BRIGHTON OPTO TUBE COMP

- CUSTOM SERIES -
 THANK YOU!
Thank you for purchasing our BRIGHTON OPTO TUBE COMP
plugin.
Designed and tested in the UK, this plugin combines modern
advances in highly technical software production to bring
you the ultimate ITB professional music production dynamic
tool.
This plugin is an official third-party product for Acustica
Audio’s Acqua N4.
This plugin uses a patented technology courtesy of Acustica
Audio SRL Nebula ©, please read the manual for installation,
settings and usage.
LONDON ACOUSTICS
We are a London-based group of very passionate producers
and musicians with a passion for recording gear and years
of experience working in the pro-audio industry. impeccable first issue LP of “Unknown Pleasures” by Joy
Our mission is to offer cool new sound palettes for Nebula
users and, of course, for ourselves!
There are different product series:
• CLASSIC SERIES, rare and/or hidden gems from the past.
• CUSTOM SERIES, sampling of our custom-made hard-
ware prototypes/mods;
• SIGNATURE SERIES, sampling of endorsed signal chains/
hardware from professional studios partners.
So stay tuned!
© London Acoustics 2019 - © Nebula technology by Acustica Audio 2019
FOREWORD
About ten years ago, if not more, while visiting some friends
(mastering and mixing engineers) in Brighton at Christmas
time, we encountered a couple of interesting and unexpected
events: one was the veteran car run and the other
a local vinyl record fair.
Brighton appeared magical to us, with its Christmas lights
everywhere and a stunning warm sunset beyond the pier.
The mood was consequently well suited to enjoying the
quaint, vintage market atmosphere all around us.
Admiring the ancient cars, purring, sputtering and gasping
for another kilometer, numerous tired or dead vehicles at
the road side, the owners with their heads under the hoods,
we discussed this peculiar desire to own and care for unreliable
vintage gear instead of its shiny new counterparts.
Of course, the motive we kept coming back to was the “aura”
of the classics and the warmth and unique sensations one
gets from an old analogue mechanical object.
After that we visited the vinyl record fair and spotted an
Division. The desire to own it was instantaneous.
Mulling this over we realised that people tend to want the
same thing that gave them a big sensation of pleasure the
first time around. The same album, in this case, but on a
different medium - vinyl. The subsequent thought was: How
could we achieve something completely new that would give
that same sense of pleasure, but in a fresh new medium?
What if it could be better or different when compared to the
usual vintage suspects? Do you really need another LA-2A
limiter emulation in your arsenal?
When is something new truly welcomed as a classic?
 BRIGHTON OPTO TUBE COMP is a custom-built, versatile
compressor with strong character. It can be slow and smooth
like a classic RMS opto with normal settings, or push it to
extremes and it is very capable of some snappy ‘pumping’.
It is based on a classic Vactrol VTL5 optical photocell detector,
a custom-built one, coupled on a breadboard with a
new-concept, custom-circuit tube preamp designed by
V. Realacci of Sound & Light (in Formia, Italy).
FEATURES:
• Vactrol VTL5 optical photocell detector and a second one
with ultra fast last generation LED light bulb.
• Ratios: 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 20 (limiter)
• Attack (ms): 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 3, 7, 10, 30, 75
• Recovery (s): 0.03, 0.07, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.20, 3.50
• Peak reduction range (dB): from 0 to -64
• Makeup gain range (dB): from 0 to +24
• Hi pass filter sidechain (Hz): from 0 (sidechain off) to 250
• VU Meters IN/OUT -42/+5dB; REDUCTION 0/-30dB

Available in VST, AU, AAX - 32, 64 bit formats.

BRIGHTON OPTO TUBE COMP, with its modern tube

compressor concept is well suited to a wide range of
applications, especially for vocals (even with a high amount of
gain reduction), lead lines, bass and drums - short attack and
recovery are very interesting.
Also using it in buss or master buss with moderate settings
can be pleasantly surprising.
The attack and recovery times are, in this machine, quite fast
compared to other similar compressors thanks to the use of
a very fast type of LED source.

