CPU Efficient and powerful compressor

[getcool]

let me have a word!

I think PSP series is pretty good.
and Nomad Factory compressor is one of the best compressors on this planet.

of couse, some old famous compressors are also good, such as LA2A.

P.S. PSP comp have a preset called LA2A, I think that is a sim.

[bduffy]

let me have a word!

I think PSP series is pretty good.
and Nomad Factory compressor is one of the best compressors on this planet.

of couse, some old famous compressors are also good, such as LA2A.

P.S. PSP comp have a preset called LA2A, I think that is a sim.

Oh yeah, I gotta say the PSP ones are very nice. Personally, I couldn't stand the Nomad Factory ones, they seem really weak to me. But many just love them (I think the UI fools you!).

That PSP MixPressor: for sure, a great underrated one.

[kritikon]

Kjaerhus for me mainly. Also Otium Compadre...I don't tend to use that much for straight compression any more though - more for specialFX and weird dynamic distortions, or for specific frequency compression stuff. It's a bit too much on the clean and nice side for me (at least at moderate settings) but it sure has some character when you start to abuse it.

Blockfish is still good when you want some obvious in-yer-face squishing-of-all-life-out-of-it kind of effect. Blockfish has always been a bit flakey for me ever since I got SX2 and went to WinXP (don't know which is the culprit, but it just doesn't like my system any more ).

QuantumFX gets a run out sometimes for frequency compression also. QFX is especially good for guitar and bass stuff when you use their amp sims etc.

But overall winner for me is anything Kjaerhus Golden.
They'll only be beaten when I splash out on a UAD card and get the soon-to-be-released Precision multiband (that is about the only compressor that I really hanker after at present). TBH I'm not even that eager over UAD 1176s etc...as Kjaerhus are so good, I can use them for pretty well most tasks I need. You get familiar with one compressor and it becomes your friend - especially one that is so flexible.

I do still dust off my LA4C every now and then, but that one's so characterful, that I tend to abuse it so much, unfortunately I make things too squishy and unusable...I just can't seem to help myself - I'm like a kid in a lolly shop Or I'll put it into highpass mode to get an exciter effect, and push it so hard that everything fizzes. But when I turn it down, I don't like it - when I turn it up, it's unmusical almost. I think I need to go to Dynamics Anonymous or something.

[bduffy]

What is wrong with me that I wasn't that crazy about the Kjaerhus Golden? I think I need to check those out again now that I almost know what I'm doing...

[kritikon]

What is wrong with me that I wasn't that crazy about the Kjaerhus Golden? I think I need to check those out again now that I almost know what I'm doing... Razz

Dunno...it's all a matter of taste with compressors, and the Golden ones have character, so I suppose you either love 'em or hate 'em. I just happen to like their character and everything else (the GUI sits very well with me). The thing that clinches it for me is that at low settings they can still be very clean and precise, or have some character. Often, compressors just shout too much, or sound clean all the way. I've quite like what I've heard from Voxengo comps, but for some reason, I just can't get along with those GUIs I really don't know why, but I find it very hard working with them. Call me shallow etc, but you have to be happy with a plugin (or h/w unit, for that matter) in both sound and interface to use it daily.
There were some good 80s digital synths (not many though... ) that I just couldn't use because they were so bland, boring to patch, and full of menus and diddy little screens. The same applies to FX even on s/w plugins. If a plugin irritates me, I just won't load it up, especially if there is an option to have equal sound quality with something else. Possibly you just don't like the appearance of the Golden series? That's actually reason enough in my books.

I mean...if Eventides were bright pink, I think Lexicon would have taken all of their sales by now... seriously.

[kritikon]

Maybe you're just a silver chap, not a golden one?

[bduffy]

Maybe I just wear silver chaps...

[sinkmusic]

I am currently using the old TC Works - Native Bundle (discontinued since a few years) as a compressor for single channels in Live 5.
I am looking for a new compressor with a little more sting and power, preferably a cpu efficient one.

This is the warmest compressor i have heard, i never found a better "softsat" feature...

It is amazing at a 6:1 ratio on drums , and can do very good at a basic 2:1 ration for a mixdown...
Of course there are plenty of newer vst compressors, at every price, but i'd advise you not to throw it away and keep it on your HD.
TC is not really transparent, but it is amazing in the way that with fewer features than many comps, it is very musical, efficient and polyvalent...

Buzroom ones would be tighter, some of them are free, very cpu-friendly, and some of them are free, just check them out !
For warmth, the best freebies imo are the Tbt saturated driver : it can keep your track clean while adding dirt, which is quite amazing ;Not much a compressor, but a must-check before putting hundreds of $ in a payware...

[linzatti]

hmm... vintage warmer a bit.... harsch-sounding

[bduffy]

I am currently using the old TC Works - Native Bundle (discontinued since a few years) as a compressor for single channels in Live 5.
I am looking for a new compressor with a little more sting and power, preferably a cpu efficient one.

This is the warmest compressor i have heard, i never found a better "softsat" feature...

It is amazing at a 6:1 ratio on drums , and can do very good at a basic 2:1 ration for a mixdown...
Of course there are plenty of newer vst compressors, at every price, but i'd advise you not to throw it away and keep it on your HD.
TC is not really transparent, but it is amazing in the way that with fewer features than many comps, it is very musical, efficient and polyvalent...

Buzroom ones would be tighter, some of them are free, very cpu-friendly, and some of them are free, just check them out !
For warmth, the best freebies imo are the Tbt saturated driver : it can keep your track clean while adding dirt, which is quite amazing ;Not much a compressor, but a must-check before putting hundreds of $ in a payware...

You got it, bro: the 6:1 setting on the TC Comp is magic! I remember when my brother first tried it, he was like, "this thing is like hardware!", now he uses it in the studio habitually.

I think this is why I shied away from the Kjaerhus stuff; I already liked the TC too much! I also wasb't crazy about the GUI, like Kritikon with the Voxengo (agreed), but it seems more agreeable now.

BTW: I just messed around with the GCO: NICE. Will consider buying, tons of control and great sound. Really reminds me of the TC (great all-round comp), but with more fine tuning. Very cool.

[tidyguyver]

Try out MDA Dynamics, its an amazing compressor with hardly any cpu usage, oh and its FREE!

[bduffy]

Try out MDA Dynamics, its an amazing compressor with hardly any cpu usage, oh and its FREE!

Kinda bites it in the GUI department, though...

[tidyguyver]

thats what its brilliant about it though, simple, and sounds good, no need for a colourful GUI.

[bduffy]

thats what its brilliant about it though, simple, and sounds good, no need for a colourful GUI.

Sure, and I'm probably at a disadvantage because the Steinberg default GUI's for VST effects are just awful. I was commenting on that because we were kind of in the arena of appealing GUI's before.

If you can put up with the default GUI, the Vanilla Compressor is excellent too. I keep hoping he'll skin that one!

[tidyguyver]

ah right, yeah i know they are a bit ugly, i use the FL and i think their default GUI is pretty decent, nice and clear!