No such thing as 'best', It's far more what works well for you/your want's and need's.
Plug-In wise a few I use often would be;
Tokyo Dawn Records Kotelnikov GE, For full transparency I beta test for the guy's but I honestly do not ever shill their stuff unless I believe it is of the highest quality and I genuinely do.
Voxengo Polysquasher, It's a very underrated one IMextremelyHumbleHO, It's really quite transparent and works well as a compressor on the master out.
Waves API 500 Series API 2500, This one doesn't need any explaining really does it? The UAD variety is great.
Cytomic The Glue, I have quite a few SSL G-Series based bus compressors, I personally think/find this one to work best out of them on the master output as it's very clean with sensible additions that offer a lot of control, YMMV of course.
Sonnox Oxford R3 Dynamics, It is a lot more than just a compressor. It's a plugin which I've used pretty much since I started working ITB, It's very versatile and very capable of rather transparent compression.
DMG Audio Compassion, It's an absolute monster of a dynamics processing tool that offers epic amounts of control, Capable of pretty much whatever a user needs in tracking, mixing and mastering scenarios.
FabFilter Pro-C 2, I don't use it myself on master outs but it's more than capable of such a task, Possibly the best GUI going, Very intuitive.
Flux PureCompressor V3, Solera V3, Syrah V3, All are equally great quality, clean and like most that I'll mention in this list not based upon anything which exists in the real world which removes restraints.
HOFA IQ-Compressor, An interesting approach and like all their other tools I'd say worth a try.
Klanghelm DC8C2, Offers plenty of control and from another small developer whom always delivers nothing but excellent quality tools.
McDSP have dynamic processors which are very good and worth trying for sure, One I can vouch for since nearly as long as the Sonnox Oxford Dynamics is the Compressor Bank, It's very flexible.
Plugin Alliance, Plenty of great options mostly based on very high quality outboard, elysia alpha Compressor, Millenia TCL-2 Vertigo VSC-2 are a few examples of such available from them, ProAudioDSP's DSM V2 is a very different animal but equally an excellent dynamic processing tool also. On a side note, the elysia NVELOPE is my favourite transient/envelope shaper with the plugin version very close to the real thing, The real thing I can push a little bit harder and still obtain very pleasing results but I find that to be the case with most plugin versions of outboard gear.
PSPaudioware MasterComp and VintageWarmer 2 are both great quality as are the rest of PSPaudioware's plugins, oldTimer ME is also great but I don't like it on my master output personally, I find it far better on tracks and aux/return bus duty...Obviously YMMV.
Sonoris Audio Engineering Mastering Compressor, It is designed specifically for master out duties and does such very well.
Positive Grid's Pro Studio Series Compressors, Like their BIAS guitar and bass gear modelling, These offer a lot of tweaking options behind the scenes which are rarely left for the user to fuck around with, The results can be great if you know what you are up to, A little too much colourful for me on the master out but still might work/suit other people really well.
Algorithmix LP SplitComp, Extremely expensive for a plugin but offers extremely good results transparent wise/clarity utilizing linear phase processing, It's another area like multiband processors which is easily a topic in of itself, However when implemented in a quality way the results can be excellent. Definitely one of the best ITB compressors.

