Which is the best mastering compressor plugin ?

[Digital Network]

Hello,

I thought of buying hardware compressor but I already spent a lot of money in my studio. Then, I'm searching for the best compressor plugin. I'm on Logic 8.

I saw Sonnox Oxford Dynamics ...

Can you give me your advises ?

Cheers,
Vincent

[Tube World]

There is no such thing as a best compressor, or EQ. It all depends on what you want. Do you want color, transparency, gentle touching on the mix...Waves SSL 2 bus compressor is great, as the V Series compressor as a little color. For more color their API is great. For transparency the Waves mastering plug ins are great. UAD has great mastering tools too if you want the UAD card in your computer.

[Digital Network]

Hello,

Thanks for your answer, I master my own production in Techno, Minimal Techno and Tech-house.

Cheers,
Vincent

[Lagerfeldt]

Flux:: sound and picture development

Try this, although it is not for the simple minded. EDIT: I see you already have this?

You can easily combine this with e.g. a Waves SSL first doing 1-2 dB GR of glue comp, then into the Solera+ for the rest of the job including levelling and tightening. Check out my SSL presets for the Logic 8 comp (use the search function) BTW.

As weird as it may sound also try using Logic's own compressor doing NY style parallel compression using the extended parameters function wet/dry - not as mastering comp. This is useful for beefing up the mix without sacrificing transients, which I think is important in many music styles including Minimal.

I prefer doing a squash comp for the parallel signal, i.e. extremely fast and lots of GR. Getting a bit OT here though ;-)

[Digital Network]

Waves SSL or API 2500 with Solera+ ?

[Lagerfeldt]

Could be one solution yes. Then you have a fairly colored glue comp + 1 flexible HQ comp for contouring and levelling.

Follow by a Flux Pure Limiter (let some attack thru) or Sonnox Oxford Limiter (my fav) with a trade off setting of more apparent transients for more distortion (no autogain, auto comp in, safe mode on, attack>50ms).

[Digital Network]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

Could be one solution yes. Then you have a fairly colored glue comp + 1 flexible HQ comp for contouring and levelling.

Follow by a Flux Pure Limiter (let some attack thru) or Sonnox Oxford Limiter (my fav) with a trade off setting of more transients for more distortion.

With SSL or API ?

[Lagerfeldt]

Logic 8 Comp with SSL emu presets/Waves SSL/API2500 > Solera + > Sonnox Oxford Limiter

[Digital Network]

Wow, thanks holger ... But now, I must choice btw SSL or API

[Lagerfeldt]

Get the API2500 and use the SSL presets for Logic 8 comp :-)

SSL 4000 G presets for Logic 8 Compressor (download)

[Digital Network]

Thanks for your advise.
If I good understand, I put :

1) Logic 8 comp + SSL Preset
2) API 2500
3) Solera +
4) Maybe an EQ
5) Sonnox limiter

Correct ?

[Lagerfeldt]

Eh.. not in that order necessarily and not ALL of them.

If you really want some short advice on an ITB mastering chain:

1) EQ (e.g. Flux Epure)
2) Comp (e.g. API)
3) Comp (e.g. Solera)
4) Limiter (e.g. Sonnox Oxford)

Or perhaps reverse 1 & 2 in some cases.

It all depends and I'd hate for you to do anything automatically, it's just an example of what you can do.

[Digital Network]

It is well what I thought, I was afraid ...

[Digital Network]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

1) EQ (e.g. Flux Epure)
2) Comp (e.g. API)
3) Comp (e.g. Solera)
4) Limiter (e.g. Sonnox Oxford)

thank you for your sympathy ...

[Digital Network]

Holger,

Last question, can I use your SSL Preset with the API 2500 ?

Cheers,
Vincent

[Lagerfeldt]

No.

[Digital Network]

Oki, thank you, have a nice day ...

[Digital Network]

I just bought the API 2500 collection and I must say WOOOWWWW.
Never heard the hardware comp but the plugins are amazing to me.

API 2500 comp is GREAT !!!

[Lagerfeldt]

They're very close to the hardware IMO.

[Digital Network]

I tested with your ssl settings and sounds great.

[sergei_ilyayev]

Originally Posted by Digital Network

Hello,

I thought of buying hardware compressor but I already spent a lot of money in my studio. Then, I'm searching for the best compressor plugin. I'm on Logic 8.

I saw Sonnox Oxford Dynamics ...

Can you give me your advises ?

Cheers,
Vincent

There is a great quote:

"Learn to distinguish the difference between errors of knowledge and breaches of morality."

In this case the error is in not the path to your knowledge, but the road down to which conclusions you have gathered may make sense on a surface level to you and without regard in researching that of the greater opinion.

And sadly, neither would be the greater opinion as the compressor plugin is not really a compressor. It is more like a transient modulator without an expression of the transients on the opposite side, therefore really negating the secondary purpose of the plugin which can often be more useful than the first in the digital realm.

Thus, you may want to look at a hardware compressor, but only of great quality, now that considerable time has passed and the opportunity to learn from any mistakes on your or other's road can become as evident as before they even existed.

[diogo_c]

Hey Holger, would the Softube FET Compressor do the job for the parallel compression using its inject knob?

[Red Mastering]

interesting that nobody mention PSP MASTERCOMP
in mastering suite, as a most transparent device Mastercomp
is my choice number one

[DrDeltaM]

I like the SSL Duende buscomp & X-Comp, Paul Frindle's Dynamic Spectrum Mapper and Flux compressors as plugin solutions for this purpose

[Lagerfeldt]

Originally Posted by diogo_c

Hey Holger, would the Softube FET Compressor do the job for the parallel compression using its inject knob?

Sure, though I think it's pretty colored. Great for mixing.

Softube FET Compressor - New York Style Compression Preset (download)

[diogo_c]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

Sure, though I think it's pretty colored. Great for mixing.

Softube FET Compressor - New York Style Compression Preset (download)

Cool, thanx!

[Shy]

Originally Posted by Digital Network

I just bought the API 2500 collection and I must say WOOOWWWW.
Never heard the hardware comp but the plugins are amazing to me.

API 2500 comp is GREAT !!!

Good choice , yes, it is great, and I agree with Lagerfeldt, it's extremely close to the hardware (and I use both).

[Joe_caithness]

Hey,

I use the Oxford Dynamics as my "clean" compression, I find it very very versatile, I use it alongside the Voxengo Elephant limiter. They are both capable of millions of combinations of sounds.

The Sonnox has a "classic" setting, which I feel is based on some classic mix bus comps from classic mixing boards, not great on everything, but really nice on acoustic delicacys, a nice bonus.

[Thor]

I don't know when it will be available, but George Massenburg demonstrated his new multichannel aware compressor at a conference here recently, and it was truly amazing.

Maybe it's just around the corner, maybe it will be another year of tweaking....

Cheers,
Thor

[Chris Lago]

I like the PSP Mastercomp a lot.