# Compressor plugins recommendations?



## alligatorlizard (Jan 13, 2012)

Hi,

I've made do with Cubase 5's compressor for a while now for general purposes (plus Ozone 4 for mastering), but have recently been doing a few projects with live guitars/drums/bass, and am after something with a bit more character. I've just started looking around, and Waves Renaissance Compressor looks great, as does Stillwell's The Rocket, & T-Racks 760. Will download some demos tomorrow and try them out, but is there anything else I should consider? There seems to be a lot of stuff on the market, so it's a bit overwhelming!

I'm after something for use mainly on individual tracks, but if it's useful for mastering too, so much the better. I don't know if there are some compressor's that are well known all-rounders, or if like so many things it's a case of needing to get a whole bunch for different purposes?

Also, for any other Cubase users, how do you rate the bundled compressor plugin? Should I expect to notice a huge leap in quality when using something like the plugins mentioned above?

All advice appreciated!


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## TehComposerer (Jan 13, 2012)

I use Cubase, and I've never found the built in compressor to be terribly great, though it's not horrible by any means, and useful if you need to get some quick results.

If you're looking for character, I think The Rocket or any other 1176 emulation is a good choice, and useful on a wide variety of material. You might also want to look at something like The Glue by Cytomic for buss compression.

if you're going to be doing a lot of pop/rock there's also the Waves CLA Compressor bundle, which would give you an LA-2A, LA-3A, and 1176, which would cover almost all your bases. Either way, at $50 getting The Rocket is a no brainer IMO.


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## kgdrum (Jan 13, 2012)

The Glue by Cytomic is an amazing compressor.
The compressors Softubes makes for NI are excellent as well(VC2A,VC76,VC160)
I have most of the UAD compressors as well and these are just as good imo.


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## alligatorlizard (Jan 14, 2012)

Ah yes, I'd bookmarked "the glue" also. Hadn't really looked at the CLA Compressors, or NI Vintage, those also look like they could be what I'm after, thanks for the suggestions!

I know everyone's going to have their favourites, but if I was going to get just one, and only one, is there any of these that would stand out in particular?

the rocket/the glue/waves ren comp/waves cla-2a/waves cla-3a


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## justwanderedin (Jan 14, 2012)

You might also want to try the Oldtimer by PSP. 
Very versatile, and - depending on the material - I keep coming back to it, despite having The Glue, Waves SSL etc...


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## Peter Emanuel Roos (Jan 14, 2012)

kgdrum @ Sat Jan 14 said:


> The Glue by Cytomic is an amazing compressor.
> The compressors Softubes makes for NI are excellent as well(VC2A,VC76,VC160)
> I have most of the UAD compressors as well and these are just as good imo.



Which UAD board do you have? Are you happy with its latencies and offloading CPU power to it? I am considering the UAD-2 Solo board to get more CPU power back in my current big mix. I would of course try to use its compressors instead of my many Waves Ren compressor instances (pop/rock song with real drums and brass section).


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## Dietz (Jan 14, 2012)

The Glue is hands down one of the most amazing virtual bus compressors. I use it on all projects as soon as I stay in-the-box.

If you need colorful dynamics for single tracks rather than busses, Voxengo's Crunchessor might be worth a look.

UAD is definitely the all-embracing solution: 1176, LA2A, LA3, dbx160, SSL channel dynamics, Neve channel dynamics etc. will cover 90% of your needs. And UAD offers great bus comps too (SSL, Fairchild, Neve ...).

OTOH, Liquid Mix from Focusrite is incredibly cheap nowadays, because they discontinued the product (don't ask me why). It has its peculiarities, but when it works, it has all the colors you ever aimed for - the _true_ colors. As a self-confessed convolution fan I really, really like this box. 

For cleaner, more controlled compression there are quite a few good choices, too, including Waves RenComp, Vienna Suite Compressor, Sonnox Dynamics etc.

... don't forget that it's sometimes a good idea to have a split-band compressor for more demanding tasks - Waves C1 is old, but still first-class.

HTH,


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## Peter Emanuel Roos (Jan 14, 2012)

As a Facebooker, I miss the Like button here Dietz!


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## alligatorlizard (Jan 14, 2012)

Thanks for these suggestions - more damn demos to try now!! The more the beter though of course.

