TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
In-depth Review
January 22, 2022 by Adrian Milea
One of the best plugins that helped me in getting better masters is MD3, the PowerCore version from TC Electronic.
I used this plugin for more than 11 years now.
And you may have noticed this…
There are tons of new audio plugins that appear on the market every year, but MD3 the PowerCore version, even after 11 years since I have been using it, still remains one of the best multiband compressors that I have in my audio production toolbox.
As a side note, I want to mention that - I was lucky, because the engineer who mixed and mastered my second album back in 2007, a couple of months before I created my first ever Pro Tools session, actually showed me what he was using, when I asked.
When I began my audio production I started chasing shiny plugins that audio gurus were recommending.
And one of the biggest mistakes I made during those times - was using a Limiter that so many gurus recommend, even today.
Years later I understood that sometimes, the tools you are using do matter, especially at the mastering stage.
And if you want to learn Audio Mastering - check out my PRO Audio Mastering program, where I go in details about the mastering mindset and the tools you need, the why and the way you have to use them, so that you can finally make your audio production sound professional.
Some background…
In 2007, I created my first Pro Tools session, and in 2009 I composed, produced, mixed and mastered my third album.
But, as always, I wanted to grow more, especially at the mastering stage.
That’s when I asked the engineer who mixed and mastered my second album, about the tools he was using.
And then was my first ever contact with the TC Electronic PowerCore Platform.
I was impressed with the quality of the reverbs and compressors, but there was one main problem.
I couldn’t afford it.
Why?
Well, we were still in the process of building our studio, so the main investment at that point was into our studio.
After a couple of years, and lots of research, in 2011 I actually managed to buy a TC PowerCore 6000, which came with some of the best reverbs and mastering audio processors ported from TC Electronic System 6000.
By the way, this is one of the best systems used by mastering engineers around the world, but it is also used in audio production and the film industry.
And this PowerCore was actually a gift I bought for my brother, but I’ll tell you the story maybe another time...
One of the best plugins that was present on the PowerCore 6000 was the MD3 which came as a bundle with the Brickwall Limiter - which by the way is still one of the best brickwall limiters I have ever heard and used in my music production journey.
The MD3, the PowerCore version was ported from TC Electronic System 6000, which hopefully, one day I will review.
After using MD3 and being amazed about how it affects any material I sent through it, I was searching for different tools mastering engineers use.
And one of the famous mastering engineers, which I respect, was using the MD4 in his system 6000.
That’s when I started wondering how the MD4 compares with the MD3…
And today, I’ll actually do that.
Well kind of… because I do not have a System 6000 yet :D
However, recently, TC Electronic released the MD4 HD Native, so hopefully, I can finally listen to the MD4 processing.
In this article my aim is to share with you my honest review of the TC Electronic MD4 HD Native.
Furthermore, I will compare it with the MD3 Native and the PowerCore version - so we have a lot to cover!
But before we do that, if you want to improve your mixes and masters in less than 10 minutes, get your free cheat sheet here:
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TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
Overview
According to TC Electronic - the MD4 HD Native is an EQ, versatile 5-band Compressor and True-Peak Limiter based on the System 6000 - which is one of the best mastering systems on the market.
MD4 HD Native is “a flexible 6-band EQ, 5-band compressor” which includes “soft clipping and a newly true-peak limiter.”
First, I have to say that the new plugin interface, from the entire recently launched line of plugins is pretty interesting.
Also, I like that they color-coded different sections with the settings that we can customize.
MD4 HD Native has 4 sections:
- MAIN
- EQ
- 5BAND
- OUTPUT
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
MAIN
Image: Main Section - MD4 HD Native
In this section you can control the Normalizer Gain and the volume of the Left and Right Channels individually.
Next, while we have a section dedicated to the 5Band compressor - in the Main Section we can customize some Compressor settings.
For example, you can choose how you want MD4 to process audio and we have two options:
- Stereo
- Mid/Side - in case you want to process the MONO and the Stereo section individually.
When you change the MD4 in MID/Side Mode, you will see that the meters will also change - from Left and Right - to MID and Side.
Next, we have a Low Cut that you can set up to 200 Hz and according to the manual it is “with increasing step width as the frequency increases.”
You can set the Detector Crest mode, and you can select between the RMS and Peak Mode.
If you get confused at some point and want more information on some of the settings, you can hover over the setting you want to affect - and you’ll get more info.
In the 5Band Compressor Setup section you can choose between different modes the compressor can operate in the MD4:
- Normal Mode for the usual downward compression.
- Parallel Mode - is for upward compression.
- Parallel UL is for upward compression, but with unlinked channels, that is - the Right and Left channels in this case - will be compressed individually.
- DXP mode which is a type of compression that you can use for lifting up low levels without touching transients.
So, depending on what you want to achieve with compression, you have 4 modes that you can choose from.
In the Reference Level you can choose the level at which the Compressor threshold will start operating.
Depending on the material, the lower you will set this reference level, the more the Compressor will process your material.
TC Electronic recommends setting this level close to the RMS level you are aiming for.
So, if you aim for a RMS value of -10 dBs RMS - set the Reference level to -10 dBs.
