Ar1: Kush Audio

Turn the Input up until the needle jumps. Turn the Output down to match volume. Listen to the low end bloom. That is the Kush sound.

If you’ve only ever used clean, surgical compressors (think Pro-C or FabFilter), the Kush AR-1 is going to feel wrong at first. Because it is wrong. It’s colored, it’s slow, and it’s gloriously dumb. Kush Audio Ar1

It is musical .

There is a specific moment that happens when you push audio through a Kush Audio AR-1 (or its equally brilliant plugin counterpart, the AR-1). Turn the Input up until the needle jumps

It’s not the moment of compression. It’s the moment before that. It’s the sheer weight of the signal hitting the transformers. That is the Kush sound

Ignore the gain reduction meter for 10 minutes. Set your level so the needle is just tickling the threshold. Then, turn the Input up by 6dB. You’ll see 5-7dB of reduction, but it won't sound compressed. It will sound louder and rounder . That’s the vari-mu saturation working. 3. Where does it live? The AR-1 is too slow for drums (unless you want a "pumping" room mic). It’s too thick for a clean vocal.

But the is a miracle of modern coding. Greg Scott (Kush’s founder) obsesses over harmonic distortion curves. The plugin breathes exactly like the hardware. If you are ITB, buy the plugin. Do not buy a "clean" compressor. Buy the AR-1 for its flaws. The Final Verdict The AR-1 is not transparent. It is not fast. It is not versatile.