Tonic
Opto cell with thermal memory. Tube push-pull saturation. Real transformer modeling. Dual time-circuit envelope. $20 instead of $200.
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Five Knobs. No Tabs.
Five knobs and three switches — the entire signal chain in plain sight. No menus to hunt through, no presets to scroll. Set it once and trust the iron.
THRESHOLD
Off → -40 dBu, continuous
RATIO
2:1 → 10:1, continuous
ATTACK
0.5 ms → 300 ms
RELEASE
50 ms → 10 s, program-aware
GAIN
0 → +30 dB tube makeup
Real Analog Modeling
Not a static curve. The opto cell remembers. The tube shifts harmonics under drive. The transformers add weight. Every part of the chain is modeled — not faked.
Opto cell with thermal memory
Release time depends on how long the cell has been illuminated — real opto physics, not just an envelope follower. That's where the "the more it works, the more it wants to work" feel comes from.
Dual time-circuit (FIX / MAN / F+M)
Program-dependent envelope, full manual control, or both blended together. Three release behaviors with a single rocker switch — most plugins skip this entirely.
Tube push-pull saturation
Even-harmonic dominance at low drive. As you push GAIN past unity, the harmonic balance tilts toward odd — exactly how a real push-pull amp behaves. Vocals get warmth without mud.
Input + output transformer iron
Two transformer stages bracket the gain cell — one shapes the input, one shapes the output. Subtle low-mid weight, gentle HF rolloff at ~25 kHz, the iron character that makes hardware sound expensive.
Sidechain HPF (20 Hz – 500 Hz)
Stop the kick from ducking the vocal. Internal or external sidechain, with auto-gain compensation so threshold doesn't drift when the filter engages. Defeat-able when you don't need it.
Stereo / Dual-Mono / Mid-Side
Compress the whole signal, treat L and R independently, or compress just the mid while leaving the sides untouched. Three different vibes, one switch.
Selective 4× oversampling
Oversampling runs only on the gain cell — bit-transparent when there's no compression happening. Zero CPU cost when Tonic is just listening, full anti-aliasing the moment it starts working.
Parallel mix + true-peak safety
Built-in dry/wet for parallel compression. Plus an invisible -0.1 dBFS true-peak brickwall at 4× OS that only catches stray peaks — keeps you safe without colouring the sound.
How It Works
Insert on vocal
Drop Tonic on any vocal track as a VST3, AU, or AAX plugin.
Set the five knobs
Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, Gain — same layout the pros have used for 30 years.
Vocal sits
Glued, warm, present — without the $200 price tag or iLok dongle.
Pair with De-Sipper for a complete vocal chain
De-Sipper tames sibilance. Tonic glues the tone. Together: a finished modern vocal, ready for the mix.
Compatibility
Formats
macOS
10.13+ (High Sierra and later)
Intel + Apple Silicon native
Windows
Windows 10+ (64-bit)
DAWs
Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Studio One, Cubase, Reaper, and more
Why Tonic
Real analog modeling, not snake oil
Topology, opto thermal memory, dual time-circuit, transformer iron. Modeled from the physics — not faked with a static curve.
From a trusted brand
Made by Carbonated Audio — featured on KVR Audio, Rekkerd.org, Audio Plugin Guy, and AudioNewsRoom. Real indie dev, real customer support.
$20 once, forever
No subscription. No iLok dongle. No annual reactivation. Pay once, three machine activations, free updates for the life of the plugin.
Simple Pricing
Full Version
- Unlimited use, forever
- VST3, AU, AAX, Standalone
- 3 machine activations
- Free updates for life
- Email support
- 30-day refund guarantee
🛡 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked.
Frequently Asked
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