Pro compressor plugins for audio engineers free download

Some producers have MCompressor as their favorite compressor, so that should give you a good sense of how good it is. Download: MeldaProduction. TDR Kotelnikov is a powerhouse wideband dynamics processor.

It can change the dynamic range in a major way without losing the original tone, timbre, and punch of any signal. That makes it great for stereo bus compression, in addition to a host of other applications, including mastering, of course.

Its main controls include threshold, peak crest, soft knee, ratio, attack, release peak, release RMS, makeup, dry mix, out gain, Delta, and bypass.

It features a simple interface, mostly centered around the knobs, with a single accent color in this case, blue. Some users call it the most transparent mastering plugin available. Download: Tokyo Dawn Records. TDR Molotok is yet another Tokyo Dawn Records creation, and while it is closer to a transient processor, knowing the quality of products TDR creates, we thought it was worthy of inclusion. Molotok is perfect for drums, vocals, guitar, bass, and more, whether you want to add some crispness and impact, or enrichment and enhancement to specific tracks.

Its interface is a little different from the typical TDR plugins, but still intuitive and simply designed. Most producers seem to love this compressor, and it has a lot of controls that give you access to compression character you might not be able to achieve with other compressors.

That said, dialing in your ideal tone may take some time, so be patient with the process. MJUC jr. A deep, lively soundstage comes alive with the two gain stages and interstage transformer simulation.

The three-position timing switch gives you control over the attack and release times, as well as the slew rate of the transformers and other timing settings influencing the generated harmonics or saturation.

Again, we dig the Klanghelm interface. Beautiful, realistic, simple. And it looks like it could be a real piece of hardware gear. Your main controls are compress, time constants fast, slow, auto , and make-up. As you can see, it is a simplistic compressor, but it is powerful. It will add some coloration to your tracks, but in this case, in a good way. The primary reason to use this plugin, as opposed to some of the other free compressors listed here, is for the side-chain functionality. It showcases various ways that compressors can be used, as well as, the best ways to implement certain techniques.

Incredibly fast Attack and Release times mean you can easily alter the timbre of your signal with this compressor. Additionally, a side-chain high-pass filter offers control over your side-chain that other compressors rarely provide.

Of all the plugins on this list, Frontier by D16 Audio Group was the most enjoyable to use, aesthetically pleasing, and useful plugin I came across. While all other plugins took some tweaking to result in an enhanced sound, the Frontier provided this almost instantly. Frontier can be compared to number 4 on this list, the Loudmax plugin, except with additional functionality that augments its sound and practicality. A soft-clip feature employs subtle harmonic generation when reaching 0dB.

The control input feature allows you to process your single as a stereo, left or right channel. And lastly, the auto-makeup gain setting increases the overall amplitude of your signal while setting the threshold for your compression.

All-in-all this plugin sounds fantastic and allows you the option of clean or distortion-based compression. This makes it a great choice for both individual instruments and full mix compression and limiting. Try this plugin on your mix or master and share your results. Compression is just as important now as it has ever been — finding the right compressor for your project is crucial to creating a unique and fully-developed sound.

Hopefully, at least one of the compressors listed here will prove useful and can augment your project, be it a mix or master. Try any one of these plugins if your stock plugins are doing the job:. If you do, share your results with us! Have you tried any of the compressors on this list? Top 10 Free Compression Plugins. Fortunately, there are many free plugins that offer distinct and valuable sounds and functions. Although novel in design, the SlamPup plugin sounds great. This plugin causes moderate to significant harmonic generation.

YALA models itself off of classic analog compressor tonality. The more you compress with YALA, the louder the harmonics become. ClipShifter is an unconventional plugin that introduces clipping distortion in tandem with compression. While the plugin is intended for busses and other audio with varying frequency content, it also functions fine for general vocal or instrument compression. Yet another buss compressor emulation, FreeComp, focuses more on the hardware side.

The plugin is based on one of the famous British console compressors. However, everything else you might expect is available. The compression shape is rather peculiar on this one, so it introduces character for sure. If you are after a coloring compressor that is simpler than, say, Molot, this could be a great start. Further, we also like how you can set the needle meter to display either the output or the gain reduction.

