Best alternative to Pro-MB?

[legendCNCD]

Ozone has a great one too

Dang I always forget this! Thanks for the reminder.

[MattLeschuck]

Id usually recommend Toneboosters or Ozone for this (noticed others already did). But another good option that lets you change the crossover slopes is Shaperbox 3. I think people sometimes forget there is a really nice built in MB compressor in there.

Screenshot 2025-01-31 at 9.40.17 AM.png

[billinder33]

Why not, just use Fabfilter Pro-MB if you like it's functionality?
What are your reasons for needing an alternative?
Is there something about the plugin you don't like, or are you just looking for cheaper or better alternatives?

I'm waiting with hope for the competition version from TBT. I want more control, like on Cenozoix compared to Pro-C. Another important thing is that quite often I want to make bands much narrower than what it allows...

There's a reason why most multiband processors cap out ~6 bands. To be frank, very steep band-shelf filters/crossovers don't sound that great and the higher the band count the steeper you want the crossovers so they correctly separate the frequency spectrum. The CPU usage also increases drastically at higher octaves. The dynamic EQ-style of processing (Parallel dynamic peaking filters) are better suited for this purpose albeit you won't get perfect spectrum crossovers. You can also make them as sharp as you want up until they start self-oscillating.
But rules are meant to be broken, so if you want to you can have 8 bands with DMGAudio Multiplicity. Iirc you can have 192db/oct filters there, but I could be wrong. Go nuts.

You are absolutely right with what you said; I think especially that –the higher the octaves the band has, the worse it sounds. But I would at least like to try it because sometimes I want to apply a little compression in the area from 0 to 50 Hz approximately, and the Pro-MB is somewhat arbitrary in that it does not let me make the band narrower. On the other hand, other times I just want to make very small corrections, like for example in the typical case where, just because I compress in one place, the frequencies shoot up in another place (and I precisely avoid going up octaves); that makes me have to go to the equalizer again... It doesn't bother me at all, there is motivation, but it would be more comfortable not to go back. That's why I would like more controls, so I don't have to make extra moves, adding another band, but keep it simple.
Thank you very much for your comment.

Try Minimal Audio Fuse Comp. It's more of an OTT-style comp, but it's 6 bands and it can get pretty tight. There is a limit though.

Another one to try might be TDR Arbiter. Not exactly a comp, but it has comp'ish qualities, is frequency specific, and doesn't wreck the surrounding frequencies.

The DMG recommended above might be your best bet though.

[Morty-C-137]

Id usually recommend Toneboosters or Ozone for this (noticed others already did). But another good option that lets you changed the crossover slopes is Shaperbox 3. I think people sometimes forget there is a really nice built in MB compressor in there.


Screenshot 2025-01-31 at 9.40.17 AM.png

+100

[Rastkovic]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a multiband compressor that, like Pro-MB, is transparent in the crossover. I want it mainly for kicks. I tried the ML8000 from McDSP but it drastically changes the sound of the kick :/ Do you know of any recommendations? Many, many thanks!

Why not buying Pro-MB on a sale? Fabfilter is one of the very few companies, that offers loyalty discounts, if you already own a product.

Instead of buying a lot of "cheap" plugins, I would always prefer to spend one time more money, to buy my first choice. jm2c

Meanwhile you could use Xfer OTT for your kicks, it's free....

https://xferrecords.com/freeware

[Rastkovic]

Why not, just use Fabfilter Pro-MB if you like it's functionality?
What are your reasons for needing an alternative?
Is there something about the plugin you don't like, or are you just looking for cheaper or better alternatives?

I'm waiting with hope for the competition version from TBT. I want more control, like on Cenozoix compared to Pro-C. Another important thing is that quite often I want to make bands much narrower than what it allows...

There's a reason why most multiband processors cap out ~6 bands. To be frank, very steep band-shelf filters/crossovers don't sound that great and the higher the band count the steeper you want the crossovers so they correctly separate the frequency spectrum. The CPU usage also increases drastically at higher octaves. The dynamic EQ-style of processing (Parallel dynamic peaking filters) are better suited for this purpose albeit you won't get perfect spectrum crossovers. You can also make them as sharp as you want up until they start self-oscillating.
But rules are meant to be broken, so if you want to you can have 8 bands with DMGAudio Multiplicity. Iirc you can have 192db/oct filters there, but I could be wrong. Go nuts.

You are absolutely right with what you said; I think especially that –the higher the octaves the band has, the worse it sounds. But I would at least like to try it because sometimes I want to apply a little compression in the area from 0 to 50 Hz approximately, and the Pro-MB is somewhat arbitrary in that it does not let me make the band narrower. On the other hand, other times I just want to make very small corrections, like for example in the typical case where, just because I compress in one place, the frequencies shoot up in another place (and I precisely avoid going up octaves); that makes me have to go to the equalizer again... It doesn't bother me at all, there is motivation, but it would be more comfortable not to go back. That's why I would like more controls, so I don't have to make extra moves, adding another band, but keep it simple.
Thank you very much for your comment.

After reading this, I'm not entirely sure, that a multiband comp is the right tool for your needs. I wouldn't overcomplicate things.

[dysjoint]

Did I miss something or does Toneboosters MBC not have a linear phase crossover option? I'm also looking for something, a bit cheaper than Fabfilter or Melda, and specifically want linear phase crossover option and super fast attack and release times, as clean as possible. For parallel processing/sound design (Polarity flipped, as close to null with original audio as I can get)

EDIT: nevermind. reaxcomp does it, and of course I already had it installed

[Igro]

Sotube Drawmer 1973. The crossover bands are 6db, so it won't affect the phase that much (if at all).

Melda has so many crossover options (linear too) and you can get it cheaper on special days or second hand.

Devoius Machine one looks cool, didn't know about it.

[pekbro]

The more I use it, the more I prefer mb x6 from Devious Machines over everything else, better presets, better sound imo. *shrug

*Should be noted that I don’t actually own pro-mb. I don’t have ‘all’ the FF stuff myself, only about 1/2 of it.

[bmanic]

For transparency I haven't found anything better than Pro-MB. It's still my go-to for quickly setting up multiband compression. If I need more control and want more artistic results then I use DMG Audio Multiplicity, which usually is overkill for anything else.

There is one multiband plugin that is kind of forgotten and that's DDMF's LinComp. Unfortunately that plugin hasn't been updated in ages and is a bit stuck in the past in terms of user interface. However the sonic results can be really good.

[SiliconDeath]

I haven't checked entire market, but one feature I like about Pro-MB is that it has low latency mode. It has zero-latency mode that can be really nice for real-time use, if you're playing some instrument or something, or vocals.

[bmanic]

Pro-MB's main feature, which is sort of hidden, is it's extreme program dependency in the compression algorithm. It has completely different attack and release times depending on what frequency area it is working with. This is why the attack and release knobs are listed as % values. It's the secret to it's transparent sound and low harmonic saturation.

You can kind of hear it's algorithm go slightly wonky if you make a single band only and cover a huge range of audio for it to process. It makes for a not so good single band compressor.

[planet_b]

bmanic, We'd love to try any Pro-MB presets you'd wish to share with us. Those Saturn ones are pretty much the best showcase for the plugin.

[rackrack22]

I would check out Melda mutiband or spectral dynamics. Super flexible with lots of ways to control parameters.

[Ah_Dziz]

Just use reaXcomp. It's free and can do pretty much anything you might wish to do to a kick for sure. The melda multiband dynamics are very versatile and easy to use as well.
As mentioned before in This thread, why no just use proMB?