KVR Audio

VELLTONE MUSIC · Post by **VELLTONE MUSIC** » Tue Jun 09, 2026 10:18 am

Funkybot's Evil Twin wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2026 3:26 pm Mu's work really well on complex program material. I generally really dig them on pianos (about the only type of compression I really like on piano), drums, and mixbus.

But forget about the word "best", there's no such thing. There are only degrees of, "I will like this thing more on this material, than I will like this other thing on that same material". Other completely different styles of compressor/limiter may end up on the mastering chain. Something like Unisum from Tone Projects, where you've got control over so much of the action, might be the perfect compressor for some mastering engineers or tracks, while other tracks may not need compression, but rather limiting. It could also depend wildly on whether the mix was created with compression on the mixbus, which doesn't really have anything to do with mastering.

But yeah, Mu's can work really well on the mixbus depending on the track.

Neold U17 on piano is 'best' to my ears - tubes,transformers,all i need is there.
Some gentle saturation from Bigal or V76U73 - these guys know what they do.
Vari mu sounds more like mixing tool to me or maybe i just can't use it right way on mastering stage.
Uad Fairchild 670 sometimes is irreplaceable with Time Constant 4 and fine tuning,but not always is ok interconnecting with other fx.
And not all 670 are equal as sonic pleasure and results.
Best saturation on slow instruments like pads imo i have from la2a tube,which is free now.
Cheers

legendCNCD · Post by **legendCNCD** » Tue Jun 09, 2026 12:31 pm

Still using Pulsar Audio M... VM-Comp when needed.

whassup · Post by **whassup** » Tue Jun 09, 2026 3:04 pm

onerob wrote: Mon Jun 08, 2026 3:08 pm Don't forget this classic.

Too cheap, can't be good.

yzcoruhT · Post by **yzcoruhT** » Tue Jun 09, 2026 3:15 pm

whassup wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2026 3:04 pm
onerob wrote: Mon Jun 08, 2026 3:08 pm Don't forget this classic.
Too cheap, can't be good.

To be honest; It's pretty bad. Cheap. Few knobs. Only 3 flavours. Developed by one person, not a team. GUI does not look like the real hardware 1:1, so it doesn't have VariMu mojo.

VELLTONE MUSIC · Post by **VELLTONE MUSIC** » Tue Jun 09, 2026 3:45 pm

zvenx wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2026 3:12 pm
dieterlaser wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2026 2:15 pm my fav
https://ddmf.eu/magicdeatheyestereo/
My favourite too..
Uad's capitol master compressor second.
rsp

Tested both,side by side and MDE is really impressive,definitely will add it as mastering comp.
Very clean and nice,made for mastering.
Capitol is opposite,full with character,especially with saturator on.
Both work well with uad 670 and elysia alpha on master buss.
Cheers

Vari Mu Mastering Compressors...?