Baby Audio IHNY-2

Punchy Parallel Compressor (VST/AU/AAX)

IHNY2 boasts a complete visual overhaul to its predecessor but continues to drive Baby Audio’s mission to create “the hardest-hitting compressor in the industry.” A new central XY pad enables you to dial in the amount of parallel compression to your mix, as opposed to the original’s two knobs and one slider.

The plugin splits your audio into a dry and wet track. Using the XY pad, you’ll dictate the balance of the two tracks on the vertical axis, while using the horizontal access to set the compression amount of the wet track. As Baby Audio says, this lets you “operate the most important controls of the plugin in just one motion.”

As you set your parameters along the XY pad, an autogain algorithm will provide a consistent output level. You can adjust autogain manually with a slider on the front panel.

IHNY2 goes slightly deeper than I Heart NY in its configuration options. A dedicated Tweak panel offers access to standard parameters such as attack and release times, and compression ratio, alongside proprietary functions.