mac OS High Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed possible crash on online activation (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed Logic Pro X not validating AU plugins (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed CPU spikes and crashes with Cubase (Windows)
- General: Fixed bug that could lead to "AAE -6 error" in ProTools (Windows)
- General: Fixed crash with FL Studio
- General: Fixed crash when cross-opening plugins in various hosts
- General: Fixed crash when using mixdown in Audition
- General: Fixed crash in Final Cut Pro
- General: Fixed delayed parameter handling and crackling issues in Cubase with VST3
- General: Fixed bug where plugin settings were not saved in Harrison Mixbus
- General: Fixed bug that led to AAE error -9317 in ProTools when instantiating plugin
- General: Fixed bug where plugins did not render properly when "x ray" option is enabled in Sonar
- General: Modifications to factory presets were lost when reopening session
- General: Fixed mouse wheel behaviour with second monitor setup (Windows)
- Some plugins: Value labels do not appear every time when clicking on parameter in UI
- General: Faster instantiation time for plugins (Windows)
- General: Adding support for automation highlighting in Presonus StudioOne

Version 1.6.1 (Dec 20, 2016)
- General: Mac OS Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed automation issues in AU and AAX
- General: Fixed license dialog use of special characters
- General: Improved AU preset support
- General: Performance improvements

Version 1.6 (Apr 1, 2016)
- General: Major UI codebase update
- General: Fixed possible crash when authorizing plugin
- General: Added gain reduction meter support for StudioOne 3
- General: Installers show version info in Windows "Programs And Features"

Version 1.5.4 (Jan 18, 2016)
- General codebase update
- Removing RTAS format support

Version 1.5.3 (Jul 18, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.5.2 (Jun 22, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.5.1 (May 27, 2015)
- Fixed wrong installation path for 32-bit Win VST plugin version

Version 1.5 (Apr 14, 2015)
- Added AAX DSP format
- Added parameter displays
- Fixed GR metering

Version 1.4 (Nov 18, 2013)
- Licenser update (V3): Fixes and new features
- Prevent wrong mouse wheel behavior in 32-bit hosts on 64-bit Windows (Windows bug) (87, 95, 156)
- Fixed keyboard events after text input in Pro Tools Windows (325)
- Fixed parameter value display in VST3 (330)
- Fixed toolbar triggering automation (335)
- Fixed window size issues (279, 327)
- Fixed possible preset issues in Pro Tools 11 (312)

Version 1.3.1 (Jun 28, 2013)
- fixed installer for 32-bit Windows

Version 1.3 (Jun 21, 2013)
- added support for Pro Tools 11
- licenser update: fixes and new features
- fixed automation with VST3 offline processing

Version 1.2 (Apr 05, 2013)
- otimized performance
- fixed issues with possible high CPU load
- fixed Avid related issue in Pro Tools 10 that could lead to sporadic crashes
- fixed issue that could lead to values jumping in Ableton Live

Version 1.1.4 (Jan 16, 2013)
- added support for high resolution displays (e.g. Apple Retina)
- licenser: improved Pro Tools activation

Version 1.1.3 (Oct 31, 2012)
- licenser: minor fixes
- licenser: fixed activation issue under Mac OS 10.5 / Pro Tools 8
- licenser: fixed potential crash in online activation under Mac OS
- licenser: fixed issues with USB stick activation
- licenser: fixed file handling with offline activation

Version 1.1.2 (Jun 22, 2012)
- Licenser update: added toolbar and USB activation
- Fixed response issues in AU format

Version 1.1.1 (Jan 28, 2012)
- Resolved DAE/AAX AudioSuite incompatibility
- Fixed audio problems with certain licenses
- Fixed broken VST3 on Windows
- change company string to Plugin Alliance

Version 1.1 (Jan 2, 2012)
- Fixed crash in Reaper when changing channel configuration
- Fixed gain reduction meter on Pro Tools control surfaces
- Added AAX Native
- Added 64-bit support
- Added Plugin Alliance Licenser

Version 1.0 (Nov 11, 2011)
- Initial release