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Compressors

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    Wes Audio ng76

    Digitally Controlled FET Compressor

    The Polish pioneers pair their plug‑in remote control system with a classic analogue compressor.

    Reviews Oct 2023
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    PSP auralComp

    Immersive Audio Compressor Plug-in

    Intuitive and powerful, this compressor can handle anything from mono up to 7.1.4 Atmos sources.

    Reviews Sep 2023
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    SSL G3 MultiBusComp

    Multiband Compressor Plug-in

    Solid State Logic have added some new strings to their G‑series compressor’s bow.

    Reviews Sep 2023
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    Black Lion Audio Bluey 500

    Mono FET Compressor

    BLA have packed their take on the classic ‘blue‑stripe’ 1176 into a 500‑series module.

    Reviews Jul 2023
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    Softube Bus Processor

    Dynamics & Saturation Plug-in

    As a traditional bus compressor, this plug‑in sounds great — but there’s much more to it than that!

    Reviews Jul 2023
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    Chandler RS660

    Valve Compressor

    Can’t decide if you’d rather blow your vari‑mu budget on a Fairchild or an RS124? Chandler’s RS660 puts a little of both in one box...

    Reviews Jun 2023
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    Electric & Company EC5B

    Valve Compressor/Limiter

    This boutique compressor sounds every bit as classy and characterful as it looks.

    Reviews May 2023
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    DryBell Module 4

    Compressor Pedal

    Croatia‑based manufacturer DryBell’s Module 4 design aims to recreate the famous Orange Squeezer compressor.

    Reviews May 2023
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    Waves Magma Tube Channel Strip

    Dynamics, EQ & Saturation Plug-in

    Magma offers a one‑stop shop for analogue‑style attitude and warmth.

    Reviews May 2023
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    Electric & Company EC5B | Audio Examples

    Hear For Yourself

    These audio examples accompany the review of the Electric & Company EC5B Limiting Amplifier in the SOS May 2023 issue.

    Reviews May 2023
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    Q. For parallel compression, should I use different tracks or a compressor’s wet/dry control?

    When doing parallel compression, are there advantages to using the compressor fully wet on another channel, and feeding it with an aux send from the first track?

    Sound Advice Apr 2023
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    Locomotive Audio WT-Comp | Audio Examples

    Hear For Yourself

    The audio examples available on this page accompany my SOS April 2023 review of the Weight Tank compressor by Locomotive Audio. I’ve provided before and after examples along with the settings I used and a few thoughts on what I was trying to achieve with the compressor in each setting.

    01_Drum Room_RAW

    A mono drum room mic without any processing applied.

    02_Drum Room_WT-Comp

    This is an example of the WT-Comp being used to add character and excitement to the drum room mic. The attack was on the fastest setting, the release set at 11 o’clock and the drive setting was engaged. Around 7-8 dB of gain reduction was applied.

    03_Bass Guitar_RAW

    A bass guitar captured via direct input without any processing.

    04_Bass Guitar_WT-Comp

    An example of the WT-Comp used on a bass guitar DI to add more dynamic consistency. With upwards of 10 dB of gain reduction applied, you can hear how the compressor makes the part more solid but at the expense of a little low-end and a general change in tone. For this example, I had the drive setting engaged, the attack at 2 o'clock and the release at 3 o’clock.

    05_Acoustic Guitar_RAW

    An acoustic guitar recording with no processing.

    06_Acoustic Guitar_WT-Comp

    With the WT-Comp in its ‘round’ setting this is an example of I used the review unit to make a strummed acoustic guitar part sit more confidently in a mix. The attack was set at 2 o'clock and the release at its fastest setting.

    07_Electric Guitar_RAW

    An example of a slightly driven picked electric guitar recording.

    08_Electric Guitar_WT-Comp

    With the attack at 2 o’clock and release at its fastest setting, I used the WT-Comp to add more saturation and make the guitar part cut through the mix more easily. The drive setting was used and as much as 10dB of gain reduction.

    09_Female Vocals_RAW

    An example of a female vocal recorded without any processing.

    10_Female Vocals_WT-Comp

    In this example, you can hear how the WT-Comp adds more weight to a female vocal. I found I had to tread quite carefully on vocals and this has just 3-4 dB of gain reduction applied with both the attack and release set at around 12 o'clock. This is in the ‘round’ setting.

    11_Male Vocals_RAW

    An example of a Male vocal recorded without any processing.

    12_Male Vocals_WT-Comp

    For this example, I used the same settings as for the female vocal but with the drive setting engaged to add more harmonics to the vocal. I generally preferred the WT-Comp on male vocals that benefited from the extra low-end weight and a more coloured sound.

    Reviews Apr 2023
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    Locomotive Audio WT-Comp

    Vari‑mu Compressor

    This characterful valve processor offers vari‑mu compression at a very attractive price.

    Reviews Apr 2023
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    Eddie Bazil

    Compression And Expansion | SOS Podcast

    7 Practical Examples

    Eddie Bazil demystifies Compression and Expansion with a detailed explanation of their uses, which he demonstrates using plug-ins through seven practical examples.

    Techniques Apr 2023
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    Compressor Topology

    Feed-forward Or Feedback?

    Feedback and feed‑forward compressors can sound very different. Which type is right for which job?

    Sound Advice Feb 2023
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    DOCtron IMC

    Stereo EQ & VCA Compressor

    Billed as an instant mastering device for on‑stage use, the DOCtron IMC could well be an entirely new class of audio processor.

    Reviews Feb 2023
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    Heritage Audio Herchild 670

    Dual-channel Valve Compressor

    Part of their new American Heritage line, the Madrid‑based manufacturers’ latest offering is their take on the mighty Fairchild Model 670.

    Reviews Feb 2023
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    Soundevice Digital VoxDucker

    Ducking Plug-in

    VoxDucker aims to make the ducking process more intuitive, so that podcasters and the like can get consistently good results.

    Reviews Feb 2023
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    Waves Spherix

    Compressor & Limiter Plug-in

    Designed from the ground up for processing multi‑channel Atmos sources, Spherix boasts some innovative and useful features.

    Reviews Feb 2023
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    Rockruepel Sidechain.one

    VCA Compressor

    This quality analogue processor offers precise and intuitive control over your compression.

    Reviews Jan 2023
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    Sonible Smart:Comp 2

    Compressor Plug-in

    Sonible have packed even more ‘smarts’ into their second‑generation AI‑driven compressor.

    Reviews Dec 2022

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