What exactly is an opto dynamic effect? In simple terms, it is an effect that has been modeled after a range of equipment and responds dynamically to sound content in a way that is very unique. Such effects have been coming out in the last few years with accelerating speed, but none have truly struck a worthy balance between processing power (which is required to power some of these big plugins) and authenticity. To make your own beats with effects like these requires real skill.

Reverbs and EQ plugins have been at the forefront of the dynamic EQ revolution in recent years. However, compressors are making a big comeback in the digital world of effects, as is evidenced by the slew of high-quality products that have hit our shelves in 2010 already.

One of the main offerings is offered by a company called ArtsAcoustic, which is famous for closely-modeled effects and synthesizers that have been made available for every major host and DAW platform. For beat making enthusiasts, it couldn’t get any better.

So what exactly is on the table? The CL series. This is supposedly ArtsAcoustics’ prime achievement and it has certainly made a splash in the digital music production world. Is it really all that good, though? I’ve been testing it for a while now (well, 3 days), and while I have been impressed, they can certainly do more with a product that costs upwards of $200.

One of the most interesting tidbits coming out of their research lab was that they literally took every single hardware analogue compressor that they were in possession of and dissected them all to come up with the CL series of virtual effects. So what we eventually get is a mock-up of the most legendary hardware ever constructed for use in our own digital studios. Apparently, the warmth is supposed to come across. But does it really?

What I found, and what the main problem is for ArtsAcoustic, is that they tried to do too much. The CL plugins take a little bit from each device, and in the mess of it all, leave you with too little of everything and enough of nothing. We hear a composite compressor that never existed. All the implementations in the world don’t give the digital world the heart that analogue hardware has been offering audiophiles for decades. What is the solution? I don’t get paid to figure this out. That is the job for companies like the one in question. One thing is for sure: it’s back to the drawing board, because I’ve uninstalled CL and its files from my computer, and won’t be putting it back on until they get their heads on straight. I would recommend this program if this is your first venture into dynamic effects as the sound isn’t too bad. It just isn’t good enough for my liking.