In the Lookahead Delay section - you can choose a Delay that will help the compressor to look ahead on your material or analyze it, and then process it.
Usually, longer Lookahead values end up in a better and transparent compression.
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
EQ
Image: EQ Section - MD4 HD Native
The MD4 lets you choose between 6 EQ Bands to work with:
- LO1
- LO2
- MID1
- MID2
- HI1
- H2
If you click on the EQ Link depending on the mode you are in - you can unlink the Left and the Right channels, or the MONO or the Stereo section, so that you can affect them individually.
You can also activate and bypass different EQ bands.
If you want to bypass the entire EQ click here on the ON button.
At the bottom click on the Frequency in order to change frequencies for each band.
Next you can customize the Gain and the EQ Type.
And then you can choose to affect the LOWs, the MIDs or the HIGHs.
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
5BAND
Image: 5BAND Section - MD4 HD Native
In the 5BAND section we have more controls that we can customize, on the 5 Band Compressor.
To recap, it is in the MAIN section of the MD4 where you can customize the 5BAND Modes.
In the 5BAND section you can affect the overall Threshold, Ratio, the Makeup Gain, the Attack and Release.
But heads up, this is a 5-band compressor, so when you set the Threshold let’s say to -8 dBs, that might not mean that all the 5 bands have the -8 dBs threshold.
One band might have -6 another -10 dBs and so on, depending on how you set the bands individually.
Next, we have the Wet Gain that you can use when the Compressor is set in the Parallel Mode.
And then, we have the Defeat Threshold which is relative to the Compressor Threshold and which you can use to expand low levels.
The Defeat Ratio can also be used to expand low levels.
In case you need fewer bands you can turn off some crossovers, by lowering the Hz values until you hit the Off option.
You can see how much compression you apply by watching the meters on the right.
In case you want to bypass the compressor you can click the ON button.
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
OUTPUT
Image: Output Section - MD4 HD Native
Next we have the Limiter and Soft Clipper section.
Here we have the Limiter Gain and then there are different profiles that you can choose from:
- Universal
- Loud
- Voice
- Soft
- Dynamic
Next, there is the Soft Clip that you can also bypass in case you don’t need it.
In case you want to limit the Left and Right Channels individually, click on the Limiter Link (LIM LINK) to unlink them.
And then there is the Output Gain plus the Compare Gain which is very useful in case you want to hear how MD4 affects the material you’re working on, by adjusting it to your material loudness or volume.
Next, at the bottom we have the section where you can Assign different values that you can use if you want to have quicker access to.
To set this up, click on Assign then on the cell you want to affect and then choose the setting you want from the Main, EQ, 5Band or the Output section.
At the top of the plugin you can select different presets.
Another feature I like is that you can customize the size of the plugin.
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
EQ Testing
For testing the EQ section of the MD4 HD Native - I used the MD3 Native and MD3 the PowerCore version.
The results:
I believe the EQ section of MD4 HD Native and MD3 Native - are similar, as I almost made them null.
- I like how the MD4’s EQ opens up the mix, it is not harsh, and it affects the mix in a clean way.
- The EQ in MD3, the PowerCore version, is less transparent than MD4.
- Overall, I like the EQ in the MD4 HD Native - as it is a very transparent and clean EQ, which I would use on mix and mastering busses.
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
Compressor Testing
For testing the Compressor section of the MD4 HD Native - I used the MD3 Native and MD3 the PowerCore version.
To give you some context, I bypassed the EQs on the plugins, and I set the same values for ratio, attack, release on all of their bands.
I also tried to compress at least 1 dB in the low range to hear how the compressors affect the mix.
What I want from this test is to find out which plugin compresses the mix in the most transparent way without affecting its 3D space and the separation of the elements in the mix.
The results:
- It seems to me that the MD4 compressor tightens the stereo image and the depth of the mix a bit, and it also takes out a bit of the separation between the elements of the mix.
- After compressing with the MD3 Native, a lot of 3D space, depth and separation and transparency is lost.
- As I know how the compressor in the MD3 PowerCore version affects audio in general, I didn’t expect anything but transparent compression.
- The 3D space, the stereo image and the separation between the elements of the mix stay almost untouched.
- While we compress more than 1 dB in the low range, the freedom of the mix if you want, that I worked for at the mixing stage, is still there.
Overall, I can say that the mix breathes more while being processed by the MD3 PowerCore version.
It is also compressed in a more transparent way by the compressor in the MD3, the PowerCore version.
Still, it is worth mentioning that the MD4 compressor is a really good compressor.
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
Parallel Compression
In 2011, I started using the MD3 PowerCore in my audio production.
And I was continuously searching for getting better and better at my craft, while searching for new tools that mastering engineers use.
That’s when I found out about the MD4 processor in the System 6000 from TC Electronic.
And a couple of years ago I found out that a mastering engineer whom I respect a lot and from whom I learned and continue to learn indirectly, mentioned that a certain native plugin “has the most transparent parallel compression,” which could be the first and the only replacement for an external processor he owns.
That got me interested…
Then after watching a cool audio engineer on youtube - I discovered DynOne from Leapwing Audio.
