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The Empirical Labs Complete Collection 2 Black Friday deal takes 48% off this four-plugin bundle from Softube, so it costs $179 until Nov 15, 2026.
It gathers Professor Punch-Knuckles, LilfrEQ, Mike-E Comp and the Trak Pak for Console 1 in one purchase. Softube says it was made in close collaboration with Dave Derr, and tuned with mixing professionals and recording engineers in mind.
The maker describes the sound as modern analogue with a retro grunge. It is aggressive without turning harsh at the extremes.
Professor Punch-Knuckles is a saturation plugin. It runs from gentle, warm saturation up to forceful, explosive distortion, which suits drums and vocals.
It has three classic saturation flavors and the distortion sound of the Distressor. Tone shaping comes with emphasis filters, and the plugin is Console 1-ready.
LilfrEQ is an equalizer with eight processing sections, so one plugin can stand in for a multi-plugin chain. Softube modelled it from the Empirical Labs Lil FrEQ hardware, with Dave Derr overseeing the work.
Mike-E Comp is a saturator and compressor based on the Distressor. Softube says this is its first native plugin version of the Mike-E hardware.
The maker says you can push Mike-E to extremes without a hint of harshness.
The Trak Pak is a channel strip expansion for Softube Console 1. It pairs the Lil FrEQ and the Mike-E in one strip configured for mixing, so you get a bit of an Empirical Labs console inside Console 1.
The Trak Pak requires Softube Console 1. Softube also says to run the latest iLok License Manager, which is not included in its installer and can be downloaded from ilok.com.
Yes. The Empirical Labs Complete Collection 2 is 48% off for Black Friday, which brings it to $179. The deal runs until Nov 15, 2026 and covers all four plugins in the bundle.
It holds four Softube plugins: Professor Punch-Knuckles, LilfrEQ, Mike-E Comp and the Trak Pak for Console 1. Softube made them with Dave Derr and calls the result modern analogue flavour.
Three of the four plugins are standard plugins. The Trak Pak is a channel strip expansion that requires Softube Console 1. Softube also advises using the latest iLok License Manager, downloadable from ilok.com.
Mike-E Comp is a saturator and compressor based on the Distressor. It has a preamp with up to +18 dB of gain, three emphasis modes, NUKE mode, external sidechain and a dry/wet mix.
Prices and end dates are checked at publishing time and can change, so confirm them at the store before you buy.