In this free tutorial, Paul Drew demonstrates how to use the fantastic Plugin Alliance Brainworx bx_opto compressor on a lead vocal, part of a large collection of AAX plugins for Pro Tools.

The Brainworx bx_opto compressor combines some of the best colours, character and features from what Brainworx has learned modelling the optical circuits of some of the world’s best-loved compressors. Rather than recreating a hardware product in software, the bx_opto takes the best aspects and anomalies from these legendary light-dependent circuits to create a software compressor you’ll wish you could buy a hardware version of. The result is a beastly little dynamics processor, teeming with character and spitting out sounds no analog optical compressor can.