Grammy-nominated record producer, mixer, guitarist and founder of MixWave Taylor has produced, engineered, and mixed tracks for bands like Asking Alexandria, Periphery, From First to Last, I See Stars, Veil of Maya, Within Temptation, Holding Absence and more.

How does the Hazelrigg VNE plugin compare to the original hardware in your experience?

In a blind test in the studio, everyone thought the plug-in was the hardware.
It's based on an incredible design utilizing PWM compression. It's tricky to model but totally worth it. The advantage is having something that's clear, hi-fi, and fast while being incredibly charming and musical. The advantage with the plugin is that you can have 100 of them in a mix session! Wet/dry, filters, input/output gain, etc.

What types of sources do you typically reach for the VNE on?

I use it when I'm looking for a clean/fast compressor that's still charming and musical and not sterile. And I use it on drums, vocals, mix bus, synths, bass — pretty much anything.

Has the Hazelrigg VNE replaced any plugins you frequently use?

I think it depends on the genre. I think its strength is when you don't want to mangle a sound but you want to add some magic to it. On pop vocals, it can replace an 1176. It could replace a lot of things.

Do you often use both MixWave: Hazelrigg plugins, VLC and VNE, together?

Yes. One is a line amp and EQ, and one is a compressor. Using both allows you to have that entire channel strip. They both have a similar sonic signature and work together extremely well.

Learn more about MixWave: Hazelrigg VNE here.