Vertigo VSS-2 Plug-in — A Mix Real-World Review

New York, NY (May 30, 2025)—You can think of the Vertigo VSS-2 plug-in as “Vertigo Sound’s Greatest Hits.” Developed by Plugin Alliance in collaboration with Vertigo, this channel strip includes filter and EQ sections based on the VSE-2 Gyrator EQ hardware unit and the VSE-4 Big Discrete Gyrator EQ plug-in. The compressor section is from the VSC-3 Quad Discrete Compressor hardware, and the Tube Saturator comes from the VSM-2 Mix Satellite, an outboard processor based on a 1959 W. Frank custom tube desk.

Thanks to those ingredients, the VSS-2 has what it takes to stand out in the crowded channel-strip market. Plugin Alliance, which sells the plug-in singly or as part of selected subscription bundles, describes it as “the complete Vertigo mixing console in one plug-in.”

The plug-in’s modular signal path features an Input stage with a broad range of ±20 dB. Double-clicking it returns it to 0 dB. For visually monitoring the input signal, there’s an 11-stage LED-ladder-style meter that ranges from -60 dB to 0 dB and changes from green at the lower values to yellow at -18 dB and to red at 0 dB. It’s large and easy to see.

Unlike many plug-ins that change their GUI to reflect single-channel status when instantiated in mono, the VSS-2 looks the same in all instances. That means in mono you still see the right and left channels of the meter, but the signal only shows on the left. This is also the case with the similarly designed Output meter at the end of the chain. (This arrangement was a bit jarring initially because my brain is accustomed to thinking there’s a problem when I see only one side of a stereo meter lighting up.)

The next module after the Input houses the Low- and High-Pass Filters. It includes a frequency knob and toggle switch for each; the latter sets the slope at either 6 dB or 12 dB. Like all the processing sections of the plugin, you can switch the Filter module out of the circuit. Both the HPF and LPF can be individually bypassed.

SQUEEZE PLEASE

The Discrete VCA Compressor module is based on the circuitry of the VSC-3 hardware and its VSC- 2 predecessor. Those units are equipped with custom-built “1979” VCAs, which are renowned for their versatility and smoothness. The compressor in the VSS-2 offers a reduced feature set compared to the hardware but still gives you plenty to work with. It provides variable knobs for Threshold, Attack, Release and Make-Up gain, plus a Ratio control with four settings: Soft, 2:1, 4:1 and 10:1.

Soft mode, which the VSC-2 and VSC-3 also have, provides an input-dependent ratio. It starts at 1:1 and goes up to 8:1 depending on how hard you hit it. The result is less compression when the signal first hits the detector. For example, if you compress a snare in Soft mode, it sounds a bit brighter because its initial transient isn’t getting compressed as much.

I tried Soft mode on various sources, including electric bass, drum kit and electric guitar, and found that it allowed the tracks to breathe a little more and not feel as locked down as with the standard ratio settings. It’s a subtle but helpful feature.

The compressor also offers a switchable Auto-Release for program-dependent release settings. If you want to decrease how much bass information triggers the compression, you can turn on the sidechain filter, which has 90 Hz and 120 Hz settings. Unlike the hardware, there is no Brick Wall mode for limiting.

My overall experience with the compressor module has been positive. In addition to the advantages of Soft mode, it’s easy to control and leans toward the transparent side sonically. Considering that the plug-in also sports a Tube Saturator module, coloration from the compressor isn’t really necessary.

GYRATING AROUND

The EQ is based on Vertigo’s Gyrator EQ circuitry used in the hardware VSE-2 and emulated in the VSE-4 plug-in. In the physical world, Gyrators feature active circuitry and emulate the behavior of inductors for modifying frequencies. They’re known for their smooth response, precision and compactness.

The VSS-2’s EQ features four bands centered at 100, 1,000, 1,000 and 5,000 Hz. The low and high bands feature shelving filters, and the Low Mid and High Mid are equipped with Bandpass filters.

