Free 1208 SCS Channel Strip VST Plugin Released By 1208 Audio

1208 Audio has introduced 1208 SCS, a freeware channel strip in VST and VST3 plugin formats for compatible 64-bit digital audio workstations on Windows.

The current version of 1208 SCS features a compressor, a 4-band parametric equalizer with a high-pass filter, a mixer module, and a matrix section for routing adjustments. The different modules are laid out vertically in hardware channel strip format. Since this is an early version of the plugin, it’s possible that new features will be added in future versions.

At the moment, the features are rather basic and I don’t see a major advantage to using 1208 SCS instead of your favorite EQ and compressor plugins. Having a two-in-one solution is sometimes a nice workflow enhancement, but this particular channel strip plugin doesn’t bring anything particularly interesting to the table. The included compressor and EQ effects are not bad, but they are generic and not special in any way. The control layout is fine, although the knobs could be a bit larger for better compatibility with higher-resolution screens. The metering is also underwhelming, with three generic VU meters for input volume, output volume, and gain reduction.

Of course, there’s no reason whatsoever to complain about a freeware plugin. If you’re looking for a freeware channel strip, give this one a try and perhaps you’ll end up using it regularly. But as someone who already has a couple of favorite equalizer and compressor plugins, I’m giving it a pass, for now at least. As mentioned earlier, perhaps a future version of 1208 SCS will come with a more exciting feature set. The current version of 120 SCS is compatible with 64-bit digital audio workstations on Windows.

1208 SCS is available for free download via 1208 Audio (21.4 MB download size, RAR archive, 64-bit VST/VST3 plugin format for Windows).