I am not even able to open up your .dmg file!

I am on ubuntu and windows

And at € 1252(excl. VAT) we can all afford a copy

I decided to make my example files available with info on my website. Or you can download it directly here:http://pub.300.mg/zMPLag

RedAmption in extreme action:
threshold -48db
ratio 20
attack 0.1ms
release 40ms
and varying other settings
All listed in a .rtf file inside the .zip along the audio files that is 44.1kHz 24bit.

Please let me know what you think

Personally I'd be more interested in a standard parameter amount across every compressor, with the make up gain adjusted so the original dB level stays uniform.

You know, how you would normally use a compressor. I may not like how one of your examples creates distortion when pushed to silly amounts, but what if I like the sound of it when used at typical levels?

can't wait to read the results.

Thank you for sending the files i will register you.
Your files will be added next round.



I will upload only a zipped version of the files.




Hi,

my experience is, that it's difficult to find compareble settings because some compressors have slower attacks which causes high peaks and less RMS/ loudness. Compressors have also very diffrent ratio maximums.

So this comparsion concentrates on which way each compressor can take the signal. Xtreme compressions give you a zoom view like a high magnifier on this point.

We decided that loudness is part of the compressors sound character and thats why we didn't balance the RMS of the files.

Best regards
SPUMD



b-pole my man, hope you are doin fine.

Tomorrow all files names will be published so it's the last call for the blind audition.

I look forward to the results. I was going to work on this last weekend but was unable to do that. I may still run the file through a couple of compressors I recently got

cool


Here are the named files in an .iso image.
----

Our Opinion
1. February 2012

The best is always a matter of taste and a matter of what you need.
If you like to compress the audio signal neutral, without adding color or or much sound, we found a lot of compressors that solve this task very well. Depending how far you compress the signal subtile changes were added.The Abbey Road compressors, Cytomic Glue, Nomad British MLC and E-3B and most of the Nebula compressors are a perfect examples for this.

But when it comes to adding sound and color, we found the following sticking out of the library.

Nebulas Boing 747 (file 021) and Voxengos Drumformer (file 141) create a nice soulful boom.

Mellowmuses Vintage CP3V (file 131), Nomads E-Comp (file 028) and UAD CS-1 (file 046) create a lot of atmosphere.

Izotopes Ozone 5 Comp (file 128) has a very unique and nice mid frequency sound.

Best bang for the bug we heard from Nebula Free Bundle, Meldas MPressor, Stillwells Rocket and DDMFs LinComp.

Izotopes Ozone 5 comp is in our opinion the most flexible and unique, and we love this comp. It's quit funny because we found Izotopes Ozone 4 (file 084) and Alloy (file 082) the worst sounding in this library.

All the best
SPUMD

say what now?

So you didn't like Brainworx Vertigo or Softubes compressors like Summit etc?

It makes no sense to comment on which compressors are best at "adding color" based on samples of the most extreme compression possible while maintaining proper, unsquashed sound, at which almost all fail -miserably-.

If this was a "color" test, people would tune the compressor to have what they think is the nicest color, not the best high threshold compression, and your opinion in that case could and would most likely be vastly different.

The good thing is that sensible people could hear for themselves just how terribly most of those compressors fail at high threshold compression. The bad thing is that most of the submissions are from people who have a very strange opinion of what are proper settings, or just have no idea how to properly tweak their compressor.

That leaves me with the usual conclusion and tip:
This is yet another loose reference that's nice to have but can and will seriously mislead you. Test things for yourself if you really want to know how good or bad the compressor you're interested in is.

what?



Softubes Summit files ain't yet part of this library. It's not that i don't like Brainworx Vertigo but in my opinion this compressor does not stick out of this library. I think it's a good tool and that you can work with it, but i did not hear something special that made me say "wow".

But thats all a matter of taste. I like to work with Metric Halos Channelstrip and it's compressor or with the IK Multimedia stuff. But in the blind auditions i did not pick them and i still like to work with them. There are good enough and i get good results.

But if I look for something special... some more boom or atmosphere... then i know which tools to pick.
This library is not the ultimate judgment it's just informations and it's up to you what you do with it.




Well if you read my posts i do not use the word "best" in my opinion.

Like i said: "The best is always a matter of taste and a matter of what you need / searching for." and following this no file fails. It's just informations and you judge what you like and what you don't like.

In normal studio situations you would never use such xtreme settings it's just a way to see which path each compressor takes the signal and how far you can push it. The added sound gains with the xtreme compression and you can take it back with moderate settings.The xtreme compression works like a magnifier glass.

And before you go and buy things just use the stuff you already have and try to rebuild the sound you wanne go for, to see if you really need new tools.

Well I'd say you're very wrong about the "magnifier glass" effect of extreme compression when it comes to "color". In many compressors, you're missing characteristics that are not "magnified", but simply completely lost with such settings. That's true for hardware as well as software compressors. One very obvious example is my API 525 (well known "very colorful" compressor), which has very different characteristics at different thresholds, and with which I'd never use such extreme settings to showcase its "color" because it's simply not there with them.

Look Shy some compressors in this library have more than one sample because different settings where used and the decision was made to picture this perspective. Xtreme compression does't mean that you have to take it to the limit, if you think an other setting promotes the compressor sound a better way, just do it.
We are going to add it to the library and people can hear it. Or if you think one of the compressors inside this library can do better just redo the files the way you like. We will add it to the library. No problem. But let us hear a difference let us hear how the comp works.

I'm very curios about your API 525 sound samples. Please send us the files.