So, more than 2 years ago, I bought the DynOne.
I was really impressed about the quality of this plugin.
And so far, this was the only plugin I used for parallel compression in my audio mastering sessions.
The next day I bought DynOne, I contacted the Leapwing Audio team to find out more about that external processor I read about in that DynOne review.
And they got back to me.
The mentioned processor was the TC 6000.
So, after more than two years of using DynOne for parallel compression, today I’m going to compare it with the recently launched MD4 HD Native.
Why?
Because one of the Compression Modes in the MD4 there is the Parallel Compression.
For this test, I tried to adjust the settings as close as possible.
I set the same RMS Detection Mode, the same 2.5:1 Ratio.
But the tricky part is that the Attack and the Release on the DynOne have 2 different values: a minimum Attack and Release and a maximum Attack and Release.
In this way you let the algorithm choose what's the best attack or release, depending on the material you’re working on.
So, I set them closer to the values I set on the MD4.
And I also set the same crossovers.
The results:
- I honestly didn’t expect to hear a big difference between the two, but obviously TC Electronic injected some magic into MD4, that makes me like the MD4 parallel compression more.
- I like the MD4 parallel compression better because it keeps the transparency and the clarity of the mix while injecting some awesomeness into the mix.
- After testing MD4 vs DynOne in downward compression mode, overall, I feel that MD4 again preserves the sound of the mix while compressing it in a clean and transparent way, while DynOne does affect the mix, but not in the direction I want it to.
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
DXP Mode
The DXP compression mode of the MD4 HD Native is useful to use when you want to lift levels without touching transients.
For this test I compared the Unprocessed mix with the processed version.
The results:
- It seems to me that the DXP mode brings more details in front of the mix, while making it more present.
- I like this type of compression and I would use it in softer material, but also on electronic stuff.
- It is interesting how this mode makes the mix more present… at one point I thought I left the EQ section on, but it was not.
- I like how this Mode brings details in front of the mix.
TC Electronic MD4 HD Native
Limiter
For testing the limiter in MD4 with the one in MD3, the PowerCore version, I set the limiter threshold to -1 dB, the Soft clip to -6 dBs on all of them, and then I adjusted the gain so that they could match in terms of loudness as much as possible.
The results:
- The limiters sound to me pretty decent… I would say that they sound better than many limiters out there.
- I feel that the limiter in MD3, the PowerCore version, let’s more freedom to the mix, and it keeps more 3D space, depth and separation than the MD4. But the difference is really small as they both sound pretty good.
Now, let’s test the True Peaks at -1 dB Threshold.
For this test, I aimed for a -10 LUFS loudness, so we could say that this loudness is on the hotter side.
The results:
- On MD3, the PowerCore version - the True Peaks reach 1 dB Full Scale.
- On MD4 HD Native - True Peaks reach 0.5 dBs.
- In the MD3 Native case - True Peaks reach 0.3 dBs Full Scale.
So, my guess is, if you would aim for a -14 LUFS loudness for your production, you may be ok in terms of True Peaks, but of course you should still keep an eye on your True Peak analyzer.
In my case, I never use the Limiter on the MD3, the PowerCore version.
Instead I use the Brickwall Limiter from the bundle, which is one of the best and most transparent limiters I have worked with.
CONCLUSIONS
From my tests I still like the Compression section in MD3, the PowerCore version.
It feels to me that it is one of the most transparent compression I can apply to different types of mixes.
However, MD4 HD Native is almost there.
And sometimes, in blind tests, it can be hard to distinguish the difference between the compressors in the 2 plugins.
Plus, MD4 has different Compression modes like the Parallel Compression mode, which I discovered that I like better than in Dynone.
Also, MD4 has the DXP Mode which can help you bring in more details depending on your material.
Plus, it is worth mentioning that MD4 has one of the best EQs that I have ever heard, and in my opinion it is better than the EQ in the MD3, the PowerCore version.
The bottom line is, if I would not have the MD3 from PowerCore and the Dynone, I would definitely go with MD4 HD Native.
In terms of limiting, I would not use the MD4 limiter on very hot levels, but depending on your toolbox, you may discover that the limiter in MD4 is better, so it’s up to you to experiment.
In the end, at this point in my audio production journey, in my honest opinion MD4 HD Native from TC Electronic is one of the best multiband processors that I have ever tried or worked with.
If you’re in search for a multi-band compressor and great sounding EQ - the MD4 HD Native from TC Electronic is a no-brainer investment - exactly as my PRO Audio Mastering Program :D
So there you have it.
This is my review on the new MD4 HD Native from TC Electronic.
I hope this article will help you in your quest for better sounding audio plugins and tools.
So, if you liked the review, like and share it with the ones who may need to see it.
If you have any questions contact me ;)
Until Next time, Stay Cool and Make great Music!
-Adrian Milea
Adrian Milea is the owner of Adoriany Music and co-founder of Adoriany. Since 2000s, Adrian has been producing, mixing and mastering music, while also helping audio producers to upgrade their skills. In 2013, Adrian with his brother Vlad - were part of the finalists of the Academy of Electronic Music. Their music was released by Armada Music, and they were featured in Dj Mag.
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