Their are plenty of other options from the likes of Waves, Softube (including the Native Instruments classic compressors which are Softube based), House of Kush/Sly-Fi Digital, MeldaProduction, SSL themselves, Slate Digital, ToneBoosters, u-he, Wave Arts, VSL Vienna Suite Pro, Universal Audio UAD platform such as the Precision Series amongst many other options and more I've forgot to mention.
I've not mentioned acustica's Nebula and standalone plugins with very nice GUIs as that is very vast options wise and more than worth the time of anyone who works ITB but wishes to add what analogue gear offers along with not having the room and/or money to spend on such pricey outboard, In that respect it is incredible value for money. Nebula can be a bit of a PITA I find but the sound is worth the tiny amount of extra hassle easily. Focurite LiquidMix which uses the IP/software technology of Sintefex, Specifically their Dynamic Convolution are really good and can be had for very good prices, I know around these parts I'm certainly not the only big fan and user of the LiquidMix.
I also deliberately tried to not mention any multiband dynamic processors as it is a whole topic in of itself, The few that snuck through would be PSPaudioware's VintageWarmer2, Plugin Alliance ProAudioDSP's DSM V2 (by Paul Frindle who's a legend when it comes to the audio world) and Algorithmix LP SplitComp, However they do not present as most typical multiband compressors/dynamic EQ's do. It's worth mentioning that via for example Blue Cat Audio Blue Cat's MB-7 Mixer 2 that it's possible to create a multiband setup of anything you could ever think of, It is well worth at least trying out with compression/dynamic range processing plugin's.
There are so many options it can be overwhelming, So to combat that I personally try to keep my dedicated audio machine as lean as possible in all departments, So I'm not scrolling through endless options for any category of processor, effect, ROMpler, Sampler and Synthesizer plugins as it just wastes time, However I do try anything recommended and what not in case I find a new piece worthy of adding to the arsenal, Out of all category of plugin, Compressors/Limiters are easily where I have many more than any other due to character, topology and so on and so forth. It really is an area which needs to be nailed down just like equalization as it is absolutely fundamental, So in that respect I always say try out as much as you can and invest in what works for you, Options are good but too many for me personally become detrimental to workflow/the results suffer due to that temptation to fuck around forever!
Everyone's MMV of course and there are some styles which are heavily dependent on external keying/side-chaining to get a mix to where it needs to be and of course such factors need to be kept in mind along with always trying new stuff out within proper context of one's own setup whenever possible not just going off of in store demo results and videos on YouTube for example, Especially so when it comes to hardware.

Hope that is of some use/help, All the best and to all as always

Dean

 

@Death Thash Doom
Very informative and useful reply!

 

Cheers Tonyg0499, I always try to share as much information as I've picked up over the years both by trial with plentiful amounts of error along with asking questions and always being open to try new approaches/techniques across the board. I probably sound like I rattle on sometimes but it is not intentional

All the best your way

 

Thanks everybody but can someone recommend some of the best software mastering comps.

 

At the end, the best is the one You know how to use

 

I would have thought that you have been supplied with plenty of guidance. There is almost a library of info from Death Thrash Doom. What more can we tell you in light of the fact that you haven't indicated how much money you have, nor what style of music you make.

 

Please someone help this poor guy out.

 

I don't see how much more spoon feeding he needs. At the top of this page, almost every software compressor is identified in detail and still he's asking a question that is oversimplified and cannot be answered in the manner he wishes. There are thousands of members on this site and most of us worked out what works through trial and error. We didn't hold up traffic until we were given a definitive answer until we were satisfied.
OK. Mr Walk By Faith.... get the PSP Vintage Warmer. That is THE best there is. There is nothing better. NOTHING. Anything else is fake news or alternative fact.

 

I think that if you need to so broadly and blindly ask this question, you're not ready for mastering.

 

he seems to be "specializing" in these kind of brainsuck threads...

 

This might be the same guy who a while back asked "what's the best guitar?"..... is it possible to ask a less specific question than this?

 

You know what, you don't deserve the help of people with experience when it's laid out in front of you in plain English. Try doing what we all did and find the answers you seek by using your ears and your brain. If this was a simple science we could give you an answer. But you don't seem to grasp music is an art. You might as well ask us...." what's the best color?" Stop being lazy. Work and work hard or you'll never understand anything.

 

Bloody hell, It has got to be up there tooloud, Like others I fully expect here, I could easily write an essay about just my own collection of guitars and bass guitars! It'd get exponentially lengthy the more about any other element involved in the signal chain from plectrum or lack thereof, string gauge on each, action, setup, neck details, bridge type, construction style, stuff besides the string gauge I've switched or added on and that excruiatingly anal level of detail/information would stretch alll the way through to processing the captured sum of all the parts well after the recorded takes have been captured and edited down, Ready to start a mixdown. It'd bore most people to death unless for some bizarre reason that level of detail and information was genuinely interesting to them haha, I only have a few fellow guitar playing friend's and absolute gear/everything fanatics that love to share such levels of detail, I enjoy it but understandably it certainly wouldn't be a fun read for most.

