SlushBus Quick-Start Guide
Version 1.2.0 · VST3, AU, CLAP and AAX · Windows, macOS and Linux
Start here
SlushBus is a bus compressor that can work in both directions: it can reduce loud material and lift quiet detail. Its reference scope draws that movement live, so the fastest way to learn it is to make one change at a time and watch the scope while you listen.
The two-minute DePump test
- Open a drum bus or mix bus that is already compressed hard enough to breathe or pump.
- Insert SlushBus after that compressor.
- Leave Max Reduce conservative and bring up DePump slowly.
- Level-match with Mix, then bypass SlushBus. Listen to the space after each hit, not just the peak.
If the recovery feels steadier without losing the original compressor's character, you have found the job DePump was built for.
Install and open it
- Close your DAW before installing.
- On Windows or macOS, open the download and run the included installer. On Linux, extract the archive and follow its included README.
- Reopen your DAW and let it scan. If SlushBus is missing, trigger a manual plug-in rescan.
- Look for SlushBus in your dynamics or compressor list and insert it on a stereo bus.
The demo is the complete plugin. It briefly drops to silence from time to time until licensed; there is no account or card required to try it.
Read the interface in four passes
1. Set the boundaries
Max Reduce caps how far SlushBus pulls loud material down. Max Boost caps how far it lifts quiet material. Start with small limits; they make it easier to hear which direction is helping.
2. Shape the movement
Strength scales the overall action. Mix blends the processed and dry signal for parallel glue. Attack, knee, release and delay shape how quickly the movement engages and recovers.
3. Decide what the detector hears
The sidechain high-pass and low-pass filters keep unwanted lows or highs from driving the detector. Transient emphasis and threshold change how strongly hits steer the action. Use them to make the movement follow the musical event you care about.
4. Watch the reference scope
The scope is the explanation, not decoration. It shows boost and reduction as they happen. If the picture is constantly pinned while the bus sounds smaller, back down the limits or Strength. If it barely moves, make one control more assertive and listen again.
Three useful starting workflows
| Goal | Start with | Listen for |
|---|---|---|
| Undo obvious pumping | DePump on an already compressed bus; conservative Max Reduce | A steadier tail after kicks and snares |
| Lift quiet detail | Small Max Boost, restrained Strength, level-matched Mix | Room and texture arriving without the peaks getting flatter |
| Add deliberate motion | Swell, then tune release and delay around the groove | Movement that returns in time instead of wandering |
Change one section at a time. SlushBus has depth, but the scope makes each change testable.
If something feels wrong
SlushBus does not appear in the DAW. Restart the host and run a manual plug-in rescan. Confirm that the format you installed is enabled in the host. Windows and macOS include VST3 and AAX; macOS also includes AU. Linux includes VST3 and CLAP.
The bus gets smaller instead of tighter. Lower Max Reduce or Strength, and level-match with Mix before judging. Try adding only a little Max Boost after the reduction feels controlled.
The low end makes the whole mix move. Raise the detector's sidechain high-pass filter so deep lows have less influence.
The effect is hard to hear. Exaggerate one control until its movement is obvious on the scope, then back it down. Comparing two subtle changes at once is much harder.
You are stuck. Email support@brucejames.studio with your OS, DAW, plug-in format and the step where it stopped working.
Formats and downloads
| Platform | Formats |
|---|---|
| Windows 64-bit | VST3, CLAP, AAX |
| macOS | VST3, AU, CLAP, AAX |
| Linux x86_64 | VST3, CLAP |