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FireChild Black Friday pricing takes 70% off this vari-mu compressor plugin, bringing it to $29 until Nov 25, 2026.
It's a four-model compressor from Tone Empire, and the maker calls it the King of Vari-Mu Compressors. Three tube models (A/B/C) sit alongside a transparent "off" model.
The maker says it works on the master or on individual tracks, from the mix bus and mastering to drums, instruments and vocals.
FireChild aims to recreate the character of the variable-mu compressors of the 1950s. In those units, vacuum tubes handle the gain reduction right in the signal path, with no detour through a separate compression circuit.
The maker points out that these units served as protective limiters in broadcast and vinyl cutting. Catching stray peaks reliably meant fast attack times, which it counts among the originals' most important traits.
The tube models come from sampling real hardware at multiple stages of gain and compression, then running those samples through dynamic convolution. The three units sampled differ slightly in electrical components and in tube life.
The maker adds features the originals never had. The sidechain section has a high-pass and a low-pass filter, both 24dB/oct and sweeping 20Hz to 20kHz, plus sidechain gain and an on/off switch.
A mix knob blends the compressed signal with the uncompressed one. The dry path keeps the A/B/C model processing, while the off model returns the original signal untouched.
Oversampling goes up to 8x to reduce aliasing. The maker warns it is CPU-heavy, so use it where you need it.
Presets are included as starting points, and you can build your own from scratch.
FireChild is 64-bit only and will not run on 32-bit systems.
Tone Empire notes that some anti-virus software may flag the installers. It says it has tested them with Norton and found them clean.
Yes. The FireChild Black Friday deal takes 70% off Tone Empire's vari-mu compressor plugin, bringing it to $29 until Nov 25, 2026.
FireChild has 4 models: tube versions A, B and C plus a transparent off mode. It adds a sidechain section with 24dB/oct high-pass and low-pass filters, a mix knob, a knee control, 6 release times, up to 8x oversampling and a set of presets.
Yes, it's a VST3 plugin. On Mac it also comes as AU and AAX, on Windows as AAX. It requires a 64-bit host and 64-bit only systems: macOS 10.13 or later, or Windows 10 or later.
The maker sampled real vari-mu hardware at multiple stages of gain and compression, then built the models with dynamic convolution. The A/B/C models come from units with slightly different components and tube life. The Bias control adds extra saturation.
Prices and end dates are checked at publishing time and can change, so confirm them at the store before you buy.