Free Compressor Vst Mac

05-10-2021 admin

Download free Compressor VST,VSTi,AU,RTAS music software plugins & Instruments Download Free Compressor VST,VSTi,AU,RTAS Music Software Plugins & Instruments #looperman See our Outer Space RE-201 emulator By AudioThing Review.
Virtual simulator of a rare compressor, plug-in format VST, AU (Windows, Mac OS X). OSS conveys every ounce of magical and classic sound. There are side chain filters (detector).
Vanilla Compressor. Vanilla Compressor is a free compressor VST plugin developed by ChunkWare. Compatible OS (s): Windows. The Vanilla Compressor is a general-purpose, stereo compressor plugin, with optional sidechain input. It can be used on individual instruments, across aux busses, or even as a mastering effect.

It’s time again to update ourselves on the current state of free VST, AU and AAX plugins for Windows and Mac. This is not an attempt to list all available free plugins. Rather, I’ve hand picked the best of the best free plugins for you. All of the listed plugins work on both PC and Mac computers.

Home › Free VST Plugins & VST instruments › 10 Free Compressor VST – Best Compressor VSTs 10 Free Compressor VST – Best Compressor VSTs Here are the best Free Compressor VST Plugins online that can be used with FL Studio, Reason, Ableton Live, and other VST supported software. Nov 14, 2018 VST, Plugins, Audio, Samples, Free, Download. Goodhertz All Plugins Bundle (Win) Goodhertz All Plugins 2020 Included: CanOpener Studio, Vulf Compressor, Tone Control.

Sep 07, 2012 It's an SSL type buss compressor. It sounds great and is amazing for the poor producers out there or anyone for that matter. Go here FXpansion - DCAM FreeComp and sign up for the free.
Native Instruments offers their brand new Supercharger tube compressor VST/AU plugin as a free download until December 31st. Supercharger takes the legwork out of perfectly-tuned compression.

Молот is a stereo and mono audio signal dynamic range compressor implemented in VST format.

The Молот compressor is generally designed for use on groups of instruments (busses) due to special optimal sounding characteristics and due to relatively high CPU load, which limits the number of compressor instances. Nonetheless the compressor can also be successfully used on separate audio tracks.

This compressor has a distinctive sound allowing its usage not only for technical purpose of dynamic range compression but also for artistic sound coloration, which happens due to usage of saturation with even harmonics, dithering that gives effect of air and oversampling with non-linear phase response that gives an effect of depth.

All these above-listed features can optionally be switched off.

EXISTING ANALOGS

The Molot compressor is not an emulation of any hardware or software compressor. But in usage cases listed below audible results can be compared to the following well-known compressors:

1) for drum buss: Neve 33609
2) for lead vocal: Tube-Tech CL 1B
3) for master buss: Fairchild 670

EXTENDED CAPABILITIES

Besides a main dynamic range compression module also contains limiting module (limiter), which allows controlling peaks passing through the compressor, mid-range equalizer module doing ISO 226 curves equalization1 and input signal or gain reduction VU-meter with lamp indicator for limiter operation control. The Molot compressor has an adjustable high-pass filter for side chain signal and also supports parallel compression and M/S operational mode.

Features:

Aggressive hammering sound.
Suits for rock drums and bass.
Can be used on tracks and busses.
Very clean sound.
Switchable sigmoid attack curve.
Smooth saturation.
Mid-scoop EQ for simple tonal balance fix.
Built-in limiter for peaks suppressing.
Almost zero latency (2 samples).
Up to 8x oversampling.
USSR military style GUI.
Switchable language EN/RU.

System Requirements

VST Windows x64 version;
VST Windows x86 version (CPU with SSE2 support required);
VST Mac OS X 32-bit version.

Compressors are one of the most used audio processors you will ever use in your mix (the other one being EQ).

Despite the fact that they are used almost religiously on virtually every song you hear nowadays, they have historically proven to be enigmatic to the general music production community.

With this article, I will not only list what I believe to be the “Best 5 Free VST Compressors”, but will also describe afew different compressor types and suggested uses for them. We’ll start with the different compressor types and end with the “best of” list.

PS: We’ve just published an article containing over 400 free vst plugins, including loads of compressors, check it out for more free vst compressors.

