Compressors

Does Lindell’s LiN2A sound as classy as the famous compressor that inspired it?

The best plug‑ins make under‑the‑hood sophistication simple in practice...

The ever‑growing UAFX stompbox line‑up now includes a range of more affordable single‑function digital pedals: 1176 Studio Compressor, Orion Tape Echo, Heavenly Plate Reverb and Evermore Studio Reverb.

The war of the clones shows little sign of ending — and Warm Audio have now trained their sights on a very classy optical compressor.

If you’re a fan of Ted Fletcher’s classic optical compressor designs, this one should not disappoint.

For the first time, the Red and Blue bands of RND’s popular Silk circuit can be used together in the same device — but there’s more to the MBT than purple Silk!

The audio examples on this page accompany the review of the Dynamics 2806 Compressor and Expander module by Frap Audio.

With some neat features to control how the compressor and expander interact, there’s more to this module than meets the eye.

The Polish pioneers pair their plug‑in remote control system with a classic analogue compressor.

Intuitive and powerful, this compressor can handle anything from mono up to 7.1.4 Atmos sources.

Solid State Logic have added some new strings to their G‑series compressor’s bow.

BLA have packed their take on the classic ‘blue‑stripe’ 1176 into a 500‑series module.

As a traditional bus compressor, this plug‑in sounds great — but there’s much more to it than that!

Can’t decide if you’d rather blow your vari‑mu budget on a Fairchild or an RS124? Chandler’s RS660 puts a little of both in one box...

Croatia‑based manufacturer DryBell’s Module 4 design aims to recreate the famous Orange Squeezer compressor.

Magma offers a one‑stop shop for analogue‑style attitude and warmth.

These audio examples accompany the review of the Electric & Company EC5B Limiting Amplifier in the SOS May 2023 issue.

This boutique compressor sounds every bit as classy and characterful as it looks.

The audio examples available on this page accompany my SOS April 2023 review of the Weight Tank compressor by Locomotive Audio. I’ve provided before and after examples along with the settings I used and a few thoughts on what I was trying to achieve with the compressor in each setting.

01_Drum Room_RAW

A mono drum room mic without any processing applied.

02_Drum Room_WT-Comp

This is an example of the WT-Comp being used to add character and excitement to the drum room mic. The attack was on the fastest setting, the release set at 11 o’clock and the drive setting was engaged. Around 7-8 dB of gain reduction was applied.

03_Bass Guitar_RAW

A bass guitar captured via direct input without any processing.

04_Bass Guitar_WT-Comp

An example of the WT-Comp used on a bass guitar DI to add more dynamic consistency. With upwards of 10 dB of gain reduction applied, you can hear how the compressor makes the part more solid but at the expense of a little low-end and a general change in tone. For this example, I had the drive setting engaged, the attack at 2 o'clock and the release at 3 o’clock.

05_Acoustic Guitar_RAW

An acoustic guitar recording with no processing.

06_Acoustic Guitar_WT-Comp

With the WT-Comp in its ‘round’ setting this is an example of I used the review unit to make a strummed acoustic guitar part sit more confidently in a mix. The attack was set at 2 o'clock and the release at its fastest setting.

07_Electric Guitar_RAW

An example of a slightly driven picked electric guitar recording.

08_Electric Guitar_WT-Comp

With the attack at 2 o’clock and release at its fastest setting, I used the WT-Comp to add more saturation and make the guitar part cut through the mix more easily. The drive setting was used and as much as 10dB of gain reduction.

09_Female Vocals_RAW

An example of a female vocal recorded without any processing.

10_Female Vocals_WT-Comp

In this example, you can hear how the WT-Comp adds more weight to a female vocal. I found I had to tread quite carefully on vocals and this has just 3-4 dB of gain reduction applied with both the attack and release set at around 12 o'clock. This is in the ‘round’ setting.

11_Male Vocals_RAW

An example of a Male vocal recorded without any processing.

12_Male Vocals_WT-Comp

For this example, I used the same settings as for the female vocal but with the drive setting engaged to add more harmonics to the vocal. I generally preferred the WT-Comp on male vocals that benefited from the extra low-end weight and a more coloured sound.

This characterful valve processor offers vari‑mu compression at a very attractive price.

Part of their new American Heritage line, the Madrid‑based manufacturers’ latest offering is their take on the mighty Fairchild Model 670.