The Glue

Price: USD 99.00

The Glue is an analog modeled compressor plug-in based on The classic 80's British big console buss compressor with some additional features. It uses the same high quality algorithms used in circuit simulation packages but optimised for real time use. It's quick and easy to use and has an uncluttered interface.

Additions over the original circuit include an ultra-fast attack time of up to 0.01mS and a Range knob which backs off the compression to give incredibly natural sounding attacks and limits the maximum amount of compression applied. Also included are external sidechain support and an adjustable sidechain highpass filter.

The Glue - Installation and Quickstart.pdf

The Glue - Release Notes.pdf

Cytomic - Software License Agreement.pdf

Existing customer?

If you are an existing customer looking to upgrade your copy of The Glue do not download the trial version. Please head to the download section of your account.

Want to trial The Glue?

You can download the trial version of The Glue with one of the links below. The trial period is 14 days total use in 2 blocks of 7 day long chunks that don't have to be consecutive.

Download one of the following versions, unzip it and read the included Installation And Quick Start Guide for further details.

Trial Version 1.2.1

Download TheGlueTrial_v1.2.1_Mac64Au.zip - Intel 32-bit and 64-bit, OS 10.5 or higher
Download TheGlueTrial_v1.2.1_Mac64Vst.zip - Intel 32-bit and 64-bit, OS 10.5 or higher
Download TheGlueTrial_v1.2.1_MacRtas.zip - Intel 32-bit, OS 10.5 or higher
Download TheGlueTrial_v1.2.1_Win64Vst.zip - 64-bit host, WinXP, Vista, Windows 7, SSE2
Download TheGlueTrial_v1.2.1_WinVst.zip - 32-bit host, WinXP, Vista, Windows 7, SSE2
Download TheGlueTrial_v1.2.1_WinRtas.zip - WinXP, Vist, Windows 7, SSE2

Audio Examples

Kasper Keys Dry

Kasper Keys Glued

Pumping of the synth using a sidechain from the drums to give the synth rhythm, which is soloed at the start of the clip with the drums turned down so you can clearly hear the effect. Some gentle mastering compression rounds off the whole mix. Synth by Magnus Lidström using SynPlant, drums and compression by Andrew Simper using MicroTonic and The Glue.

Doof Dry

Doof Glued

Ahh, so that's how they do it!; This slightly flat sounding doof doof song is turned into a slamming dance tune - and all done with a single copy of The Glue on the entire mix. By fjolle.

Thuric Subdoloth Dry

Thuric Subdoloth Glued

Heavy master buss compression to lift and ambience and make the whole loop pump with life. Automatically generated pattern by the The µTonic Patternarium for MicroTonic.

Freon Surfer Dry

Freon Surfer Glued

Heavy master buss compression to make the synth pump through the drums. A preset loop from MicroTonic

Three very different sounding acoustic drum loops have been processed with the same setting of The Glue, and are display first dry then limited with The Glue in three pairs below. The light grey waveforms are the dry audio and the yellow waveforms are the limited ones. As you can see the levels vary greatly on the dry waveforms and are very consistent on the yellow, peaking at around -6 dB.

Three different acoustic drums loops are processed with the same setting of The Glue. You shouldn't hear much difference between the dry and limit versions but as you can see from the image above there is a big difference in the peak levels. Drum pattern and sounds are from BFD Eco

A/B examples between The Glue and the analog hardware its based on with an extreme setting to highlight any possible differences in character between the two. If the two sound identical to you then this is a good thing since the analog hardware is over 30 times the price! Drum pattern and sounds are from BFD Eco

Looking for the uncompressed dry and processed 24-bit wav versions? Here they are!

the-glue-drums-ab-wavs.zip

Feature Summary

Accurate analog model of classic 80's British big console buss compressor
Ultra-fast attack time of up to 0.01 mS
Range knob to naturally control the maximum compression applied
Peak Clip to optionally hard limit transients
DSP coded using C++ and assembler, Interface coded using the Juce framework (C++)
Serial number copy protection with generous license agreement (but no license transfers)

Circuit Modeling and DSP

The Glue features the same circuit modeling techniques use in professional circuit simulation packages but optimised for real time use. The signal flow structure including all feedback loops and useful non-linearities of the original circuit has been preserved. The algorithm uses actual values for resistors, capacitors, diodes, and other circuit components. The voltages and currents are solved in real time and match as closely as possible to the analog circuit in both the time and frequency domains.

