The very first thing I would do is to categorize them into:

1. compressor for mastering/mixbus/sub bus
2. compressor for single track such as vocal, kick, snare, bass

after this, you will find out the very plugins that you actually need.

 

Thanks for your kind reply.

I prefer seeing responses like this style more. Along with understanding people's attitudes, I had already mentioned in my message that I am aware of this.

I've used Plugin Doctor to check some plugins, and for instance, despite sonic differences, many Vari-Mu compressors have similar EQ curves. I just wanted to remove the similar ones based on your suggestions, or you can correct me with your guidance.

I'll go with LA-2A. thanks for your suggestion.

For saturation
I am totally agree with you on Black Box, Saturn and Decapitator. They all AMAZING. I'm quite impressed with Fuse audio preamps as well but I think I might cover these with black box and saturn. Tgp ProSat is also great to me. Liked True Iron - Pulsar P42 and P44 too but again they sound a bt narrow to me. Also Pumpkin Pro and Kelvin is Great on Synths.

Will check Arturia and Vertigo.
Thanks.

 

Decapitator was great 15 years ago when saturation options were severely limited. Anyone who still thinks it's worth recommending automatically loses all credibility

 

I've narrowed down my selection of vari-mu's to only SPL Iron(blind buy for like 20$ ) and Pulsar Mu(also blind bought it in bundle with Massive EQ - I feel no need for UAD versions ) .UAD Fairchild I don't count cause it is "special occasion" type of thing. Believe it or not, I haven't still dived deep into those yet but maybe I need to test that SPL Iron in some host that supports oversampling (will try it with KSHMR CHAIN).
I like Pulsar Mu , when you hit the sweetspot on some groups it just works for gentle compression .When pushed hard - it breaks down.
Also , as you mentioned you are getting why MJUC is so popular and in that sense it's like swiss knife of Vari-Mu plugins . Many people would only need this one.

 

decapitator is already a hall of fame plugin and comparing it to anything else is stupid. The decapitator was abused as a goto bus crusher by many famous mixers in the 2000s and became a motif for many later plug-in developers. Devaluing something just because many people know about it is just your prejudice. I'm sure you've filled your arsenal with cool new plugins, but you're still looking for yet another one.

 

It's like PSP Vintagewarmer dinosaur type of thing (I mean it in a good way )that many people love and which simply works

 

Alright, i'll keep it as brief as possible:

Opto: bx_opto, only because when i'm in the need of an opto comp, this one is the only one on the list that beheaves the way an opto comp should (in my mind), and it also has some nice features like sidechain filter and speed control which are very cool for fine tuning things.

FET: UAD 1176, honestly i don't see much point on using FET comps other than for the "1176 vibe".

Vari-mu: MJUC, Never liked much vari-mu's but if i had to choose, this is the one. Mainly because it has better timing options than the rest.

VCA: bx_glue, it has the SSL vibe but a lot more tweakable.

Yes...ish? That's another topic and there are people here that are more qualified than me to talk about it for sure. But basically you want the to-be-mastered-file(s) to reach it's best final version, that may (or may not) require a very complex and transparent control of dynamics, which you can't do with just any compressor, that's why things like Unisum exist.

 

OK, I'll kick in...Tokyo Dawn TDR Limiter 6 for your end game, Jon V Fircomp 2 for transparency when you wish it, Softube CL1B optically speaking, and for all around duties Klanghelm DC8C.

 

There are other PSP ones people still use, too. Eventide, Lexicon, etc. I use Altiverb 7, which is 10 years old just for that version number. I use multiple Sonnox plugins which are all the same age. If you look at the current PA bundle, it is very many plugins that have been in there for years. Many of the Softube plugins are just as old. Let's not even get started about Waves . Some of the best plugins are almost never even updated to new versions because they were bug-free when they were originally released. Fabfilter Pro-Qx is from 2009. So I am absolutely ok with "lost credibility" from someone who knows so very little and is permanently ignored.

 

he doesnt know how to choose a compressor!!! i say we should kill him

 

If i had to choose a single compressor for using for all duties for the rest of my life, this would be the one. Color? Fabfilter Saturn, since you can use it on tracks and busses without any loss. I'd buy another plugin after those two if it's something crazy nuts that i know i be using for the rest of my life and become part of my sound. If i have doubt, i just delete, for the sake of my sanity and work.

 

Reacomp. If you are a REAPER user. If not: Cenozoix. Forget the rest.

 

I feel the OP's pain! So much choice these days.

There was a post on GS a while back which I came across and thought was pretty good:

My favourites are: VCL-4, UAD1176 (or 160), IK670, SSL Bus

I'd also add a "modern" comp like FF Pro C although ToneBooster's Comp 4 is a good, cheaper alternative. And if I could only have one, I'd go for the Klanghelm DC8C3 as it can do pretty much anything once you understand it.

Cheers!

 

FYI, the U17 is "diode-bridge" which makes me think you might like to add a Neve-ish compressor to your list.

 

IMHO, the "2D/narrow" effect comes from comps that are linked, especially bus comps like the SSL. I prefer bus comps that can be unlinked as they maintain stereo width at the expense of a slightly less solid middle.

 

Thanks for your kind response.
I find MJUC to be good, but I prefer El Rey. If I had to choose just one, it would be El Rey. I have a love-hate relationship with Acustica plugins. I appreciate their sound quality, but I dislike their glitches and high CPU usage.

Regarding mastering compression, I understand that surgical tools may be necessary. But for other situations, I just wanted to point out that many other plugins are also good for the job.

Thanks!

 

First time i hear "Jon V Fircomp 2". Will check it ASAP
Thank you.

 

Do you mind if i ask why you suggest Cenozoix instead of Fabfilter Comp?

 

It's great to have these tools available nowadays. I'm impressed by how close some amp sims are to my real amp. There's definitely a difference, but in the end, no one will care in a mix.

I've tried ToneBoosters, who are great plugin developers, and I think they are as good as FabFilter. Since I'm mostly a pedal guy, I'm more familiar with knobs than graphs.

Klanghelm DC8C3 has been added to my list. I was trying to simplify the list, and just now, I've added three more.

Thank you.

 

I will research this in detail.