BRIGHTON OPTO TUBE COMP, is already capable to retain

a good amount of low-end even at a high level of reduction
and 100% wet signal, but if this is not enough, it also features
an internal sidechain to allow the user to set the low response
at the preferred level.

© London Acoustics 2019 - © Nebula technology by Acustica Audio 2019

 CAL
PEAK REDUCTION
calibration of the
in Decibels, the
volume at the opto
threshold at which
coupler input TUBE
the compressor
(sometimes the track Normal mode GAIN MAKEUP
volume is too high or too starts to work if the
or Hot, REDUCTION in Decibels,
low to let the comp work signal amplitude
depending on VU METER, OVERLOAD it compensates
properly) exceeds this value
USE WISELY INPUT level source material in Decibels, LED, for amount of OUTPUT level
only if needed and as peak VU meter TIP: Try to go deeper and personal 0VU/-18dBFS if red just lower level lost using peak VU meter
last tweaking attempt in Decibels than an usual comp. taste calibrated the MAKEUP the compression in Decibels

MIX
in percentage,
it allows use of
the compressor
in parallel with
selectable
balance of dry
and compressed
signal

ATTACK RECOVERY RATIO TRANSIENTS SATURATION HIGH PASS

in milliseconds in seconds For every signal this parameter sets the for more or less FILTER
(the red position (the red position that goes over compressor-transients THD in Hertz,
combinations are good combinations are good the threshold, it behaviour, from a Positions from 7 to 3 to engage and
to emulate a program- to emulate a program- gets compressed snappy character to a o’clock are the set the internal
dependent classics) dependent classics) recommended
according to this softer one, depending sidechain.
range:
TIP: when a combination of red-marked attack and
selectable ratio on your needs (the red value is
NOTE: with tracks recorded
the recommended
recovery is used [ 0.5-0.2, 0.5-3.50, 75-0.2, 75-2.50 ] with gain exceeding -18dBFS,
one to start with)
the behaviour is very similar to THE well known “LA” classic. loudspikes may occur if TRIM is set
Try to set first the MAKEUP and, over the zero level. Please set your
subsequentially, the PEAK REDUCTION knobs to monitors & headphones to a low
achieve your desired results. volume while tweaking.
RATIO 2 to 4 (comp), or 20 (limit) are the best to set with.

© London Acoustics 2019 - © Nebula technology by Acustica Audio 2019

 INSTALLATION TIPS:

• After purchase, you will need to install the Acustica • We suggest that you calibrate your digital levels to the classic
Audio AQUARIUS application found via this link: Acustica Audio recommended reference 0VU = -18dbFS to
http://www.acustica-audio.com/pages/aquarius avoid unwanted distortion, especially for low frequencies.

• This plugin should be loaded using N4, installed via • In the olden days we were all used to recording our tracks
the Acustica Audio AQUARIUS application. as “hot” as possible to maximise the signal-to-noise ratio.
Now, in the digital domain, where we have easy access to very
• It is mandatory to first install either N4 Player (fully func- high-end settings like 24/32bit 48/96kHz, there is no point to
tional and completely free) or N4 (commercial version). push the track gain up to 0VU (-18dBFS), because the source
Once your chosen version of N4 is installed, it is possible STN ratio is significantly worse than even our crappiest DAW
to proceed with the installation of 3rd party products such system. Therefore, recording hot won’t improve your tracks.
as OSAKA MIX EQ. On the contrary, it will make it harder to mix them with the
right amount of headroom. A sensible headroom margin
• NOTE: Please do not install both N4 Player and N4 - use is essential when tracking, to avoid the risk of clipping and
only one of them to guarantee proper functionality of allow you to concentrate on capturing the incoming signal
London Acoustics plugins. as clean as possible. A similar margin is also suggested
when mixing, to avoid overloading the mix bus and
• Also make sure that you use an up-to-date version of N4 stressing the plug‑ins out of their programmed “sweet spot”
Player or N4. zone (even with floating-point maths).