Types of Compressors

VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier)

The VCA compressor offers several advantages that the others on this list don’t. For starters, hardware VCA compressors don’t require the pricey discrete components needed by other compressors and are normally more affordable as a result. They are quite flexible and able to adapt to various kinds of use case scenarios such as gluing a mix bus together or suppressing transients. The best use for them is with percussive elements because of their fast attack and release.

In addition, VCA compressors are transparent and won’t add color to the sound of the audio signal, but can tend to sound thin. Adjust the release time to smooth out the signal a bit. So for those times when you need to compress, but want to retain the integrity of your audio, this is the compressor you reach for.

Use a VCA compressor to tame peaks on your drum bus and other percussive elements on individual tracks in your mix. Use a longer release time to smooth out the signal if it becomes too harsh. Notable compressors in this category are the SSL G-Series Console Bus Compressor and the DBX 160.

FET (Field Effect Transistor)

FET compressors are well known for adding a distinct character to the sound. If you’re looking for subtlety, this isn’t the compressor you want to use. Because they don’t have a dedicated threshold knob, the compression amount is controlled by the input level. You can then adjust the output knob until the desired sound is achieved. This compressor loves to be driven and will add a rich and warm type of distortion to louder signals passing through it. For this reason, it’s not ideal for use on your mix bus, for mastering or when a transparent signal is desired.

It also boasts lightning-fast attack and release times which make it ideal for parallel compression, adding punch, or pushing a lead vocal track right to the front of the mix.

Use FET compressor to add punch to drums, vocals and just about any other track that needs a little extra snap to it. Try turning the compressor off by deselecting all of the ratio buttons and insert it on a bus (or even the master chain) to add only the character of it. The most famous FET compressor is most definitely the iconic UREI 1176 Limiting Amplifier.

We haven’t been able to find a good free 1176 compressor plugin, though Minimal System Groups’ Punch Compressor is a pretty good 1176 emulator and will only set you back the price of a cappuccino (well depending on where you live). Check it out below:

Punch Compressor is only available for Windows 32-bit VST. For a more complete solution compatible with mac and windows 32 and 64 bit, check out Comp FET 76 by Arturia, though this will set you back more than a coffee.

Opto (Optical Compressor)

The Opto compressor is slow acting and smooth in contrast to the two previous compressors and offers a more musical type of gain reduction. It is slow, 10 milliseconds attack and seemingly 2-stage release makes it more suitable for use on signals without sudden transient spikes such as strings, guitar and bass. If you want to compress anything naturally and musically, this is the compressor for the task. Newer emulations of optical compressors may have faster response times and with careful adjustments can even be used on drums.

Although optical compressors are very transparent, they do add pumping to low end signals. However, you could use a high pass side chain filter to control this. Optical compressors are more “RMS” style as they work throughout a mix to even out the average levels in a track or complete song.

Use an optical compressor on the mix bus and/or instrument bus to even out the dynamics of an entire song without affecting transients. The most notable compressor in this category is the legendary Teletronix LA-2A.

Now for the best 5 compressor freebies:

Molot by Vladg Sound

Ssl Compressor Plugin Free Download

Want some serious character to your mix?

Look no further than the Molot compressor. This offers a tube powered type of compression that adds a lot of color to everything and has a massive sound with lots of very useful controls for getting your signal just right.

If you’re a beginner then this isn’t the plugin for you as it can be difficult to dial in the sound you want.

I love the GUI and it comes in 2 flavors: English and Russian. Only the names display differently in the 2 versions, besides that, everything else is exactly the same.

Here is a video from Point Blank showing how to tame this beast:

Molot Compressor is available for Windows 32/64-bit VST & Mac OS X 32/64-bit VST/AU.

TDR Kotelnikov by Tokyo Dawn

This is a fantastic digital wideband dynamics compressor with loads of useful ground-breaking features.

Tokyo Dawn has stated that this model is the original and is not an emulation of any classic hardware design. Kotelnikov uses 64-bit floating point internal processing gives it a transparent high quality sound.

It has individual release control for peak and RMS signals as well as a unique “DELTA” button which allows you to hear the difference between the input and output.

The ultra-fast, compression makes Kotelnikov quite suitable for mastering but can be equally as usable on the mix bus. Check out the demonstration video below:

TDR Kotelnikovis available for Windows 32/64-bit VST and Mac OS X 32/64-bit VST/AU/AAX.