As for the UAD stuff, I do intend at some point to invest in a card, but for now my thinking is just get one really good plugin to get my head around, plus I need it next week so can download these quickly.

One quick question about "the glue", which is getting a lot of praise - it seems mainly marketed as a bus compressor, but presumably I'd also get good results using it on, say, individual guitar tracks?


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## Dietz (Jan 14, 2012)

Nothing will hinder you from doing so, but as a bus compressor it is aimed at more "complex" signals, which means that you will run into situations were it's not radical and/or efficient enough for single tracks.


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## Justus (Jan 14, 2012)

justwanderedin @ Sat Jan 14 said:


> You might also want to try the Oldtimer by PSP.



+1, very effective and the compression is nearly inaudible.


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## jamwerks (Jan 14, 2012)

Dietz @ Sat Jan 14 said:


> The Glue is hands down one of the most amazing virtual bus compressors. I use it on all projects as soon as I stay in-the-box.



What are your choices for 100% VI orchestral mixes? o-[][]-o


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## wst3 (Jan 14, 2012)

slightly different take - 

For emulation I like the UAD plug-ins, I have a UAD1 and a UAD2/solo, and I do run out of horsepower every once in a while, but not often (yet)... if I were buying today I'd start with at least the Duo, maybe even wait and get the Quad.

For colorful, but not necessarily accurate emulation I like Crunchessor from Voxengo, and the Golden Compressor from Kjaerhus, which sadly appears to be no longer available. 

For stuff that no analog gear can do - e.g. problem solving - I turn to Waves C4 or the Izotope multiband compressor. These things work magic without being audible unless you want to hear them, though thus far I've not liked hearing them.

I tried Glue, it's very cool, but it doesn't do anything that I can't already do. If I didn't have the stuff I have I'd probably get it.

Have fun with your hunt...


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 14, 2012)

The Sonalksis is a good one as well.


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## Peter Emanuel Roos (Jan 14, 2012)

I just ordered the UAD 2 Solo


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## sinkd (Jan 14, 2012)

UAD SSL or Vienna Suite multiband, or both. UADs multiband is also good, but easy to overdo it.

DS


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## Dietz (Jan 14, 2012)

jamwerks @ Sat Jan 14 said:


> Dietz @ Sat Jan 14 said:
> 
> 
> > The Glue is hands down one of the most amazing virtual bus compressors. I use it on all projects as soon as I stay in-the-box.
> ...



As always, the actual answer is: "It depends!" 

If we're talking about classical music (opposed to Hollywood-esque "everything louder than everything else"), I hardly compress the main bus at all. I will have some smooth, warm compression on some single tracks for more glue and a multiband limiter (like Vienna Suite's Multiband or Waves L3-LL) in the main bus for tonal balancing and catching the occasional overshoot. I _will_ use some tape emulation, though, of course prior to the limiter.

If I really have the feeling that I need compression, I would most likely load the Fairchild into my Liquid Mix, or use UAD's Fairchild when I'm in another studio. Waves' "PuigChild" might do the job, too. (... but they all pale in comparison with the Real Thing or its descendants).

Hybrid "cross-over" stuff OTOH is more or less mixed like pop/rock music, with hearty bus compression á la SSL 4K, API 2500 and the like. The Glue fits perfectly into this category.

HTH,


/Dietz


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## kgdrum (Jan 14, 2012)

If I was just getting 1 compressor i'd get the Glue and yes it's amazing on individual tracks as well as a bus compressor,it kills on drums,bass etc...
If I wanted a reasonably priced assortment I go for the NI bundle, I mentioned previously they are incredible and you'd have 3 different flavours to choose from.
I also have some Waves(the ones that come with Gold Native + the Renn pack and honestly I never even think about them with the UAD,NI choices & the Glue at my disposal.
I love my UAD(Neve!) but I think you might want a card with a little more juice than the Solo(I have Quad) if you have the budget I'd recommend at least moving up to the Duo.
Agreed on Classical music compressors are not really very relevant( I love dynamics!)
Yes Liquid Mix is very good if you get it to work in your system, it's quirky(needs it's own FW buss), not really supported and too many users have problems for me to recommend, I sold mine about 3 weeks ago.


