Overloud Gem 160

Overloud give some virtual VCAs a workout in a characterful compression plug‑in.

With any large plug‑in bundle, you’ll get more use from some plug‑ins than others. It has certainly been that way for me with Overloud’s Gem Studio collection, which I reviewed back in August 2021. I haven’t often felt the need to revisit their emulations of the Binson disc echo or Thermionic Culture Vulture, but I’ve leaned pretty heavily on some of the other processors, chief among them Comp G.

Gem Comp G is based on the classic SSL G‑series compressor, embellished with useful additional touches like a variable high‑pass filter, wet/dry mix control and optional Mid‑Sides operation, and I’ve used it to good effect on drums and on the master bus. Since that review appeared, the Gem Studio line‑up has continued to grow, and the latest addition emulates another classic VCA compressor design — or, rather, three closely related designs.

Grab & Go

Gem 160 is intended to replicate three different flavours of dbx 160 hardware: the 160VU, 160XT and 160A. Unlike some other dbx models, none of these devices offered manual attack or release time adjustment. Instead, they feature unique auto‑response characteristics, which are largely responsible for their distinctive, ‘grabby’...