Review: MagicDeathEye from DDFM

In this article we’ll take a look at DDMF’s MagicDeathEye compressor!

The MagicDeathEye compressor is a highly regarded outboard tube compressor designed by Ian Sefchick, loosely based on the Fairchild 660 (the time constants are a pretty big hint). DDMF have brought The MagicDeathEye compressor to a wider audience with their plugin version allowing us to get a taste at a much more wallet-friendly price. 

The MagicDeathEye compressor exhibits comparable compression qualities to the VariMu compressors in the Fairchild style, offering a smooth musical character, and subtle harmonic colouration that your mixes will love! 

“Already now a legendary piece of hardware, the MagicDeathEye compressor is just too good to be exclusively available only to some of the greatest studios in the world. After almost a year of careful circuit and signal analysis, DDMF and Ian Sefchick are extremely proud to present the official plugin version of this lovely beast! Staying extremely close to its hardware role model while still keeping the CPU load at a very reasonable level, we sincerely believe that the answer to the ever-old question ‘Do I really need another compressor plugin’ is a resounding yes for this one!”

Too hard, too soft, just right

With the large number of plugins out there, finding space for a new one (and possibly replacing an old favourite!) is becoming harder and harder for me. Demoing the MagicDeathEye, I wasn’t really sure where it was going to fit, until I was mastering a song that already had a great sound. It didn’t need the glue and grabbiness of a SSL-style bus compressor, but the usual suspects for more transparent levelling weren’t fitting the bill either. The song needed some extra saturation and levelling, but nothing too heavy-handed. At this point, the MagicDeathEye took the stage.

D1 to the D2

Let’s dive into the heart of the MagicDeathEye compressor – here, you’ll find the usual suspects – Input, Threshold,  as well as Time settings that dictate both attack and release time. The compression’s attack and release are regulated by the “time” knob, which ranges from “1” (fastest) to “4” (slowest). There are then two additional times, D1 and D2 which have a fast attack, and dual stage release time that varies depending on the gain reduction applied. The “attack” switch allows you to modify the attack portion for each “time” setting, with options for a Fast, Medium or Slow response.

This section includes two additional switches: one for bypassing all audio processing by the plugin (similar to the On/Off switch on the left-hand side), and another for incorporating a 150Hz filter to the compressor’s sidechain detector.

The hardware unit consists of balance and calibration screws that are prominently displayed on the plugin’s interface, but are not functional. However, the smaller screws which are easily overlooked offer Output Vol. adjustment for makeup gain and a Wet/Dry control for internal parallel compression. 

We’ve got the basics covered, but here’s a little secret: the MagicDeathEye logo holds a special power. Give it a tap and watch as the VU meter morphs, along with the compression style, now set to the almighty Punch mode.

MagicDeathEar

It’s easy to bust out a bunch of the typical meaningless audio terms to describe this plugin, but I think in this case many of them fit!

I would describe this plugin as ‘velvety’ sounding – the sound quality is rich and full, thanks to the subtle even order harmonic saturation, along with a smooth and non-abrasive top end that gives it a silky touch.

Due to its VariMu nature, it is hard to over-compress with this plugin as it doesn’t scrunch up and get distorted, but instead goes very mushy at extremes (common amongst feedback compressors).

As such, it often finds its way onto my vocal bus, tucking the overall vocal level in as more layers are introduced to maintain consistency. However, it also helped in a pinch when mastering, when other compressors were either too sterile or too aggressive, the MagicDeathEye was a perfect middle ground.

The Punch setting alters the response curve of the compression allowing for more kick drum to come through as well as increasing the saturation in the low end. This moves the compression style away from a smoother Fairchild like character, to more of a dbx160 style “thwack” (but not as dramatic!). This is perfect for adding that extra oomph to your master or drum bus. Only catch? The graphic is a bit tacky, and it hides the gain reduction metre!

The MagicDeathEye compressor is as at home on your master bus, as it is on a lead vocal. It has a brilliant full-sounding sheen, controls a sound source, and brings out a rich fullness.

Do you really need another plugin compressor? I have to say, the answer is YES!

Find out more about MagicDeathEye from DDMF