M Media Audio has released two new bus compressors: West Coaster and Howdy Compressor. Both plugins are available for VST3 and AU formats, and they target different mixing needs. West Coaster focuses on optical-style glue, while Howdy Compressor delivers a punchy VCA character.

West Coaster: Optical Glue for the Bus

West Coaster is a dual-channel opto bus compressor designed for glue rather than squash. Its detector is slow and program-dependent, mimicking a real optical cell. The gentle knee and musical time constants avoid a hard modern squeeze.

Each channel offers Threshold, Attack (3-300 ms), Release (40-2000 ms), and a 4-position Ratio (1.5:1 / 2:1 / 4:1 / 5:1). An AUTO detent derives release timing from the previous sample’s gain reduction. A restrained 2nd-harmonic saturation stage closes each channel.

West Coaster includes an external sidechain input, Stereo/Dual/Mid-Side routing, a Link toggle, Auto-Level output compensation, and switchable Gain Reduction/Output VU metering. It also ships with full technical disclosure, covering detector topology, oversampling, latency, and measured CPU load.

Howdy Compressor: VCA Punch with a Twist

Howdy Compressor is a fast, punchy VCA-style dual-channel bus compressor. It features a hard knee, single envelope follower, and classic glue character. The plugin also includes a cat-head animation that bobs on the downbeat, tracked live from the host’s tempo.

Threshold, a 4-position Ratio up to 6:1, Attack down to 2 ms, and Release with an AUTO detent round out each independent channel. Stereo/Dual/Mid-Side routing, a Link toggle, and Auto Level output compensation are also included. Eleven factory presets come with the plugin.

Pricing and Availability

West Coaster is priced at $49, and Howdy Compressor at $29. Both plugins are bundled together for $9 through Monday, September 14. This bundle offer applies to the VST3 and AU versions.

Both plugins run on Windows 10/11, macOS 11 Big Sur or later (Apple Silicon + Intel, signed and notarized, universal binary), and Linux Ubuntu 22.04+. AU is available on macOS as well.

Features

• Dual-channel bus compression
• Opto (West Coaster) and VCA (Howdy) styles
• External sidechain input
• Stereo/Dual/Mid-Side routing
• Link toggle for channel mirroring
• Auto-Level output compensation
• VU metering with GR/output options
• Full technical disclosure (West Coaster)
• Cat-head animation synced to tempo (Howdy)
• 11 factory presets (Howdy)

Price
West Coaster: $49
Howdy Compressor: $29
Bundle: $9 (through September 14)

More info: M Media Audio | West Coaster and Howdy Compressor