FabFilter launches Pro-C 3, the next evolution of its flagship compressor plugin

Over a decade on from the release of Pro-C 2, FabFilter has given its flagship compressor plugin a significant upgrade. With six new compression styles and the long-awaited introduction of character modes, Pro-C 3 welcomes in a new-age for the iconic compressor.

Pro-C 3’s most obvious upgrade comes in the form of its new compression styles. Alongside the eight styles of its predecessor, users can now experiment with an array of hardware-inspired algorithms, from Versatile’s vanilla compression, suitable for any material, to Smooth’s ultra-smooth algorithm perfect for low ratios and longer envelope timings.

Elsewhere, there’s also more “extreme” styles, such as the Upward algorithm or even TTM’s combination of downward and upward compression across bands. There’s also a warm opto-like tube compression style in the form of Op-El, while sonic richness can be attained thanks to the Vari-Mu algorithm.

Pro-C 3 also has a Character panel. In the past Pro-C 2 focused purely on compression, so the injection of three unique flavours of realistic analogue saturation will be a welcome upgrade for many. Users can experiment with Tube, Diode and Bright variations, which can then be tweaked and adjusted by, say, raising the Drive or switching between Pre and Post Compression.

The plug-in’s Side Chain EQ has also been improved, allowing users to precisely filter and equalise their sidechain input with ease. While Pro-C 2 limited the number of available EQ bands to three, Pro-C 3 doubles that. All six available bands can be set to any filter shape you desire, and every one can be independently switched to mid or side processing.

There are also a slew of intuitive new tools thrown in to make life easier, such as an Auto Threshold control to help with level-independent compressor triggering, as well as intelligent Auto Gain and Auto Release functions.

There’s also a new Host Sync tempo triggering tool for rhythmic compression, as well as an Adjustable Maximum Lookahead to balance your latency. FabFilter has also hiked up its max oversampling ceiling to 32x for clearer, cleaner playback.

There’s also a slew of aesthetic and organisational tweaks to make life easier. With new tagging and metadata abilities, it’s never been simpler to browse and navigate your way through your presets. Some buttons have also been rejigged for easier access, like the Bypass and MIDI functions.

Alongside all of that, Pro-C 3 also supports fully immersive audio, thanks to its customisable channel/stereo linking abilities. To make it simple, routing automatically adapts to the multi-channel demands of Dolby Atmos, which FabFilter notes will “open the plug-in up to a whole new world of production possibilities”.

FabFilter Pro-C 3 is available now, priced at £149 for new users, with an upgrade available for existing Pro-C 2 users at £72.

Head over to Plugin Boutique to get your copy, or learn more at FabFilter.