Fettle
FET peak limiter, inspired by 1960s FET peak limiters.
Fettle is fast and forward: it catches peaks in a fraction of a millisecond and adds the bite engineers reach for on vocals, drums and bass. Instead of buttons, Smash glides continuously from a clean 4:1 into the all-in sound, and Bite sets how hard the detector distorts.
The controls
- Input
- How hard you drive it: more input, more limiting and more colour.
- Output
- Level after the limiting.
- Attack
- 1 is slowest, 7 is fastest (like the classics). Fast attack tames peaks; slower lets transients punch.
- Release
- 1 is slowest, 7 is fastest. Fast release adds energy and density; slow keeps it smoother.
- Smash
- From a clean 4:1 at 0 to the explosive all-in sound at 10, and every shade between.
- Bite
- How much the detector distorts: more grit and aggression as you turn it up.
Best for
- Rock and pop vocals: forward and present
- Drum room mics: Smash 10 for that exploding room
- Bass: consistent attack and growl
- Parallel drum bus: blend a smashed copy under the dry drums
Starting points
Load Fettle, set these, then adjust by ear. In the plugin, Level match helps you judge the sound, not the loudness.
Forward vocal
Input 26, Output 12, Attack 3, Release 5, Smash 0, Bite 3
Exploding room
Input 32, Output 8, Attack 5, Release 7, Smash 10, Bite 6, then the chain's Mix at 40%
Bass growl
Input 28, Output 11, Attack 2, Release 4, Smash 3, Bite 5
Hints and tips
- Use the chain's Mix for parallel compression: Smash high and Mix at 30 to 50% keeps the punch and adds density.
- Faster Release adds excitement but can distort on bass: back it off if low notes crackle.
- Small moves on Bite make a big difference to aggression.
Chains it works best in
Every Original works in a chain with the others and with members' hardware. These are good places to start.
- Lumiq then Fettle: two-stage vocal levelling: smooth, then caught
- Fettle then Spoolhaus: punchy drums with a bit of tape glue
- Fettle then Punchcard: squash the drums, then bring the attack back with Punchcard
Sidechain
A Sidechain switch for Fettle is coming with its next update. Today Mortar, Mutone and Clasp follow the sidechain.
Watch out for
- Fast attack and fast release on a full mix: it pumps and distorts.
- Smash on everything: it's a special effect, best on rooms and parallel paths.
Fettle is free
Like every DigMusiK plugin, Fettle is free for registered members: it's part of the platform, so the chains you hand on and send for approval play the same for everyone. Try it in your studio, on your own mix.