Deft Compressor

Because of the March special offers...I did some comparison tests of Plugin Compressors.

I compared several 1176 and LA2 style compressors with acoustic guitar and vocals.
I downloaded demos from Waves, DMG Audio, Klanghelm, IK Multimedia, mcdsp etc..
And ofc I also used my usual "go to" compressors: Fabfilter Pro C2 and Voxengo Marquis.

For some reason I pulled out my "old" Voxengo Deft Compressor that I had not used for a while.
It turned out that its a real winner.

For the Guitar I liked Punch settings around 80%
It gives a very warm/ smooth compression that can add a hint of crunch at fast attack release settings.
that sounded more vintage to me than most of the "vintage looking" emulation comps that I tested.

Here is a setting that I used on a light strum acoustic guitar:
Threshold -20 (around - 6dB reduction at peaks)
Ratio 2:1
Attack 2ms (for a smooth sound) and around 4-5 ms if you want a lil more pick attack coming through
Release 50ms gives a nice fast response, that can add some crunch on higher ratio settings
Punch 80
Feedback on

That was a perfect setting for my acoustic strumming.
It balances some levels and adds a very smooth/ natural comression.
If I wanted a little more 1176 feel... I raised the Ratio until it started to add a tiny bit of "crunch". 4:1 worked well for me.

If you want a more sparkling/ treble crunchy compressor sound - just put Punch to values around 50%

IMHO the Deft Compressor is very underrated among the vintage style compressors.
Prolly because its GUI doesnt look like some old tube compressor.
Its an extremely versatile, never bad sounding compressor.
Its my new number one on acoustic guitar.
Also worked very well on a violin and on vocals - with 100% Punch (S curve) settings.

Not to mention the very good/precise Voxengo meters for in/out, key in, key filters, sidechain, flexible routings (including M/S).
It's beast - and I love it :)

Dont be fooled by its look! Trust your ears!