Minimum System Requirements

Vst 2.4, Au, or Rtas compatible host that can handle 4 input 2 output plugins (stereo sidechain)
Mac: Intel OS 10.5
Win: XP / Vista / 7 with SSE2 CPU

Tested And Working Hosts

If your host is not listed below then please make sure the trial version is working correctly before you purchase.

Logic v7.x, 8.x, 9.1.2
Live v6.x, 7.x, 8.1.1
Pro Tools v8.0.3
Cubase v5.0.1
Reaper v4.261
Sonar v7.0
Wavelab v6.x

Kudos

The quotes below were given voluntarily, and never in exchange for copies of software. Please download the trial version and have a listen to it for yourself to get a better idea of how it can help in your productions.

“I heart the glue... finally, a compressor with the short attack times i've always wanted plus side chainy goodness to deliver the meat to my productions that my butcher cannot.... Cytomic does no wrong here!”

- Joel Zimmerman (deadmau5)

“You won't see my name associated with many products but I'm proud to be on your website. The features and purity of sound of The Glue show a deep understanding of how compressors work. Your balance control invites experimentation with parallel compression and your range control allows the Glue to grab the sound early without over compressing. The Glue not only moves more like analogue compressors but most surprisingly it also has a nice ‘tone’ which is always a characteristic of different analogue boxes but missing on other plugins I've tried. I don't know how you're doing this but congratulations and thank you.”

- Mike Stavrou (author of Mixing With Your Mind)

“I'm in a mix right now and using The Glue. This vst is hot!!!!”

“The Glue is a must have in my set up, it is simply on every track i've done so far since i have it. As a master, or sidechain, its simply wonderfull, punchy or smooth. I come from a 100% hardware environment, and so it took me a while to find a good alternative.”

- Sebastien Leger

“I've never been an advocate of expensive outboard gear, but I never found a software compressor that had the ‘magic’ of outboard buss compressors... until I got The Glue. The difference between it and the typical software compressor is not subtle - it clamps and tames your signals without any of that transient coloration, or sterile clamping found on most software compressors. Don't let the low price fool you, if you give it a test-drive I'm pretty sure you'll hear why everyone is raving about it!”

- Steve Duda (Xfer Records, BSOD)

Reviews

“How does their plug-in compare with established offerings from Waves and UA? ... The Glue sounds more open and has a more defined stereo width — and it certainly provides ‘the glue’ on a variety of instruments. It's kind of a ‘more of everything’ compressor, and at a great price too!”

- Sound On Sound Magazine Nov 2010 Issue

“...both the Mix and Range controls add a host of options for dialling in the compression flavour, and in practice we found this made The Glue an incredibly flexible compressor not just for use on the master bus, but for individual instruments too... The Glue is a world-class pulg-in and, at $99, we reckon it offers amazing value.”

- Computer Music Magazine Issue 164, view online version at Music Radar

“...it's time to measure it up against my own SSL. I fed both compressors the same loops and they squashed and snapped the audio like two peas in a pod. Cytomic have got very close to the SSL flavour, but with the advantage of faster attack times, and the extended range control to bring it up to date for the virtual studio.”

- Future Music Magazine Issue 221

“Let me cut to the chase. The Glue is a magic lamp. It's one of those tools that immediately makes you go, ‘So that's how they do it!’ It's also mindlessly simple to use... If you're making music that relies on thump-you-in-the-chest punch, this could be the only compressor plug-in you'll need for a long time. Seriously.”

- Keyboard Magazine

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