SSL Bus+ is a total rip off and sounds nothing like a ssl quad and it cant cause it misses half of the cards. ssl has become a joke.

experience will make any say rcomp by waves sound better than my hardware ssl 4000e comp here.

take the time to listen and learn

 

ask thermionic if you are curious

i tried to explain, so....

i leave speculations like that to old ladies with crystal balls

 

The only compressor I will take for the Master Bus > Elysia Alpha Comp
it's just perfect

A second option would be Weiss DS1,
but it takes a LOT of resources, I didn't like the behavior/response,
and the sound quality is not all that different from other digital units..

I guess DMG Compassion could also do the job, as you can configure every parameter imaginable,
but yeah, good luck going that deep!


Besides I see Vari-Mu, SSL and all other analog/vintage comps more as Color tools,
where you place one/another on a given Instrument to have that type of dynamic behavior and sound coloration.

But that's for instrument/voice tracks, not for the Master Bus.

 

I've made a small comparison with some VCA, digital and VariMu (tube) compressors (sorry, no Fairychild ) on drums, single bass and Classical music:

01. 'untreated'
02. API 2500 (Waves, own (= name of the compressor) emu)
03. Arousor (Empirical Labs, Distressor emu)
04. bx_townhouse (PA, SSL bus compressor emu)
05. elysia alpha master compressor (PA, own emu)
06. FirComp2 (John V Audio, digital)
07. FirComp2 VCA (John V Audio, digital, VCA behaviour emu)
08. SSL Native Bus Compressor 2 (own emu)
09. Neold V76U73 (PA, Telefunken U73 emu - tube)
10. SILIKA (Kush Audio, diode saturation, compressor emu?)
11. True Dynamics (Kazrog, Presto 41A emu - tube)

I started with the API 2500, ratio 4:1, attack 30ms, release 0.1 sec, GR ~ 6dB.
I matched the ratio (where it was possible), GR and tried to match the sound (where it was possible) which led to some, partly very different timings.
All outputs are set to the same peak (only for the drums), this way you also get an impression of what happens to the RMS.
I left all the parameters I didn't need at default values.
For SSL NBC2 and SILIKA oversampling is used. Might be not fair but probably the normal use case.
Neold doesn't have a ratio and only two attack settings. I used Auto attack which led to a pretty high first peak which I ignored.
No matter how you set SILIKA's attack time, it just sounds different.
True Dynamics neither comes with a ratio nor an attack time.

Made and exported at 44.1/16.

Please bear in mind that this is just one example of their sounds and for some compressors it's not even the best.

Spoiler: some compressors on drums

Additionally I used the exact same settings (means peak and GR ignored) on a single bass and some Classical music to show how different these compressors/settings react to different sources

Spoiler: some compressors on bass

Spoiler: some compressors on classical music

 

I like to use the tape to add color but not so much for the glue but it is an option,


the topic is these two options the pros and cons and the experience that each one has in their type of music, I know there are other options like directly not using anything for the glue but as I say it is not the topic

 

fab filter 3 its a classic already at this time, the mag is excellent to give air in the 10k zone, the pro r seems to me the digital reverb par excellence, the controls are simply excellent and flexible, I like VSC-2 a lot in heavy bass. Although it is interesting to test plugins, as I say, there must be a reason. I have been managing myself that way for some time now, because there is a lot on the market and one can spend more time trying many compressors or ampsim and end up not knowing how to use any of them. when i install something it has to have many reasons

 

we had a similar discussion about this some time ago

here´s some descriptions of comps i like, from dirty to clean to limit.
https://audiosex.pro/threads/guys-im-need-of-a-new-mix-buss-compressor.57811/page-3#post-538015

 

ty im gonna check

 

I understand you that the market is completely full to the brim with compressors and the choice is a pain.
It is best to look at what sells the most, which company has a good reputation and especially what the professionals who have to do with it professionally use. With any company you get stuck and if you fall in love with a compressor, the love will last forever.

www.musicradar.com/news/the-best-vst-compressor-plugins-2020-top-quality-mixing-tools-for-your-daw
https://theproaudiofiles.com/compressor-plugins/

How To Use a Compressor by Jezar at Dreampoint

People are frequently asking how to use a compressor. Here is a little article I have written to explain how you go about it.

https://gonzoft.tripod.com/articles/a4/a4.htm

 

yes there is a lot on the market and I think that if I try a vst different from one that I have been using it has to have a meaning, as I say some good rewiew or some user experience that deserves since it is not to put a preset and that's it, it takes a long time to know the total capabilities of a plugin to know how to use it well, and some did not understand the topic, I did not ask this question about compressor signatures or how to do the work to manipulate a compressor, but the experiences they had with them in this case an ssl or a vari mu two different colors an example for me the vari mu did not work out for me in strong fast music instead the ssl yes but another can have another experience share it and that we all learn something new

 

Hello @spawnofblood, I'm a fan of reference books, I have a few books in my closet about mixing, recording and effects by renowned sound engineers. Mixing and recording is something you can spend your whole life with. Bobby Oswsinski / Bob Katz are a good start. https://bobbyowsinski.com & www.goodreads.com/book/show/711420.Mastering_Audio

To shorten the whole thing. I play mostly software synthesizers and the presets are all too thin. I add a little reverb and some delay to make them bigger and then take a compressor I trust, the SSL and turn it on and turn the "make up" knob 4-5 dB and that's it.
Now I have the sound I want, it's a little punchier and louder, that's all I want. The SSL sounded best to me and so I kept it.

 

My advice is: Don't make it too complicated. Pick a versatile compressor you like and put it on every Master Track. With versatile I mean one with advanced timing settings. (Like the PSP VintageWarmer2 or TDR Kotelnikov - both include low latency modes)

Nothing against a SSL Bus Comp on the Master Track. With its' soft knee and HP filter on the internal sidechain it can go deep without much gain reduction. You may have to automate parameters in quieter passages. But this can also be an advantage.

 

The Glue VST :D
or, i love to use CLA Mixdown on master.

 

I appreciate the advice but it's not what I'm asking, I'm asking about your experiences with an ssl type compressor and a vari mu type compressor, it doesn't help much say I like it x vst signature if you don't say why you like it, sorry if it sounds rude but there are many equal answers recommending signature compressors and few gave feedback on why they recommend x compressor and almost nobody spoke exclusively of the topic that is ssl against some varimu on master

 

I like glue, I usually use it often, but why do you like both of them vs. can you name me any quality that you highlight?

 

VCA/SSL for faster tempo material and VariMu for slower downtempo music. SSL is a certified staple all over rock, pop and electronic music where clean hits and a little pumping excitement is needed while VariMu is more for Jazz, Soul, R&B,etc.. This is only an opinion on where i would use them, consider VariMu more for live recorded music but it depends, sometimes opposites work better than what you think, always have to try it out and with many trials you will know what the track asks for.