Dynamic control that breathes. Lumen is a high-fidelity optical compressor plugin designed to bring the legendary smooth, musical response of classic hardware levellers to your digital workstation. Developed by Billy Crabbe using the JUCE framework, Lumen captures the unique non-linear character of a traditional light-dependent resistor (LDR) circuit. Whether you are transparently levelling a vocal or adding "glue" and dynamic saturation to a drum bus, Lumen offers a sophisticated suite of controls to manage dynamics with exceptional warmth and clarity. What’s New in v2.0? Cross-Platform Performance: Now fully optimised for both macOS and Windows, including native support for Apple Silicon. Professional Installers: Dedicated .pkg and .exe installers automate the setup of VST3, AU, and AAX components alongside global preset directories. Enhanced Oversampling: High-quality 4x oversampling eliminates digital aliasing, even under extreme gain reduction settings. Why It Sounds Analog Intelligent Envelope: A dual-stage ballistic engine (Fast/Slow) mimics the physical response and "memory" of classic optical hardware photo-cells. Smooth Recovery: Program-dependent release behavior ensures your vocals and bass breathe naturally, avoiding unnatural "pumping" artifacts. Dynamic Tube Bias: As compression works harder, the internal saturation becomes asymmetrical based on the amount of gain reduction. This "compression stress" creates a dynamic tonal shift, adding rich harmonics just like vintage optical hardware. Core Interface & Controls Peak Reduction Mode: Dial in the threshold and compression amount simultaneously for classic levelling behaviour. Drive the Input: Adjust Input Gain (±24 dB) to hit the compressor harder and introduce subtle harmonic character. Auto-Makeup: Intelligent internal gain scaling ensures your output stays consistent as you increase compression. Parallel Compression: The 0–100% Mix dial lets you blend high-gain leveling with your original dry signal for punchy, parallel results. Output Trim: A final clean gain stage (±24 dB) to perfectly seat the signal in your mix. Visual Feedback Precision VU Meter: A high-precision meter that can be toggled to monitor Input, Processing (Gain Reduction), or Output signals. Meter Mode Buttons: Instantly switch the display between IN, GR, or OUT to see exactly how your signal is being treated. Click-Free Power: A smart bypass uses a smooth ramp to keep your transitions silent. Advanced Preset Management v2.0 includes masterfully crafted presets managed by a custom browser managed directly from the header bar: Default: Transparent, light levelling starting point. Vocal Leveller: Optimised to smooth out performances while maintaining presence. Bass Glue: Designed to lock low-end instruments in place with musical release times. Drum Smash: Aggressive settings to bring out room energy and sustain. Technical Specifications Platform: macOS 10.13+ (Intel & Apple Silicon) and Windows 10+. Formats: VST3, AU, AAX. Architecture: Low-latency, 4x oversampled processing. Memory: 4GB RAM recommended. Light up your mix with authentic optical character. Visit www.auricleaudio.co.uk for more.