Each band of the EQ section provides Frequency and Gain knobs and a center toggle switch. For the low- and high-shelving bands, the toggle offers two filter-slope choices. On the mid-bands, the switches affect the width of the Q. I would have preferred a Q knob for all bands, such as on the VSE-4 plug-in, but the switches give you at least some control. Pressing the Pre Comp button moves the EQ from its default position after the compressor to before it.

In conjunction with the LPF and HPF, the EQ section offers plenty of frequency control and is pretty transparent. I particularly like the way its low end sounds. On a stereo drum track, boosting at 130 Hz fattened up the kick in an organic way and noticeably improved the power of the drums in the mix.

SATURATION NATION

All the processors in the VSS-2 are handy, but for me, the highlight is the Tube Saturator. Based on the VSC-2 Mix Satellite hardware unit, it’s among the best software saturation processors I’ve ever used. Whether you’re just trying to warm up a signal or overdrive it, Tube Saturator adds pleasing analog characteristics to any source.

It also offers a significant amount of control, including the ability to target the saturation to particular frequency ranges of the source, which is accomplished with a six-position knob called the Input Filter Control. The filter knob allows you to choose whether to saturate the full signal or only a specific frequency zone. Choices include Low, Mid, HiMid, High, Full and Track.

Initially, I was perplexed trying to figure out the difference between the Full and Track modes because the manual—which could use more detail, in general—did not explain it. After some research, including going back to the VSC-2 manual, I found the answer. Full mode applies the saturation to the entire signal with no filtering. It’s designed for full mixes and buses. Track mode is intended for individual sources and provides some low-end filtering to avoid muddiness.

Other controls include a Drive Control knob, which governs the amount of saturation or distortion. A Level knob lets you adjust the gain going to the output stage. The Shape knob controls a high-cut filter, allowing you to roll off excessive high-end or shape the tone to make it rounder. The Mix knob is a dry/wet control that is helpful when you want parallel saturation.

The two-way Style switch lets you toggle the emulation between Pentode and Triode tubes. In theory, Triode should be a little warmer and Pentode a little edgier. The difference is quite subtle on the VSS-2.

Another switch, labeled Type, toggles between two tube amplifier styles: Hard and Soft. The differences are also subtle but more apparent than those from the Style switch. The Hard setting emphasizes the transients a bit more, and it did indeed prove the better choice on drums and other percussive sources. A Post Filter button moves the Saturator, which by default is in the final slot before the output, to directly after the Filter section but before the compressor and EQ.

MORE, MORE AND MORE

Other useful features on the plug-in include a four-slot Comparison Panel, which lets users save and compare four different parameter settings. You can copy and paste from one slot to another and reset any of the slots.

Plugin Alliance also included a Preset Manager, with a moderate-sized selection of presets broken down into Channel and Mix bus categories. You can also create your own folders for saving custom settings. Under the gear icon is the Settings section, which offers some valuable customizations, including enlarging or reducing the size of the GUI and turning on 2x, 4x or 8x oversampling.

One feature missing on the VSS-2 that you find on most channel strips is a polarity switch. Although you probably wouldn’t need it most of the time, it can come in handy and would be a useful addition to an updated version of the plug-in.

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The VSS-2 is an extremely capable channel strip. I could see using it on every track and bus in a mix. The ability to turn modules, EQ bands and features within modules on and off reduces the CPU load (if needed) when using multiple plug-in instances. The Compressor is highly adjustable and can control dynamics transparently. The Gyrator EQ sounds quite good, although I wish it had fully adjustable Q knobs like on the VSE-4 plug-in—if you need to get surgical, you might have to open a separate EQ plug-in.

Without question, the Tube Saturator is the star of the show. It sounds authentic and can add analog flavor and warmth to any track. On higher settings, it offers excellent-sounding overdrive.

If I had to choose one channel strip to use when mixing, the Vertigo VSS-2 would be among the leading contenders.