Density MK III by Variety Of Sound

Density MK III is a character compressor with a VCA color knob on the GUI that allows you to dial in the desired amount of saturation.

It has been out for some time now and has gained lots of recognition for its flexibility and feature set. Different compression settings can be set for both of its 2 channels or the channels can be linked together.

There is an internal/external SC filter option which is optimized to better decouple the subsonic frequencies below 90Hz, a limiter mode, M/S, stereo and mono compression. Turning the “TIMING” knob to P5 or P6 introduces low-end program dependent release time behavior.

The only drawback I could find is that it’s only available in 32-bit for Windows users and doesn’t have support for Mac OS. If you are skeptical about using 32-bit plugins on your system (assuming you’re running a 64-bit system), this is definitely one you might want to reconsider.

MJUC jr. by Klanghelm

MJUC jr. is a variable-tube compressor capable of smooth leveling, but also heavy pumping effects.

Ssl Bus Compressor Plugin Free

It has a three-position timing switch to control not only the attack and release times but also the timing of other parts of the circuitry that affect the saturation of the resulting signal.

The GUI is very simple with only 2 knobs, 1 for the amount of compression and the other to adjust the make-up gain.

MJUC jr.is available for Windows 32/64-bit VST and Mac OS X 32/64-bit VST/RTAS/AAX/AU.

Ssl Compressor Vst Download Free

Rough Rider 2 by Audio Damage

Ssl Compressor Plugin Free

Described by Audio Damage as a “modern compressor with a bit of ‘vintage’ style bite and a uniquely warm sound”, Rough Rider is not a subtle compressor.

Its suggested use is on your drum bus, synth bass, clean guitar and backing vocals. But honestly, I think it’s best served being used to add punch to drums, but that’s not to say that it’s unusable in any other scenario, it’s just personal preference.

Download Ssl Compressor Vst

At any rate, when you instantiate Rough Rider on any channel in your mix, you will immediately hear a difference.

Ssl Compressor Vst Download Mac

Rough Rider is available for Windows 32/64-bit VST and Mac OS X 32/64-bit VST/AU.

Classic Compressor Vst

And that’s it folks! The plugins listed here are great if you’re not looking to break the bank, but if you do have some extra change, we highly recommend heading over to plugin boutique and checking some of the alternatives.

BEST FREE VST COMPRESSORS

FREE VST COMPRESSOR PLUGINS

Below you will find a list of free compressors with links to the respective download sites. If you scroll down further you will find descriptions of the listed compressor vst plugins.

The vst plugins mentioned may be working either on PC or Mac or on both and a few are 32-bit only. However, by the use of a bit bridge and / or a plugin-adaptor (like jBridge, 32 lives, DDMF Bridgewize or Blue Cat’s Patchwork) you should be able to use these vst plugins in almost any DAW. In Klangheim Studio we use Cubase in combination with jBridge and that works like a charm without any hickups. You can read more about bit bridging in our article About Bit Bridging

MCompressor by Melda Production

DC1A by Klanghelm

MJUC Jr. by Klanghelm

Molot by VladG

Tan by Acustica Audio

TDR Kotelnikov by Tokyo Dawn Records

RoughRider3 by Audio Damage

ReaComp by Cockos

SAFE Compressor by Semantic Audio

Leveling Tool by AdHd Audio Tools

jsCompShaper by JS Audio

FRComp87 by eaReckon

GComp by GVST

LA Thrillseeker by Variety of Sound (Windows)

Density mkiii by Variety of Sound (high quality buss and mastering compressor) (Windows)

Thrillseeker VBL by Variety of Sound (Vari-Mu compressor – this is primarily a saturation tool but it also has a simple compressor that works very well on bass) (Windows)

Nasty VCS by Variety of Sound (channelstrip with opto style compressor) (Windows)

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MCompressor by Melda Production (Windows and Mac)

MCompressor is a very nice and very versatile vst compressor plugin. It has a good graphic user interface (GUI) that gives you good visual feedback about what you are doing both in terms of how you are compressing (soft knee, linear, or hard knee) and how much gain reduction you are employing.

You have full control over attack, release, ratio and threshold and you can target either the audio peaks or the average loudness (RMS) of the incoming signal – or set up the MCompressor to target the audio signal somewhere in between these two.

