Audio Level Destroyer: a crushing, pounding, aggressive compressor for massive drums. Soundtoys’ spin on an old classic.

To take things beyond the hardware that inspired it and give you even more creative flexibility, Soundtoys has created a deluxe version of the Devil-Loc plug-in, Devil-Loc Deluxe. The Deluxe version adds a “Darkness” control for tone, switchable slow or fast release times and a mix knob so you can mix your dry signal back in right on the front panel. The addition of these controls opens up the sonic palette immensely. Dark thundering drums, to driven lo-fi loops, and more, and the mix control saves all that tedious routing and lets you automate mix to keep the Devil from taking over the soul of your tracks. This time, evil is good.

A Bit of History

The original Shure Level-Loc from the 1960s was a brick wall limiter designed to be used in public address systems. Its extreme compression and gritty sound eventually became a secret weapon of some well-known and very creative engineers and producers. It’s an extreme effect and can create huge sounds with drums and room mics, and in small amounts can add sizzle to things like vocals or acoustic guitar.

The controls were very simple, with only a switch for three “distance” settings based on how far from the mic you were. The M62V upped the control a bit by adding an input level knob. The reason it became famous was largely thanks to Soundtoys user Tchad Blake and his desire to push, abuse, and do deliciously evil things to his tracks. He discovered that the Level-Loc was gritty, dirty, and unusual. The kind of compression that made drums gigantic and nasty – which is a good thing. Devil-Loc Deluxe also includes Devil-Loc. It may be little with just two knobs but it is one seriously big sound.

Features

• Extreme compression effect creates huge drum sounds like nothing else
• Mix knob allows you to dial in just the right amount of grit and ambience
• Darkness control lets you shape the tone and roll off crunchy highs for a warmer sound
• Selectable fast and slow release times for added variety and control