Rona Vintage Vari-Mu Compressor is a dual-channel vari-mu compressor in the Rona Vintage line from Rona Audio, with the unit’s own front panel as the interface. Every knob and switch you see works; the circuit behind them is modelled stage by stage so the controls interact the way the hardware’s do.
- INPUT L — Left channel drive into the compressor, -20 to +20 dB in 0.5 dB steps (before the detector; not shown by the GR meter)
- THRESHOLD L — compression onset for this channel’s detector (RMS, 1 ms integration); the soft knee is 10 dB wide about it
- RATIO L — compression strength with a soft knee: the stated ratio is reached 10 dB above the threshold (the reference level); the vari-mu law bends further above it (the ratio keeps rising with level); 1:1 = no gain reduction at a …
- ATTACK L — detector attack time constant (the gain reduction deepens over this time, in the dB domain)
- RELEASE L — recovery time constant (the gain reduction recovers over this time, in the dB domain)
- MAKEUP L — Left channel trim after compression and the tube stage, -20 to +20 dB in 0.5 dB steps (not shown by the GR meter)
- INPUT R — Right channel drive into the compressor, -20 to +20 dB in 0.5 dB steps (before the detector; not shown by the GR meter)
- THRESHOLD R — compression onset for this channel’s detector (RMS, 1 ms integration); the soft knee is 10 dB wide about it
- RATIO R — compression strength with a soft knee: the stated ratio is reached 10 dB above the threshold (the reference level); the vari-mu law bends further above it (the ratio keeps rising with level); 1:1 = no gain reduction at a …
- ATTACK R — detector attack time constant (the gain reduction deepens over this time, in the dB domain)
- RELEASE R — recovery time constant (the gain reduction recovers over this time, in the dB domain)
- MAKEUP R — Right channel trim after compression and the tube stage, -20 to +20 dB in 0.5 dB steps (not shown by the GR meter)
- LINK — ON: both detectors are evaluated with their own settings and the greater attenuation is applied to both channels (the image never shifts); the knob values are never overwritten. OFF: dual mono
- SC HPF — ON: a 90 Hz 12 dB/oct high-pass in both detector paths only, so low bass drives the compressor less; the audio path keeps all its bass
- BYPASS — ON: the latency-matched dry signal replaces the output (no trims, compression or colour) over a 20 ms crossfade; the hardware stays lit
- REDUCED MOTION — GUI only (settings panel): the power animation uses plain fades, no needle settling bounce or glow modulation. No effect on the audio
14 factory presets in 5 categories. Formats: VST3 and AAX (Windows 10/11 64-bit); VST3, AU and AAX (macOS). Stereo output. Installed, activated and updated with RONA License Manager.