MCompressor also has a sidechain and a highpass and lowpass filter which makes it extraordinarily flexible. It comes with the Melda Free Bundle that includes quite a few other nice vst plugins. Highly recommended.

Download link: MCompressor

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DCA1 by Klanghelm (Windows and Mac)

The DC1A compressor from Klanghelm is a simple yet powerfull free VST compressor plugin. If you are a beginner this could be a good compressor to learn by since it is very easy to tweak plus you are forced to use your ears and not rely on numbers.

The DC1A is resembling an OPTO compressor. Its attack and release timings are program dependant although you have the choice between a faster response (which is the default mode) and a slower response with the ”relaxed” mode engaged. It has a fixed threshold and the more you gain the input the more compression you will get.

Use the output knob to match the compressed level to the uncompressed. This way you will not be fooled by differences in loudness between the unprocessed and the processed audio.

The DC1A can add a nice saturation effect to the audio. The saturation is stronger with higher gain reduction. You will have less saturation when the ”relaxed” mode is enabled. If you use it for just a few db of gain reduction in ”relaxed” mode it will work in a much more transparent way.

Master Buss Compressor Vst Free

On stereo tracks you can compress the left and right side separately by enabling the ”dual mono” mode and Klanghelm has also given us an internal sidechain high pass filter which comes in handy when you want to keep the low end more intact (for instance on the drum bus). Finally you have the option of using negative compression ratios.

So, even though the DC1A looks simple at a first glance it is quite surprisingly versatile and can work well on many different types of audio material from drums and percussion to vocals, guitars, and keyboards. It is a very good sounding free VST compressor and should you want even more flexibility you should check out its ”big brother”, the DC8A, which is a high quality compressor with a lot of tweakability for just a little more than 20 US Dollars.

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Free Compressor Vst Plug-ins

MJUC jr by Klanghelm (Vari-Mu compressor) (Windows and Mac)

Yet another simple but powerful vst compressor plugin by Klanghelm. MJUC jr is a scaled down version of the amazing MJUC compressor plugin by Klanghelm. However, the MJUC jr still gives you a little of the flavour that you will find plenty of in its bigger sibling. Both plugins are emulations of the Vari-Mu compressors type and thus they add quite a bit of tube coloration / saturation.

With just a few controls – compress, make up gain, and a choice between three time constants (fast, slow, and auto) – the plugin is very easy to operate and you may be surprised about how much you can get out of this scaled down version. If you need more control and would enjoy playing with a lot of extra parameters you can buy the full version for very little money.

Download link: MJUC jr

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TDR Kotelnikov by Tokyo Dawn Records (Windows and Mac)

TDR Kotelnikov is a free VST compressor designed primarily for mastering purposes. It can function in a very transparent way and will definitely also find it’s use as a channel compressor or a group bus compressor.

The developers have added control features that you will not find on many compressors such as separate control over peak and RMS release values and a way to balance the importance and influence of each of these release times on the processing (through the peak crest knob and of course through the peak release knob and the RMS release knob).

You can also control the stereo sensitivity and chose whether the compressor should work on the full stereo audio or on the mid (”sum”) alone or the ”side” (”diff”) alone. If you want to dial in both mid and side compression and control these individually then you can simply use two instances of TDR Kotelnikov.

TDR Kotelnikov offers an internal sidechain function which gives you the option of relaxing the way the compressor responds to low end frequencies. There is also a mix option for parallel compression.

Timingwise the TDR Kotelnikov is capable of very fast settings. The attack time can be as low as 0.02 milliseconds and the release time can be as fast as 10 milliseconds for the peak release and 20 milliseconds for the RMS release. Of course you can choose slower settings as well since the attack time is fully adjustable up to 250 milliseconds and the release time likewise fully adjustable up to 2 seconds. All in all a very versatile tool for transparent compression.

TDR Kotelnikov is a fabulous free VST compressor plugin and it is amazing that you can get this quality for free. For mastering it is one of the best free vst compressors around. Highly recommended.

Should you want even more options there is a ”Gentleman’s Edition” at a very affordable price.

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Thrillseeker LA by Variety of Sound (Windows only)

This is definitely one of my favorite free VST compressors and probably the one free VST compressor that I use the most. The Thrillseeker LA is a very versatile compressor. In many ways it works like an OPTO compressor but although some people on the internet describe it as a free version of the LA-2A it is much more flexible than that.

