*Brainworx
yes, they make stellar stuff.

 

Last edited: Sep 10, 2018

I always keep update with them, Brainworx god send give your mixes alot of Power

 

Best dang Mu in the native plugin zoo...true!

 

Compressors always in a channel strip as in Slate Digital VMR or Softube Lydkraft pre or post EQ. PSP Vintage Warmer is also really good. Here´s a good page on the matter. https://www.softube.com/index.php?id=eq_before_compressor

 

this

and this

and sometimes this

and this

 

Yes i have tested it, he eat all i feed to him, nice tool too very easy but good sounding plugin imo

 

It depends on the material. T-RackS is decent for general track inserts, Waves LA-2A and their API comp is good for bass, I've used Alloy 2 on lead guitars, Metric Halo Channel Strip is good on various things. I don't do a lot of insert compressors, mainly just guitars, basses and vocals. I have a few I like on the master fader, but since I'm from the Eighties, I usually go with Waves SSL GComp, either on the master or on my drum bus (or both). PSP's Mixpressor 2, which I'm not sure they still make, is also a hell of a track insert or bus plug.

I second that! I use Vintage Warmer 2 on my rhythm guitars, which I will run through a bus rather than individually. Pretty much all the PSP comps are great, but Vintage Warmer's perfect for rock.

 

bruce swedien said compression is for kids

 

Bruce Swedien is 84 years old, of course all the others are kids.

 

lots of different ones to keep me interested but at the moment the three fuse audio comps rule

 

Last edited: Sep 10, 2018

SAND Bus4
Gem Comp76
T-racks White2A
Fabfilter Pro-C 2
Fabfilter Pro-L 2
Softube Console1 XL9000k

 

I'm a huge fan of the Waves analog modeled compressors. My 3 go to are CLA-76, API-2500, Puigchild 670.

I also love the SSL-Comp and the Kramer PIE Compressor.

I also love the U73b Compressor for character and "bounce"

The waves AudioTrack Compressor is great for adding movement.

Cytomic the Glue is also fantastic.

 

This is quality & FREE
http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=Red_Phatt_Pro&id=2066

 

Haven't tested this yet, but that SK-Note STA Limiter is pretty banging on the vocals!

 

As much as I love his work, Swedien's basically the Wilford Brimley of sound engineering. He's also stuck in the Seventies and Eighties, where you actually didn't need compression on things. That's like everybody who keeps railing on about recording drums "Glyn Johns" style. It was fine back then and Johns definitely knew what he was doing, but technology has advanced significantly since "When The Levee Breaks" was recorded. You can actually use more than four mics and record to more than 8 tracks to record a drum kit.

That aside, compression does get overused quite a bit, especially on stuff that doesn't need it. When you factor in that there's also (usually) a compressor at the end of the chain, then a broadcast compressor or an iTunes Sound Enhancer thrown in on playback, you can easily lose all the dynamics in your music (unless you're doing EDM, then it's just "BWAH-BWAH-BWAH-B-B-B-B-W-A-A-A-AAAH-H-h-h!!!" no matter what you do). I hate that I have to insert compression on bass, drums or electric guitars, but that's just part of the "sound" of those instruments now.

 

Last edited: Sep 10, 2018

I tested this extensively with SKNote Disto and PSP VintageWarmer2.

For me, Disto was superior to Arouser. And being a VintageWarmer2 user for some time, I really didn't hear or see any advantage either had over VintageWarmer2. I got more predictable and equal or better sounding results with it.

 

I Highly Recommend To Use Hardware Comps , Even In Bypass Mode To Get That Vintage Analogy Vibe Aka. Saturation .
I Use This For Final Clarity And Adding/Boosting Some Air On Vocals Too.
Note: Used By Legends Such As Dew Pensado And Other Big Names In Industry

 

This https://www.thehouseofkush.com/plugins/novatron

 

Reacomp. It's built into my DAW, but also for free as part of reaplugs.