Versatile Compressor

Versatile Compressor is an extreme compression plugin.

Features

• Versatile compressor with absurdly wide parameter ranges.
• Able to mimic many classic compression flavours.
• Can go from barely noticeable to extreme feedback compression, inverse behaviour, distortion, clicking, crackling.
• Completely open source.

More details

Both this compressor plugin and the CompView analyser were released as part of the compressor video series to demonstrate how a compressor with wider parameter ranges and a few additional shaping features was able to emulate other expensive compressors. Because of these wide parameter ranges and additional shaping controls, it is not very simple to use and it is essential the user understands the functions. An explanatory video can be found in this google drive folder. The video uses the original prototype 0.1 version, which looks different from the current plugin, but most of the features are the same.

The main new addition for version 2 is the ceiling knob which is essentially a tanh saturation (like in the reverser plugin) but is scaled so that with the ceiling value turned up, the audio is not significantly within the non linear range of the tanh function AKA no distortion and a larger ceiling. When the ceiling is turned down low, you will hear more distortion and have a lower ceiling as then the audio is scaled to be in the nonlinear range of the tanh function. Some people have misinterpreted this as a claim that the compressor, in combination with CompView, can faithfully and completely emulate any compressor in the world. This was never the claim and it is also completely not the case.

There is a big limitation of CompView in analyzing gain reduction, specifically because it needs to use a very high pitch test tone for technical reasons, and the compressor you are analyzing is very likely applying frequency dependant compression. Secondly, the compressor plugin lacks a knee, by design choice, and also lacks RMS and other features which may be necessary to better emulate another compressor. That said, you can get close to many sounds and it's a very cool sounding compressor in its own right.

{See video at top of page}