Yes, indeed, the Thrillseeker LA can work very much like an LA-2A but you have many extra options on this Variety of Sound plugin. First of all you have faster attack times (both attack and release times are dependant on the incoming audio material – just as is the case with the LA-2A – but you can tweak and control the timing to some extend with the attack and release knobs).

This means that it is possible to tweak the Thrillseeker LA to work very much like a dbx 160 when it comes to timing – or a Tubetech CL-1B as well as a Fairchild or an LA-2A compresor.

Variety of Sound has also given us control over the total harmonic distortion (THD) with the interstage section. Once you have found the right amount of compression and adjusted the attack and release to your liking you can turn on the interstage section and add 2 order harmonics. If you want to go further than that you can use the slider to add even more THD and obtain thicker saturation effects.

Finally you have the ability to colour the saturation effect to your needs and even switch on a transformer circuit simulation to fatten up the sound even more.

Thrillseeker LA has internal and external sidechain options and in the top left corner you will find a little knob that calibrates the plugin to a conservative (and advisable) mix level of -18 db.

In other words Thrillseeker LA can work as a clean compressor or as a more vintage sounding unit. It can work with much faster attack times than an LA-2A and it has its own little colour tool box in the interstage section.

You can use it as a channel compressor or indeed as a bus compressor. And last but not least: it sounds amazingly good. It proves that free plugins can sound as good as commercial plugins – and be more innovative than most of them! That is just one good reason to dive into free VST compressors and other free VST plugins. Highly recommended.

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SAFE Compressor by Semantic Audio (Windows and Mac)

The SAFE Compressor is special in the sense that it allows you to type in more intuitive or descriptive terms or words into the plugins textbox – such as for instance bright, warm, punchy etc. – and if the word or term is on the developers server the compressor will be set to parameters that can bring forward the wanted and described effect.

You can save your own suggestions for semantic terms that represent a compression effect and it can then be shared with other users via the server. In other words SAFE Compressor is a unique intuitive compressor that may be of special interest to beginners.

Download link: SAFE Compressor

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FRComp87 by eaReckon (Windows and Mac)

FRComp87 is a delightfully simple vst compressor plugin. It only has a few controls: threshold, makeup gain, and three timings (fast, medium, and slow). Finally, you can switch in a limiter to tame peaks after the compression. Because of the simplicity FRComp is very fast to use and may be just the right starting point if you are a beginner when it comes to compression.

Download link: FRComp87

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dlm Sixtyfive by de la Mancha (Windows)

The developer de la Mancha has created a really good free VST compressor plugin inspired by the dbx 165 A compressor. However, de la Mancha’s Sixtyfive gives you several extra options compared to the hardware which inspired his work.

If you are looking for a dbx-style compressor plugin Sixtyfive is a good choice. It sounds very good and adds a little, nice coloration and character to the audio material you run through it.

De la Mancha has given you extra features like a dry/wet knob which makes it easy to dial in ”New York” or parallel compression. While the fastest attack on the original hardware is 1 millisecond de la Mancha lets you dial in even faster timings. Like the dbx 165 A de la Mancha’s Sixtyfive also has an auto attack and release button which activates a program dependant attack and release response. It also features a peak stop option for hard limiting on the final output.

Sixtyfive is a soft knee compressor. You can tweak it to give you smooth, musical compression or to work in much more agressive ways. So if you need a vintage style VCA compressor plugin with extra features you need look no further.

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GComp by GVST (Windows and Mac)

With the GComp vst compressor plugin you have full control over attack, release, threshold, hard knee or soft knee or anything in between as well as dialing in the balance between how the compressor should react to audio peaks versus RMS (the average loudness of the program material). On top of that it also includes a limiter.

You can adjust the input and output volume and GComp gives you a good visual feedback of what is going on and how much compression you are applying.

GComp has a sibling called GComp2 with a few different parameters that you could check out as well.

Download link: GComp

Free Compression Plugin Mac

If you are interested in older plugins you can check out these:

Compressive Pro by Martin Eastwood (Windows)

FL4TT3RY 2 by platinumears (Windows)

Side Chain Compressor by slim slow slider (Windows)

Sidechain Compressor by Christian Budde (Windows)

dlm Sixtyfive by de la Mancha (Windows)

Best Free Compressor Vst

Kjaerhus Compressor by Kjaerhus (Windows)