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## wst3 (Jan 14, 2012)

You are going to LOVE the UAD plug-ins... or at least that's my bet! The biggest problem is deciding which one to license next<G>...


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## soniccouture (Jan 14, 2012)

PSP comps preferred here - UAD also good, SSL Duende Bus comp and the Abbey Road TG1 for drums


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## dannthr (Jan 14, 2012)

FabFilter!

It's probably one of the best soft compressors I've ever used:

http://www.fabfilter.com/

http://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-c.php


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## jamwerks (Jan 15, 2012)

Dietz @ Sat Jan 14 said:


> I _will_ use some tape emulation, though, of course prior to the limiter.



Interesting that you use tape emulation in an orchestral (VI) mix! I'll have to try that out. Do you like the Waves or the UAD Studer better? Have you tried any of the Slate stuff?


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## Peter Emanuel Roos (Jan 15, 2012)

I also read the articles on the UAD site on the Studer and that sure looks very nice!


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## ceemusic (Jan 15, 2012)

jamwerks @ Sun Jan 15 said:


> Dietz @ Sat Jan 14 said:
> 
> 
> > I _will_ use some tape emulation, though, of course prior to the limiter.
> ...



Slate is getting close to releasing his tape emu. I use his VCC on some material & master using FG-X on pop/rock.

+1 PSP, FabFilter, Softube


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## TheUnfinished (Jan 15, 2012)

For a very good value character compressor that sounds amazing on percussion, I like http://www.audiodamage.com/effects/product.php?pid=AD021 (Audio Damage's Rough Rider.)

It can do subtler stuff as well, and there's a free version with some basic settings which is pretty bloody cool for a freebie.


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## wst3 (Jan 15, 2012)

There are a handful of UAD plugins that have really set me back on my heels, and Studer is one of them. It does not sound exactly like any Studer (or other) tape deck I can recall, and yet, it sounds exactly like I'd like to remember them - if that makes sense. When I first tried it I was transported back in time... I could all but smell the tape. It provides all the 'benefits' (yes, we used to call them non-linearities) without the less popular side effects. Just amazing.

A couple others that made me grin include the dBx compressor - I 'grew up' in studios where that one was a staple, and the emulation is - at least to my ears and memory - so spot on. All of the Roland emulations can also take me back, as can the Echoplex.

As far as applying tape emulation to tracks vs a mix - I think the resulting effect is different, and it will be an "it depends" decision on the part of the producer. Sometimes it makes sense to apply the tape 'effect' to individual tracks and them mix without, and sometimes the opposite works.

Oddly enough, the few times I've tried the Studer on tracks and the Ampex on the mix I did not like the results. Very odd, since I spent many years tracking to a JH16 and mixing to an AG-440<G>!


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## Dietz (Jan 15, 2012)

jamwerks @ Sun Jan 15 said:


> Dietz @ Sat Jan 14 said:
> 
> 
> > I _will_ use some tape emulation, though, of course prior to the limiter.
> ...



I would reach for the Studer (if I would own a UAD card myself), but actually I use Steinberg's Magneto in 30-inch mode with quite conservative settings. Waves' Kramer-tape machine emulation is too "Rock'n'Roll" for that task, if you ask me. - I don't know the Slate stuff, sorry to say so.

... that said, I should add that I hardly do pure in-the-box mixes at all when I'm not working on very VSL-specific material.

Kind regards,

/Dietz


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## alligatorlizard (Jan 15, 2012)

Well after looking through all the great recommendations on this thread, spending several hours reading through old threads on other forums on the pros and cons of different compressors, and finally spending most of today trying out the demos, I think I've narrowed it down to two that I really, really like - *The Glue *& *PSP oldTimer*. Both are sounding great on full mixes, and on individual tracks. Lots of the other suggestions sounded good too, but at some point I had to narrow it down in order to stop my ears from getting _too_ overwhelmed!

There's definitely a unique character to each of these compressors - to put it very simply, and extremely vaguely, and probably entirely inaccurately, I'm finding The Glue seems somehow brighter and more sparkly (I kept seeing the phrase "fairy dust" used in reviews, and I can see why), the oldTimer sounds to me a bit warmer, more "analog", I'm liking the tube setting. 

I will obviously live with them both for a bit before buying anything, but can anyone who's familiar with both think of any strong reason to go for one over the other? Or is there anything in particular I should listen for when making a final decision? I'm determined to try my best here to not end up buying both...