It does buss compression well and can pleasantly surprise you in other uses. Boring Vocals? Once in a while, we face the limitation of many compressors; it starts pumping and adding strange artifacts to your sound. Using its compressor and waveshaper together, you can make the sound much more pleasant and natural. Of course, you could also use either one of the two effects alone and still get great results. Not to mention its ample oversampling to keep your sound alias-free.

The plugin is available for Windows 7 or higher at both bit and bit. It comes in VST 2 format officially. However, you can also find an experimental VST 3 on the official website. Whether for general compression or critical mastering polish , jsCompShaper is up to the task, delivering transparent and smooth results.

Its waveshaper and morphing feature makes it even more appealing. However, the current non-resizable GUI is a little troublesome if you use a high-resolution screen.

This compressor is all about creating a classic sound without the limitations of classic tools. The SAFE Project was created as a response to the shortage of transferable semantic terms in the production of music. It also deals with the demand for a more intuitive way of controlling low-level parameters. One of the biggest results that this project has produced is a variety of plugins that let you load and save semantic terms from inside the audio production workflow.

This allows you to control the effects of your audio plugins in a super simplified way. This plugin provides parallel compression, constant to ratios, VU meters for reduction and input, continuous attack, and release from 0.

DC1A is a simplified version of the DC8C plugin, but offers some additional features, like stereo unlink and negative ratio. This compressor runs with little more than an input and output knob and can provide near-invisible leveling, to heavy pumping to make your drum tracks punch.

This approach provides a very musical characteristic of compression, and can easily handle even the most complex audio signals. These unique traits work in combination with a simplified audio-path and advanced signal processing methods.

This free VST compressor allows you to separate audio tracks into three frequency bands that are configurable, allowing you to process them individually. You are also able to adjust stereo width, compression, and level for each of these bands.

This vintage compressor from Minimal System is ideal for novice musicians and professional producers alike, and features a super simple control panel, making it easy to use while still providing excellent sound quality. This plugin can be used on your master buss or individual tracks. This is a compressor that was developed by experts in order to produce fast response times and simulation of input with analog transformer.

The super-fast control times lets you distort your sounds subtly or aggressively. It is based on a totally unique compression unit and provides everything you could need to configure the tone and dynamics of your channels.

It features a crunchy pre-amp saturated dedicated input stage, as well as a limiter in the output stage. This is the perfect plugin for producers that enjoy adding some finishing touches to their tracks.

The Stereo Buss Compressor was based on the iconic bus compressors from classic analog machines that were the secret behind a host of classical releases.

Essentially, the job of this compressor is to blend the elements of your track together to make them sound more characteristic while still maintaining clarity. They were created by an English experimentalist who has remained obscure for as long as he has been producing music and developed his original concept for the bolsteriser while having a nap on his lawn with his cat. Almost 90 years later, the bolsterisers have been recreated in digital form.

In the early days of the bolsteriser, there was no functional language of audio compression, so some of the terms used with the bolsterisers are a bit dated. BlockFish is one of the more versatile compressor plugins out there and provides hundreds of ways to shape your audio. It can be used to process any sound that you need to process dynamically or use the side chain capability to process specific tracks or frequencies.

This compressor was inspired by perhaps the most straightforward compressor ever created and offers quick compression via its fader slide. An input knob was added to adjust gain staging since the plugin is dependent on programming. This subsequently influences the way the compressor functions. Is Tape Undergoing A Renaissance? Editorial See All. Led Zeppelin vs. The Results. Buyer Guides. MGF Audio. Last updated: October 15, Disclosure : We may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

Read our full affiliate disclosure here. Color image of many buttons in a sound recording studio. DC1A3 works well as a vocal compressor! Notice in the demo below, how it evens out the volume of the original vocal take in a subtle but pleasing way.

Reverb was added before DC1A3 on the final take to exaggerate this effect. This can be most easily heard on the electric piano part. D16 Frontier Audio Demos.

Break: Two levels of compression have been applied here, medium and extreme. For this clip, Rough Rider is used to increase the body of the synth hits and the sustain of the delay tail.

In the second clip, we take a look at its parallel compression mix function.