I suppose that the only further step towards calculating infinty would be to pose the question "what's the best instrument?" and leave it without anything at all so that is so open ended and nothing anyone possibly attempts to answer such an insane question would be correct nor incorrect, Such a debate literally could go infintately with countless good, bad and downright ugly arguements made for anything along with the same in regards to counter arguements.

Some questions simply are just not possible to answer in any meaningful way without parameters that narrow our focus really quite thinly and even then it is usually purely subjective.

So in short not really and nice one for bringing that up, It is crucial stuff for us to be able to offer one another any advice, opinions and anything really that is practical without restraints, For our own sanities to stay in tact or maybe lack of sanity in some cases to stay that way.

I think being brutally straight up like you have been is the kindest thing to do when the individual posing questions in such vague a manner, As @Herr Durr raised the alarm, It makes all the difference. Anyone that is either unwilling, not capable of or whatever other reason may explain why someone is incapable of narrowing down anything after quite abit more than a one or two polite requests and people's goodwilll and nature are being quite frankly wasted when the energy could be conserved for someone who is asking a question which is similar and the information we all share will probably help, At least be absorbed and understood. I do not mean to come across in bad faith, As I am certain that yourself along with the majority of other members do not but a time waster with form/repeat offender is just not an asset to a community along with swiftly extracting all willingness to help in good faith from us all whom approach anyone's enquiries with such. I'm not moral fagging either, That's not my style!

You can only lead a horse to water as the saying goes, Extremely frustrating to do when the results will not be utilized by the person posing the question to begin with. Honestly thank you towards you Herr Durr and of course yourself tooloud, Along with others who have been blunt, I think everything which are considered as virtues amongst human being's can cause the opposite effects/detrimental than which are typically assosiated with each.
I always try to learn a lesson every day and I've certainly learned one today

I'm knackered/beat, I do hope that I am making sense with saying the above, All the best as always

@krewznie sort yourself out/prepare any questions in a manner which will provide you with meaningful information/answers to whatever it is that you are seeking advice/opinion on, Otherwise you'll end up with OP's without a sole reply, Nail the fundamentals, Total essentials first no matter the temptation to think about the bigger picture, Once you've got them down everything else will follow, However as has been pointed out, You MUST do most of the heavy lifting yourself, Genuinely there aren't any ways to cut corners/take shortcuts/seek a magic silver bullet to any of the 101/fundamental/essential areas, Otherwise any and everybody would be up and flying and i'd put most people that are able to make some shekels into redudancy!

Peace

 

Perhaps he was responding to the second post in the thread before having read the rest of thread.

 

I don't understand what you're saying. Your are verbose by nature. How about a succinct summation of the message you wish to convey? Do you wish to write a book for the purpose of guiding this newbie into buying "THE BEST COMPRESSOR" on the market regardless of price, or how about you, like most of the rest of us say, "FFS read what what we've said and make your own mind up?" Because I'm getting sick of the pandering to a twat who doesn't seem to be able to decide if he likes strawberry or raspberry.

 

The best ones I'm working with right now are these ones:





Are these the best for you? Probably not, since "best" is relative and subjective.

 

@Baxter sweet gear.. maybe someday I can afford to touch one for a few mins...

 

Natural compression.

 

Awww folks sorry if i said something wrong. Did not see the long post describing different types of compressors by different vendors. But i have waves , DMG and cytomic the Glue. Am sorry SENIORS.

 

i'll reiterate a common thing that many others have said here already: best is subjective.

but why is that?

because, by nature, no human being HEARS exactly the same way as another.

you know the saying: one man's trash is another man's treasure.

that definitely applies here.

i'd say start here, determine what you can afford, and then give it a shot: KVRAudio: Mastering Compressor search

good luck