WMD Bus Rider
Stereo multiband EQ, multiband compressor and lookahead limiter — a 4HP mastering chain for the end of your rack.
4 HP Eurorack module
Bus Rider is WMD's end-of-chain mastering processor in just 4HP. Three audio stages run in series and stay active at all times: a three-band isolator-style EQ with ±12 dB boost and full -∞ cut per band, a three-band compressor with threshold + ratio per band, and a lookahead limiter with input gain, adjustable ceiling, release time, stereo linking and a soft saturator with hard-clip ceiling. A three-way Page toggle (ISO / DYN / LIMIT) remaps the three large knobs and a column of meter LEDs to each section, while the Shift button exposes a second function on every control — crossover frequencies in ISO, ratios in DYN, ceiling/link/clip in LIMIT. Nine recallable presets, an assignable CV input, a dedicated Low Cut CV, and a Low Mono shift function make it equally at home on the main bus, on submixes, or on individual channels.
Features
- Stereo multiband EQ, multiband compressor, and lookahead limiter — all three stages active at all times in just 4HP
- Three-band ISO EQ with ±12 dB boost and full -∞ cut per band, plus adjustable high/mid and low/mid crossover frequencies
- Independent threshold + ratio per band for the multiband compressor
- 1.5 ms lookahead limiter with adjustable gain, ceiling, release, optional stereo-linked detector and soft-saturation drive with hard-clip ceiling (mid+high bands)
- 9 user-recallable presets save the full state of every page
- Assignable CV input — bind any one knob to external modulation via Shift + knob (CV Assign)
- Dedicated Low Cut CV jack for sidechain-style ducking of the sub band
- Low Mono shift function sums the low band to mono for club-PA compatibility while keeping mid/high stereo intact
- RGB Mode/Band LEDs and right-edge VU bar that flips between gain-reduction and live parameter readout
Controls & Jacks (23)
- Mode LED — RGB indicator that lights to match the page color: green for ISO EQ, yellow for DYN compressor, red for LIMIT. Tells you which set of functi
- Band LED — RGB band indicator. In ISO/DYN modes it identifies which of the three frequency bands (low, mid, high) you are currently editing; in LIMIT m
- I/O — Bypasses every section of the module — EQ, compressor, limiter, saturation — passing the inputs straight through to the outputs. Useful for
- Shift — Modifier button. Hold Shift while pressing another button or turning a knob to access that control's secondary function (printed in the seco
- Preset — Cycles through 9 user-recallable preset slots. Tap to advance; the Band/Mode LEDs flash the current slot number.
- Page — Three-way toggle that selects which page of controls the three large knobs and the LED column are addressing: left=ISO EQ, center=DYN multib
- High — Top large knob. In ISO mode: ±12 dB level for the high band, with center=unity and full counter-clockwise=total cut (-∞). In DYN mode: high-
- Mid — Middle large knob. In ISO mode: ±12 dB level for the mid band (center=unity, full CCW=total cut). In DYN mode: mid-band compressor Threshold
- Low — Bottom large knob. In ISO mode: ±12 dB level for the low band (center=unity, full CCW=total cut). In DYN mode: low-band compressor Threshold
- Ceil LED — Lights when the LIMIT-page Ceiling parameter is the value being shown on the right-edge VU meter. The meter normally shows gain reduction; t
- Gain LED — Lights when the LIMIT-page input Gain is the parameter being read out on the right-edge meter.
- Meter LED — Center segment of the right-edge VU bar. The full bar shows overall limiter gain reduction by default and switches to display whichever knob
- Rel LED — Lights when the LIMIT-page Release time is the parameter being read out on the right-edge meter.
- Link LED — Lights when stereo Link is engaged on the limiter detector (Shift + Mid in LIMIT mode). When lit, the detector sums L+R so both channels duc
- Sel LED — Preset / parameter-select indicator. Pulses to show which preset slot is active and which knob's value is currently displayed on the right-e
- Sat LED — Lights when the LIMIT-page Saturation parameter is the value being shown on the right-edge meter. Brightness tracks how hard the mid+high ba
- Clip LED — Hard-clip indicator for the saturator. Lights when the mid+high bands hit the Clip threshold (Shift + Low in LIMIT mode) — a quick way to se
- Low Cut In — CV input wired directly to the low-band ISO EQ level — positive voltage cuts the low band. Great for ducking sub frequencies in time with a
- CV In — Assignable CV input. Hold Shift and turn any knob (CV ASSIGN) to bind this jack to that parameter; the patched voltage then modulates whiche
- In L — Stereo audio input — left channel. Send the master bus, a submix, or an individual voice here; the module processes L+R through the same EQ/
- In R — Stereo audio input — right channel. Paired with In L for full stereo processing.
- Out L — Processed stereo output — left channel. Sits after the lookahead limiter; safe to feed straight into a recorder or PA.
- Out R — Processed stereo output — right channel. Paired with Out L.
How-To Guides
- End-of-Chain Mix Bus Mastering
- Isolator-EQ DJ Performance
- Drum Submix Glue Compression
- Add Analog-Style Warmth
Explore the interactive Bus Rider panel on BleepDex — tap any control to learn what it does.
