Outboard-Slab — Press Kit

Outboard Audio has released Outboard-Slab, a saturation-and-compression fattener for Windows in VST3 and CLAP formats. It is built around three macros — FAT, COLOR and MIX — that drive a multi-stage chain to make a track denser, punchier and more present in a single move.

Each macro spans dozens of internal parameters along a tuned curve. FAT raises drive, saturation, compression and a low-end bump together. COLOR is bipolar: above zero it adds brightness via a high shelf and an exciter, below zero it warms the signal with a gentle high-end roll-off. MIX blends the processed signal in parallel, from a subtle fatten to a fully committed sound. The chain runs in a fixed order — low-end bump, then saturation, then glue compression, then tone, then the ceiling — so the bass never pumps the saturation. It is internally loudness-compensated and ends in a clean output ceiling, with oversampling around the saturation stages.

An AUTO mode reads rolling statistics of the incoming signal and sets FAT, COLOR and MIX for the material, with three target profiles — Chill, Commercial and Attention — that decide how far it goes. ON analyses once and rotates the knobs into place; AUTO stays engaged and re-reads the signal continuously. Touching any knob hands control straight back to the user.

System requirements: Windows 10 (build 17134) or Windows 11, x64. Outboard-Slab is available now at outboard.audio for €35, with a 45% launch discount using the code WM2026 until 19 July 2026 and a 14-day in-plugin trial. A macOS version (VST3, AU, CLAP) is in preparation.