Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Master Buss Processor Plug-In
The Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Master Buss Processor Plug-In is a faithful software recreation of the legendary Portico II Master Buss Processor hardware, originally released in 2011. Designed for mastering, mixing and stereo buss processing, it combines powerful dynamics control, harmonic shaping and detailed stereo field manipulation in one highly flexible plug-in.
Meticulously modelled to recreate the functionality of the original hardware, the plug-in also adds modern software features including true Mid/Side processing and a variable side-chain high-pass filter. Whether used for subtle master buss control, aggressive mix shaping, stem processing or even individual tracks, the MBP offers an extensive range of tonal and dynamic possibilities.
Comprehensive Dynamics Control
At the heart of the Master Buss Processor is a highly flexible VCA-based compressor and limiter section. Detailed controls for ratio, threshold, attack, release, blend, side-chain HPF, limit and make-up gain allow precise control over dynamics.
The compressor can be further tailored using selectable Feed-Forward or Feed-Back operation and Peak or RMS detection. This makes it possible to move between fast, precise dynamic control and smoother, more musical compression depending on the source and application.
The MBP can operate in Dual Mono, Stereo or Mid/Side modes, giving you complete control over how each channel or component of the stereo image is processed.
Silk Red, Silk Blue and Texture
The Master Buss Processor also features Rupert Neve Designs' distinctive Silk & Texture circuit, allowing harmonic colour to be added independently from the compression.
Silk Red focuses harmonic content in the upper midrange and high frequencies, while Silk Blue concentrates harmonics in the lows and low mids.
The Texture control determines the amount of harmonic enhancement applied, allowing you to move from subtle analogue character to a considerably richer and more coloured sound.
Stereo Field Editor
The integrated Stereo Field Editor, or SFE, provides extensive control over the stereo image.
The Width control can increase or decrease the perceived width of the stereo field, while Depth adjusts the spatial positioning of elements within the soundstage. Corresponding band-pass filters allow these adjustments to be applied selectively across different frequency ranges.
This makes the SFE particularly useful for stereo mixes, stems and groups where you want to refine width, depth and spatial balance without relying on conventional EQ alone.
True Mid/Side Processing
The plug-in expands on the original hardware with true M/S processing.
In M/S mode:
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Channel A processes the Mid
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Channel B processes the Side
The compressor, limiter and Silk circuits can therefore process the Mid and Side independently. The SFE section also gains an expanded operating range, providing detailed control over the level, dynamics, colour and stereo presentation of both components.
Flexible Signal Flow
The default signal path is:
SFE → Compressor → Limiter → Silk → Output
Using the SFE POST function, the Stereo Field Editor can instead be positioned after the compressor and limiter:
Compressor → Limiter → SFE → Silk → Output
This allows the stereo field to be shaped either before or after dynamics processing depending on the desired result.
Key Features
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Faithful plug-in recreation of the Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Master Buss Processor
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VCA-based compressor and limiter
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Ratio, threshold, attack and release controls
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Parallel Blend control
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Variable side-chain high-pass filter
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Feed-Forward and Feed-Back compression modes
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Peak and RMS detection modes
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Dual Mono, Stereo and true Mid/Side processing
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Linked gain reduction in Stereo mode
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Silk Red and Silk Blue harmonic enhancement
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Variable Texture control
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Integrated Stereo Field Editor
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Width and Depth control
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Frequency-dependent stereo field processing
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Switchable SFE signal-flow position
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Suitable for mastering, mix buss, stems and individual tracks
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