The Red 2 & Red 3 Plug-in Suite accurately models Focusrite’s classic Red range equalizer and compressor hardware – letting you exploit the originals’ famous sound, conveniently from within your audio software. Coveted by producers and engineers for their exceptional clarity and versatility, the original Red 2 and Red 3 remain prized fixtures in professional recording studios the world over. Now, you can use these revered pieces, easily and flexibly, in your own mixes.
The Red 2 hardware is derived from the ISA 215 equalizer circuits, initially designed for the Focusrite Forte console. Its flexible 6-band configuration with high and low-pass filters is powerful and responsive. Distinguished by its subjectively warm and smooth sound, the Red 2 is extremely versatile and remains highly sought-after.
The Red 3 hardware, similarly, uses the same circuit topology as the ISA130 compressor module, based around an innovative proprietary VCA design that earned Focusrite a TEC award for Outstanding Technical Achievement in Signal Processing Technology. The unique implementation utilizes three VCAs in series on the side chain to achieve true compression followed by limiting, rather than the more common characteristic of compression that turns into limiting. The Red 3 is famous for being able to retain a natural sound, even when significant compression is being applied. As such, it has remained the choice of many of the world’s finest mix engineers, such as Chris Lord-Alge, who continues to religiously place his Red 3 over the mix-bus.