Best DAW compressor?

[Armadillosound]

the on'e in logic are great, and made so much sweeter by the one-click instantiation in the mixer channel strips

I'll second that

[DigitaLWizarD]

Samplitude Ammunition, Samplitude Am-track, Samplitude Advanced Dynamics, Samplitude Multi-band dynamics, Samplitude sMax11 and the Samplitude eFX Compressor aint so bad...Pro X2 suite has great plugins, that's why I like it

+1

Samplitude users do not need third party tools!

[BERFAB]

I like Cubase's channel strip quite a lot, its versatile, quick and easy to use. Sounds good too

Another vote for the Cubase strip.

Since Cubase 6, Steinberg have really upped their game on all their included plugs and instruments. The channel strip is top notch. Not just a great compressor, but also eq, limiter and saturation. Tons of global presets for most situations are included and can quickly get you where you need to go.

Cheers
-B

[psmacmur]

The only DAW compressors I've used are Live 8's and Studio One's. When I was trying to properly grok compression, I found the Live compressor's features mapped 1-1 with the concepts in the tutorial I was going through. It's also easy to sidechain and sounds (to me) transparent, so it's quite useful.

To my ears, the Studio One Compressor is entirely equivalent. As with Live's, it's visual feedback makes it quite easy to dial in for any utility purpose.

I used to prefer RoughRider or other 3rd party comps on drums, until I discovered S1's Tricomp, which is now my go-to drum comp.

I've also tried to use compressors to "glue", and impart "mojo" to, my tracks. VOS/TDR comps are great for this, because they have nice sounding, and easy to dial-in, saturation. However, lately I'm preferring dedicated saturation plugins for most of the compressor voodoo work. This means the compressors just need to compress, which the stock compressors do just fine, with the bonus of visual feedback in the mixer channel.

[qtheerearranger]

I love abletons compressors a lot. The stock comp and glue are both very quick and informative. I think logics new 10.1 compressors look amazing, I really like the opto comp feature they have. Overall, I use my UAD compressors more than stock comps though. But to answer your question, the glue by ableton is imo the best DAW compressor as it is amazing for kicks and leads. I really like to use a lead synth patch, put on overdrive device and boost the drive, and compress the f**k out of that with 100% dry wet with the glue so I can squash the dynamics and still not peak. It is powerful. But idk its what the loudness war doesn't want hehe

[Trancit]

In my experience people put far too much emphasis on compressor voodoo. We have a thread on the Image-Line forums where customers keep putting up examples of the latest and greatest compressor. We then dutifully replicate the sound with Maximus or Fruity Limiter, I don't think we have failed yet.

One problem is that many compressor designs have hidden 'fudge factors' that mean you can't simply set one to the same numbers as another and expect them to behave the same, but people do this anyway and claim compressor A is amazing and B rubbish based on particular (similar) settings. There also seems to be a lack of understanding about how compressors work, so those that have novice-friendly (sometimes hidden correlated/interacting controls) are often deemed to be again 'amazing'.

There is only so much a compressor can do to a 2 dimensional waveform, and once you realise what that is, you realise there is no magic. But 'compressor idolatry' is an area similar to the Android vs iOS wars, so I'd better run away now...

Regards Scott

Best posting on the entire forum!!!
As always you nailed it absolutely and the proof is: Nobody here wants to hear this and nobody responded to your post... it´s always funny again

[stardustmedia]

In my experience people put far too much emphasis on compressor voodoo. We have a thread on the Image-Line forums where customers keep putting up examples of the latest and greatest compressor. We then dutifully replicate the sound with Maximus or Fruity Limiter, I don't think we have failed yet.

Yes, most or even all stock compressors will do a great job.

One problem is that many compressor designs have hidden 'fudge factors' that mean you can't simply set one to the same numbers as another and expect them to behave the same, but people do this anyway and claim compressor A is amazing and B rubbish based on particular (similar) settings. There also seems to be a lack of understanding about how compressors work, so those that have novice-friendly (sometimes hidden correlated/interacting controls) are often deemed to be again 'amazing'.

There is only so much a compressor can do to a 2 dimensional waveform, and once you realise what that is, you realise there is no magic. But 'compressor idolatry' is an area similar to the Android vs iOS wars, so I'd better run away now...

Regards Scott

But one thing that has to be realised is that a compressor that is set to e.g. Opto (also means Feedback topology) won't sound the same as a VCA topology compressor. They simply cannot. And you won't be able to recreate the Opto behavior with a VCA comp, and vice versa.

That goes further with the created harmonics by different compressor types.

As long as the emulations are crafted finely you get very very similar results with different compressors (stock, 3rd party, etc.) when using the same topology. Plus, in the mix you won't hear any differences, let's say between a real 2500 and an emulation used on one channel.

Finally best emulations or even a 30 grand real Fairchild won't be any help, if you don't know how to set up even the most basic stock compressor. So I recommend that any mix engineer must learn that first. Then she/he might be able to play around with the different topologies and their characters.

[Trancit]

But one thing that has to be realised is that a compressor that is set to e.g. Opto (also means Feedback topology) won't sound the same as a VCA topology compressor. They simply cannot. And you won't be able to recreate the Opto behavior with a VCA comp, and vice versa.

And the other thing that has to be realized, that noone one this earth will stand a blind test of a complete mix/song if there were used emulation XY or i.e. the Fruity Limiter...

That´s, what the thread on the IL forum is about and Scott was speaking about... all this magic bullsh*t is nothing but marketing hype forced by people, who worked their lifetime with analog gear (because there was nothing else) ... of course they know this gear inside out and reach best results with it, but this does at the very end nothing else than a proper programmed digital one/VST

[stardustmedia]

But one thing that has to be realised is that a compressor that is set to e.g. Opto (also means Feedback topology) won't sound the same as a VCA topology compressor. They simply cannot. And you won't be able to recreate the Opto behavior with a VCA comp, and vice versa.

And the other thing that has to be realized, that noone one this earth will stand a blind test of a complete mix/song if there were used emulation XY or i.e. the Fruity Limiter...

That´s, what the thread on the IL forum is about and Scott was speaking about... all this magic bullsh*t is nothing but marketing hype forced by people, who worked their lifetime with analog gear (because there was nothing else) ... of course they know this gear inside out and reach best results with it, but this does at the very end nothing else than a proper programmed digital one/VST

I don't think that analog is a magic marketing hype. My customers always pick out the analog mix in a blind test, because they like it better. Of course the digital mix cannot be compared directly to the analog mixes I do. In both cases I use totally different gear. I don't copy parameter values from an emulation to the hardware.

I experience (hear) a difference. That doesn't mean I could pick out analog from digital from other songs. I don't really care because I don't hype analog, I just like it better (based on blind testing, comparing, sonics etc).

Analog is for me more of a luxury I do for myself

[do_androids_dream]

In my experience people put far too much emphasis on compressor voodoo.

Yes, I agree. But, music itself is something akin to voodoo - it follows that instruments and effects may well be subject to a similar set of values and subjective thought processes. And, throw in the fact that all people, no matter what they may say, are victims of marketing to a lesser or greater extent. The people that spend thousands every year on software (and end up little more than plugin testers on music forums) are actually the ones that keep the industry going so we can't moan at them too much.

I'd better run away now...

Regards Scott

Don't! These kind of views are the more interesting read as they clearly speak from experience and not from regurgitating what's been read on some other forum or marketing blurb.