• The legacy N4 FREE and the current N4 Player cannot coexist. • We suggest placing, when possible, the plugin at the end
of the signal-chain, anyway after any other algorithmic
F.A.Q. effect, in order to maximise its coloration effect.

• Q: Why is N4 Player or N4 required to run an ACQUA • Never forget the “bounce” and the “freeze” features of a DAW.
3rd party plugin?
A: Because of the technology backend, and because in this • When making music, use your ears more than your eyes. ;)
way it will be easier to buy, install, register the plugin, and
update its engine in a matter of seconds, directly from the
technology provider. This is the best way to protect and
guarantee your investment.

© London Acoustics 2019 - © Nebula technology by Acustica Audio 2019

 USEFUL LINKS:

• LONDON ACOUSTICS OFFICIAL WEBSITE - www.londonacoustics.com

• LONDON ACOUSTICS ON FACEBOOK - www.facebook.com/londonacoustics

•
• LONDON ACOUSTICS ON YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Un2EtWerbyNDjW_9MVfSA/featured

• ACQUA PLUGIN F.A.Q. - http://forum.acustica-audio.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=398

• OPTIMIZE YOUR DAW FOR ACQUA PLUGIN - http://forum.acustica-audio.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=28945

• TECHNICAL SUPPORT/HELP-DESK - www.acustica-audio.com/store/support

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

WINDOWS OSX
Minimum Recommended Minimum Recommended

OS Windows 7 Windows 10 OS OS

Latest multi- Latest multi-

CPU Quad Core Quad Core
core CPU core CPU

RAM 4 GB 16 to 128 GB 4 GB 16 to 128 GB

HDD/SDD 100 Gb 1 Tb 100 Gb 1 Tb

Screen
1024x768 1920x1080 1024x768 1920x1080
Resolution
VST2/AAX VST2/AAX VST2/AAX/AU VST2/AAX/AU
Audio Host
32 bits 64 bits 32 bits 64 bits

© London Acoustics 2019 - © Nebula technology by Acustica Audio 2019

AND NOW FOR SOME BORING STUFF...
 +12

+11

+10 Blue: Linear PRE

+9 Red: Hot PRE
+8

+7

+6

+5

+4
Magnitude [dB] +3

+2

+1

0
Mic preamp magnitude
-1

-2

-3

-4

-5

-6

-7

-8

-9

-10

-11

-12

10 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k

Frequency [Hz]

-10

-20

-30

-40

-50

-60

-70
Magnitude [dB]

-80

-90 Mic preamp harmonics

-100
Tube: norm
-110

-120

-130

-140

-150

-160

-170

-180

-190

50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k

Frequency [Hz]
 Compression ratio curves (-32dB Peak Reduction)

0.0 dB

RATIO 2:1
-5.00 dB RATIO 3:1

RATIO 4:1

RATIO 5:1
-10.00 dB RATIO 8:1

RATIO 20:1

-15.00 dB

-20.00 dB

-25.00 dB

-30.00 dB

-35.00 dB

-40.00 dB
-35.00 dB -30.00 dB -25.00 dB -20.00 dB -15.00 dB -10.00 dB -5.00 dB 0.0 dB
 Compression ratio curves (-60dB Peak Reduction)

0.0 dB

RATIO 2:1
-8.75 dB RATIO 3:1

RATIO 4:1

RATIO 5:1
-17.50 dB RATIO 8:1

RATIO 20:1

-26.25 dB

-35.00 dB

-43.75 dB

-52.50 dB

-61.25 dB

-70.00 dB
-61.25 dB -52.50 dB -43.75 dB -35.00 dB -26.25 dB -17.50 dB -8.75 dB 0.0 dB
 www.londonacoustics.com
info@londonacoustics.com

www.facebook.com/londonacoustics

Nebula & NAT technology courtesy of: www.acustica-audio.com | MORE INFO & TIPS: www.acustica-audio.com/store/forum