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## JT3_Jon (Jan 15, 2012)

justwanderedin @ Sat Jan 14 said:


> You might also want to try the Oldtimer by PSP.
> Very versatile, and - depending on the material - I keep coming back to it, despite having The Glue, Waves SSL etc...



+1 for PSP oldtimer. Just a great compressor with some cool valve character (which you can turn off if you want a more clean sound).

I also love my UAD plugins, but that obviously requires a card.


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## JT3_Jon (Jan 15, 2012)

Peter Emanuel Roos @ Sat Jan 14 said:


> kgdrum @ Sat Jan 14 said:
> 
> 
> > The Glue by Cytomic is an amazing compressor.
> ...



I'm very happy with my UAD card, and latency is no problem when mixing. If I do need to track something after inserting many latency plugins, I just record in "low latency mode" in logic, which bypasses all latency inducing plugins, track, and then return to normal. No problems at all (except that UAD is not 64-bit yet, but they promise an update this year).

Cant say the need to offload CPU is a driving force like it was in my G5 days, but its a nice plus, especially for Plate reverbs (the EMT stuff is GREAT!)


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## alligatorlizard (Jan 15, 2012)

Some further thoughts... have been trying both compressors on some more individual instruments (guitars of various styles, piano, bass, drums) using as similar settings as possible given the different controls for each. I'm finding it hard to choose between them when solo'd, but once put back into the mix, I have to say I'm starting to prefer the oldTimer. In a way, the "sound" of the oldTimer seems more evident when solo'd (especially when set to "valve"), but once in the mix, it seems to sit very well, whereas I'm feeling The Glue can make individual parts a tad harsh sounding in comparison. Does this seem like a fair analysis?

Now of course, what sounds best, is best, and I should probably trust my ears - but as I'm admittedly more of a composer than an audio engineer, I'm happy to be told that the above description shouldn't be the case!


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 15, 2012)

Rocket rocks!


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jan 15, 2012)

I have to A/B The Glue with the SSL Duende bus compressor (I have the Firewire one, not the more recent native version). The SSL is really good.


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## alligatorlizard (Mar 16, 2012)

Just to report (belatedly) back on this - ended up buying PSP Oldtimer, and picked up NobleQ while I was at it. Both absolutely awesome plugins! Compression and EQ are very subtle effects (or should be in most cases anyway) but the amazing thing about these plugins is they _are_ subtle, while also imparting a real character to the sound. 

Just been processing some acoustic guitars (which always need a good ammount of EQ and compression to fit in a mix) and A/B-ing between how I used to process them (cubase's native plugins) and the PSP ones is mind-blowing - no other way to describe it, but suddenly the guitars just sound like they ought to - like a CD. I think a lot of this has to do with the valve emulation, really puts "life" into digital recording. Can see myself using these all over the place now, can't wait to try it out on some samples too.

So thanks again for the tips, would recommend Oldtimer to anyone, for pretty much anything! NobleQ too.

One thing though, not that it matters, but does anyone know exactly what time (in ms) the Oldtimer's attack settings correspond to?


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## Robse (Mar 16, 2012)

A compressor I'm really happy with and I think i really great: CL Series by ArtsAcoustic. Don't know if it was mentioned in this thread. For me it works on every path, buss whatever you want.


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## reddognoyz (Mar 16, 2012)

I use the MOTU masterworks leveler for my tv scores in slow vintage mode. It seems to tame the levels w/o really leaving any fingewrprints. Are there better solutions for this sort of dynamic control?


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## Marius Masalar (Mar 16, 2012)

Sounds like you're just after a limiter, but in any case I'd recommend my usual guys:

www.pspaudioware.com
www.fabfilter.com
http://www.stillwellaudio.com/

The FabFilter folks have very innovative interfaces, which I love, and if you check them out on YouTube you'll find a true wealth of brilliant tutorials by Dan Worrall helping you through some best practises, tips, and tricks with their plugins. Even if you don't use them, they're chock full of excellent learning material.

I guess my question to you in return, to help narrow things down, would be this: what exactly is it that your current solution is lacking in? From your post, I'm not exactly seeing what the downside is that's making you feel like replacing the MOTU Masterworks.


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