Hey everyone, happy XMAS!

I was cleaning out my plug-in collection when I found a real gem I had previously overlooked - DMG Audio's Compassion. What a beast of a plugin. Its capabilities are far beyond what a typical hardware emulation can achieve. I think this is the direction sound engineers should be heading in - embracing the power of digital to sculpt the sound exactly how we want it in the mix. Compassion gives unparalleled flexibility in this regard, and I highly recommend it to anyone bored with analog emulations.

So I wanted to take this opportunity to ask you guys, what is (are) your go-to compressor(s)? Mine are as follows:
1. u-he Presswerk (though Compassion may well soon occupy this spot) - all purpose compression with maximum flexibility.
2. Cytomic's the Glue - drums, and mixbuss
3. Klanghelm MJUC - guitar/synth/vocals/mixbuss
4. FabFilter Pro-C (2) - general purpose single-track compression
5. Softube Summit Audio TLA-100A - mixbuss/vocals

Honourable mentions to:
Waves CLA comps & dbx-160 (dbx especially for drums), TDR Kotelnikov , PSP Mixpressor 2 & Mastercomp, Softube Valley People Dyna-mite, Boz Digital Labs Manic Compressor, Vladg Molot

Looking forward to hearing your favourites!

 

Last edited: Dec 26, 2015

cytomic the glue - mixbuss
ik multimedia black 76 - drums
psp audioware wintage warmer - vocals, acoustic guitar

 

So now that the spammer is gone, what do you guys think?

 

I usually don't use too much compression because of the reduction in the dynamic range..
But here are the most used ones,
Softube CLA 1B - synth, drums
Cytomic the glue - mixbuss
Fabfilter pro-c - sidechain
etc.
Recent favorite TDR kotelnikov. It allows you to zone in on particular frequencies!

 

Yes! I completely forgot about Kotelnikov. Definitely a great compressor.

 

For mixing :
Pro C2 and RCL for multiple tracks
Just about any of the 1176 and LA2A for live instruments and voice.
2500 for parallel drum buss
Anything Melda for anything

Haven't used Boz yet. Sonalksis stuff is always pretty good. Waves boutique comps for some STA-Level-esque color.

I never use software compression for mixbuss. It just doesn't punch, kick, or pop right for me like the hardware does.
Track through hardware by a decibal or two GR, and maybe serial compression doing 0 GR just to get more color. - The Buzz essence is incredible for ironing out 808s and electro elements ....like taking a mangled tree branch and sawing it into a slick 2x4.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

 

SKnote C165a

 

Nice, is it really that good? I was thinking about buying it. Sknote is one of those really cheap and really good developers (with no copy protection to speak of). Unfortunately there are no demos. I'm really enjoying strip v3... although as of yet it is incomplete, still in beta, and leaves a lot to wish for. Can't wait till Quinto Sardo finalls pulls through, it's been over a year since it was announced.

 

T-Racks Fairchild 670 and their old red opto compressor mostly. For surgical stuff FabFilter Pro-C and TDR Kotelnikov.

 

Really like Waves version of 1176 on drums&bass and 2A on vox, but T-Racks has some nice emulations of theese classics too.

 

my new favourite

 

Sknote Disto (Drum-Buss)
Cytomic The Glue (Everywhere)
Native Instruments 1176 (10-3-4)
Klanghelm MJUC (Master-Buss/Everywhere)
FabFilter Pro-C2 (Master-Buss/Everywhere)

 

Most useless post ever.. But your top 5 is excactly my top 5.

These are not the "best" compressors but love m big time. And dont usually come across that often on forums or whatever.

https://delamanchavst.wordpress.com...released-for-free-compressors-eq-and-clipper/

 

Pretty sure that if you were each to do a blind test of your top 5 plus any other random 5 compressors, you wouldn't be able to pick out one from another.

 

For vocals and other things coming in from microphones I like to compress to knock off the peaks before hitting the AD, so I use a Warm Audio WA76 which also imparts some vibe to each track. On inserts I like to use the Pro C-2 for vocals and guitar, and for basses the MJUC. The Glue for the drum buss and individual drum tracks sounds really nice.

 

It depends what you do with them. But if you're not able to distinguish the color of a Fairchild perhaps mixing/mastering is not exactly your cup of tea. No offense.

 

Logic Pro X - "Silver Compressor" For Everything.

 

None taken. I'm not a mastering engineer by trade, and I pretty much expect that you're not one either.

 

with rap vocals you can't go wrong with the waves 1176 on the individual tracks and cakewalks 2a on the group

 

Fabfilter Pro C 2 is my go to
after that i would use iZotope Ozone 7

More importantly, don't use presets. adjust to your mix. have seen alot of people just pick a preset and then complain that their mix doesn't sound right. unbelievable..