Carbonated Audio has announced the release of an update to its opto-tube vocal compressor for macOS and Windows.
Tonic is built around a circuit-modeled signal chain — opto cell with thermal memory, dual time-circuit envelope (FIX / MAN / F+M modes), tube push-pull saturation, transformer modeling, soft-knee, and oversampling — and ships with a full webview-based GUI written in React, embedded directly in the plugin via JUCE 8.
The result is a vocal compressor at $20 USD with the visual presence and resizable workflow more commonly seen in plugins five times the price. Tonic offers four GUI sizes (1080×640 down to 378×224), a built-in preset browser with eight factory presets, real-time stereo metering, and audio-reactive surface treatment more common in modern soft synths than vocal compressors.
The DSP is purpose-built for vocals but holds up on bass and bus work. Soft-knee with hardcoded 6dB width preserves natural opto behavior without the squash. Oversampling at 1×, 2×, or 4× cleans up tube saturation transients on bright source material. The activation system uses HMAC-signed serial keys with up to three machines per license.
Available in VST3, AU and AAX plugin formats, Tonic v2.0.0 is a free major update for v1 customers — same activation key, completely rewritten interface. A free demo version is available to try the plugin, and Tonic is also part of the Carbonated Audio Complete Bundle (5 plugins for $75 USD).
More information: Carbonated Audio
