The "Your Favorite Compressor Plug-In and Why" Thread

[DrFord]

I was going to invest in a few new plug ins, and thought this might be a good resource for people like me who would like to explore other types of plugs.

So people please chime in Seriously please and share your favorite compressor plug-in (RTAS/TDM) only (no wrapped VST)

I guess tape Saturation plugs are ok if you are recommending them particularly for their compression characteristics and not for their tape emulation.

So far I find myself using of course my McDSP Compressor Bank, but I just got demos for the PSP MixPressor2 and the PSP VintageWarmer 2, both seem to perform very well and have interesting sounds.

Thanks ahead of time!

D

[25ghosts]

Dont laugh and take it serious


Waves C1.

Why, because it is the most precise and non-color compressor I have ever used.

As I got it 11 years ago I hated it. Then I bought Manley and Avalon along with an API. Then I learned what real compressors are doing and what (To Me) they are all about. And today, the C1 is just about all the compressor I need.

I have a saying that I tell myself, only. "If you cant get it done with the C1 - something is wrong with the track/performance"

I track with a Manley Slam which I really like and my UREI 1178 as well. Thore are my fav. outboards

[Extreme Mixing]

The Sonox compressor is very nice. I also just got the Massey 2007 limiter which I like a lot. Compressor Bank, as you know, is really nice, too. I have a bunch of others, but those are what I use most often.

Steve

[Kenny Gioia]

I dig the Massey CT4. Pretty much use it on every drum track & drum buss.

I really like the free 1176 plugin for vocals. Don't know why.

I'm also digging hard on the new soft tube compressor FET.

http://www.softube.se/fet_compressor.php

It's just so controllable.

On the 2 buss I'm still using Channelstrip, Waves SSL and TCMasterX.

The free Digi one isn't bad either.

[stevegalante]

Originally Posted by Extreme Mixing

The Sonox compressor is very nice. I also just got the Massey 2007 limiter which I like a lot

Steve

Me too. Also, I don't have it but I demoed and liked the Tubetech a lot. And the Waves Renaissance Comp.

[KingFish]

Smack! - Drum "Squash" - Parallel compression on the Drum Bus
Rvox -->Masey DeEsser --> MH ChannelStrip --> BF1176 - on Vox
Massey CT4 - Snare
MH ChannelStrip - Most things (Inserted across all tracks / activated and tweaked as needed)
McDsp AC2 --> PSP VW - Master Bus


I also track my sessions with several HW Compressors, LA-2A, 1176, SSL, Neve Portico, Ashley SC-50 (Yes I said it ASHLEY SC-50, I LOVE that thing, and you can get em for $50.00 Bucks on E-Bay - my biggest secret)

if I've lots of Inputs, I'll "Over Process" Parallel tracks in the studio with HW Compressors, which sometimes "Make it into the Mix" and sometimes don't

I'll usually print HW Compression on the Kik, Snare, Room, and various other instruments, (Always on Parallel tracks, edit grouped, with the un-processed track)

[klarok]

I find RenCom very versatile. Sounds good on almost everything. My default compressor.
AC2 is my favourite Compression-Plug for heavy compression. Acoustic and electric guitars, drums, even vocals sometimes esp Backing Vocals. And even the mixbus.
The chain RenCom, AC2 is killer for R'n'R.

[hummerZ]

RComp works every time.

[audioluche]

TG or EMI 12413 limiter. My favorite for certain things, a lot of character and not transparent at all!

UAD 1176 but this one just died with the upgrade to leopard. Sad.

I like the waves API.

Sony for transparency.

I notice a lot of people talkimg about waves ren comp. I used it a lot when i was on my native rig but when i switched to Pro Tools 4 years ago, i did not upgraded my gold bundle and i did not used it since. You guy's are making me think about WUP'ing. I really dig this one back then.

I have to try the softube one, i hope it can replace the UAD 1176.

I wish i had a couple of days to demo all the zillons cool compressors out there...

But my favorite ones are my hardware MC77, distressors and V-Mu!!!!

Luc

[lego]

JB Barricade
JB Broadcastprocessor (discontinued)

because sometimes it's not worth doing it yourself