My little compressor on drum loop comparison

Discussion in 'Mixing and Mastering' started by No Avenger, Aug 9, 2019.

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  1. Blue

    Blue Audiosexual

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    They sound worse WHEN you use it with wrong settings.Otherwise with appropriate settings it just sounds better.And for some sounds,for recordings and for busses they are just essentials.
     
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    Blue, Aug 11, 2019
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  2. junh1024

    junh1024 Rock Star

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    As expected, reacomp/builtin DAW FX uses the least CPU
     
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    junh1024, Aug 11, 2019
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  3. Fudsey Plange

    Fudsey Plange Guest


    Thank you. That's fascinating, but execution time is a very limited metric because it doesn't account for code efficiency. I'd have expected the Softube 1B to be much slower than it is, given its colouration, and that must be down to assembler coding. And, as always, Acustica thrashes the machine to buggery even using a simple compressor like the TAN, placing around 12 times the load the Softube does.

    It's a lovely idea, the Acustica solution, but it just don't make it in the real world on real machines. It would be worth including an Airwindows plug. Very small and fast.
     
    Fudsey Plange, Aug 11, 2019
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  4. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    Good idea, unfortunately, this man built 51 compressors!!! Are there one or two special ones you had in mind?
     
    No Avenger, Aug 11, 2019
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  5. Fudsey Plange

    Fudsey Plange Guest

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    Fudsey Plange, Aug 11, 2019
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  6. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    [​IMG] :like:

    Ok, I'll try compresaturator.

    EDIT: Done, plus some more...
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2019
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    No Avenger, Aug 11, 2019
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  7. devilorcracker

    devilorcracker Platinum Record

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    I use an old second generation i5 and the CPU usage is lower than yours. Why is that the case?
     
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    devilorcracker, May 10, 2020
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  8. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    Don't know, better mainboard, less programs running in the background? :unsure:
     
    No Avenger, May 10, 2020
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  9. Retrolize77

    Retrolize77 Audiosexual

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    Dunno why this thread is not sticky, this is def a great effort. Have to listen at home with HP,
    would be interesting to know which comps stood out for other peeps?
    Appreciate the work @No Avenger
     
    Retrolize77, Jan 25, 2021
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  10. The Freq

    The Freq Guest

    What I really want to know is in your opinion which one is the most effective and equally most transparent overall?
    Can that be determined easily enough from your tests?
    I will sacrifice CPU load for something great so while I think what you have done is fabulous, you can remove that from any answer if that helps? :)
     
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    The Freq, Jan 25, 2021
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  11. livemouse

    livemouse Producer

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    Tin Brook Tales released an updated version of TLS 1295 LEA.
    the GUI has some great SNR
    [​IMG]

    however, I've used this one and it also has a high SNR on the GUI
    [​IMG]
     
    livemouse, Jan 25, 2021
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  12. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    If by transparent you mean clean, which would exclude any tube, FET, opto and tape, Boz Manic Compressor in Sheer or Digital mode or stock digital.
    You'll find compressors without any added harmonics, though in case ofthe Boz the added harmonics are not audible, but only at the cost of a higher CPU consumption (with maybe the exception of FF's compressor, I didn't test it).
    For instance Sonoris Mastering Compressor is technically cleaner but produces a completely different sound which I don't like (with the same settings) and is round about 12 times as CPU hungry.

    On the other hand, a few added harmonics are often perceived as more 'transparent' because they can make a sound brighter. But here it starts to become extremely complicated because the (excluded) compressors differ a lot in terms of kind (odd/even), level and quantity of added harmonics. And when to use which is a matter of source, goal and taste.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2021
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    No Avenger, Jan 25, 2021
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  13. The Freq

    The Freq Guest

    By transparent I mean it audibly, the tones/timbre of the sound does not change to the human ear and zero pumping. Talk to me like I know nothing about the technical aspects because I only know it from a musician's point of view, so only a little - Nobody has made a vst that accurately reproduces the Aphex compellor to this stage though I did read that UAD comes close. Thanks for the lesson Maestro :) So the one swiss-army knife compressor you would use as a default 'go to' is ??? - I also noticed Slate Digital was not big on your list. Only as a musician which means I am limited in contribution here, the compressor in the FX-G Mastering tool seems pretty transparent.
     
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    The Freq, Jan 25, 2021
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  14. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    Sadly, I never had the opportunity to test or use the Compellor. But it's not just a compressor. It combines several dynamic modules, partly or all frequency dependant, with different ratios and (automated) timings and even if you can use it on a single source, it's not made for this purpose.
    In short, it doesn't fit in this list at all (apart from being hardware).
    BTW, FX-G isn't just a compressor either. I tried it several years ago and all I remember is that it didn't convince me in the way that it didn't contribute anything I needed to the softs I already used.

    A Swiss Army knife would be the Boz, DMGAudio TrackComp and FabFilter's Pro-C. They all come with various emulations and are fully adjustable. But of course they differ in GUI, handling, sound, price and CPU consumption.
     
    No Avenger, Jan 25, 2021
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  15. The Freq

    The Freq Guest

    Great it means I the grasshopper here chose wisely. That's my default. I can actually see what it's doing, or I think I can at worst :rofl:
     
    The Freq, Jan 25, 2021
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  16. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    You know in audio, hearing is believing, right? :winker: Even better, comparing. You never know how 'good' or 'bad' a compressor (or an EQ) sounds unless you compared it. :yes:
     
    No Avenger, Jan 25, 2021
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  17. 9000k

    9000k Producer

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    judging from your samples Michael Jackson's Ultimate Compressor is my favourite
    guess I really knew what I was doing choosing this one to stay in my vst folder
     
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    9000k, Jan 25, 2021
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  18. Xupito

    Xupito Audiosexual

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    Where are Winrar and 7-Zip? Best compressors hands down. A bit CPU hungry but hey, nobody's perfect.
    Except Billie Eilish, ofc.
     
    Xupito, Jan 26, 2021
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  19. The Freq

    The Freq Guest

    That other compressor Winzip was great for a while until like Billie, it started to believe its own publicity.
    :facepalm:
     
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    The Freq, Jan 26, 2021
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  20. Xupito

    Xupito Audiosexual

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    True fact. I even forgot Billie Eilish is not my idol anymore. So scratch that and instead nobody's perfect except Shay Bradley and Elizabeth Zharoff.
     
    Xupito, Jan 26, 2021
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