Skip to main content

Hi!

I've been searching for a free vst multiband compressor plugin for some time now but can't seem to find the one I'm looking for...I'll be using it for mastering in wavelab 6 and here are the features I would like for the compressor: 4 bands, 2 settings of frequency range/band, threshold, ratio, attack and release. Main in, gain and output would also be great!

I'm almost sure someone of you guys out there have a good one to recommend for me!

Thanks ahead!

Fredrik Stennabba
Finland

Comments

RemyRAD Sun, 10/07/2012 - 20:28

This may be too low for you to stoop? I've enjoyed the Italian software IK Multimedia's T-Racks, VST & standalone software. Sorry, it's only a three band limiter. I have found it very useful over the years. Though I'm certainly not a big fan of any of their presets. I'm a good old-fashioned, do it yourself, tweaker. I have found both pros and cons between the standalone and the VST version. Good and bad on both accounts. It's certainly not my one-stop shop. There are some things it can't do I want done. For everything else... there's Master Card.

Look for it in a wallet near you... starts Friday.
Mx. Remy Ann David

Nutti Mon, 10/08/2012 - 22:58

Alright! thanks!

Any point of beeing greedy here and start with the standard model or should I aim for the deluxe right away? I'm also a tweaker, never used presets since I think it takes the personal touch out of it...shure, it takes lots of time but whos in a hurry these days? They already found a new mayan calendar extending our lifetime another 6000 years on this planet :)

RemyRAD Tue, 10/09/2012 - 15:07

Great to hear about that Mayan calendar, LOL. So I guess it won't be December 21, 2012? 8012 I'm not so concerned about, LOL.

Both the standalone version and the VST version are fine. I could live and have lived with either single one. And that's because I started with the standalone version. The standalone version made it a little more difficult to process individual tracks within a multi-track production. It wasn't impossible, it just required a few extra steps. The VST version works out better for your multi-track software and is much more adept at processing individual tracks. There are minor trade-offs and enhancements with the VST version. For instance with the VST version, you can choose individual parts of the processor i.e., equalizer only, compressor only, multi-band limiter only, peak output clipper only. Or the entire suite. But no output metering. The standalone version had output metering. And with the standalone version, you can switch off what processors and processing you didn't want. They tell me except for that, all of the algorithms are identical. I originally purchased my standalone version from an engineering colleague who did not care for it. I think that was because he was using mostly presets? Their presets are all over the top and I don't use the presets. Sometimes they can be helpful as a jumping off point. And like yourself, I'm a DIY tweaker. I like its interface and find it relates well to my actual hardware gear in the rack/racks. I think the Italians did a nice job with this software. And a little goes a long way. Their variable distortion feature, I like a lot. It definitely skews the waveform towards that asymmetrical even order harmonic plunge. Also great for smoothing out some otherwise overblown vocal tracks and such in the opposite direction. Stereo enhancement is also rather cool in the compressor section. (When working with stereo tracks). What it doesn't have in either version is a dry wet mix control balancer. So when desiring parallel processing, you really have to parallel process to get that with this software. Which I think is a small price to pay for what this software offers. A lot of folks here have pooh-poohed this software but I think that's only because, they really didn't understand it? I have found it to be my go to processor and I get exactly what I want from it. The VST version has more adjustability in the multi-band limiter than the standalone version has. The standalone has it, it's just harder to get to. And to that the VST offers a nice enhancement. But when using the VST for mastering, you have to strictly rely upon your host software metering which for most, is perfectly fine. I just happen to like their metering in the standalone version of the output meter. Otherwise the gain reduction metering is identical. So go for either or both. They also have some other interesting software I have not yet invested in. The cabinet emulation seems to be popular? It gives you that re-amp capability strictly ITB. Quite cool. Though I do remember seeing a couple of their other products that I didn't find impressive? They are attempting to branch out from their original release software. Everybody needs to diversify today to stay in business. That doesn't mean that when you do that, you are coming up at the same brilliant product you did initially. Everybody today is trying to out Best themselves which is cool but not always valid. Kind of like those one-hit wonder rock 'n roll stars. One great hit and the rest was blasé for the rest of their career. And sometimes equipment and software manufacturers, aren't any different. Sometimes they just ruin things with improvements. This is not Detroit. I mean how many improvements have you seen made in recent years to violins or French horns? French whores maybe? MCI Sony, to me, ruined a lot of their equipment by going transformer less back in the late 1970s. So they can show you the technical improvements but I sure as hell couldn't hear any technical improvements. Just the opposite in fact. Of course it was much less costly to manufacture transformer less equipment. And you can cook the books to show how much better it functions.

I ain't in no hurry either. Ain't is official American slang. Because it ain't coming from anywhere else.
Mx. Remy Ann David

Nutti Tue, 10/09/2012 - 22:40

sound very nice! I think I'll go with the standard package then it's only 60€ and for that I'll get Classic Compressor, Classic Multi-band Limiter, Classic Clipper and Classic Equalizer. A midi controller synchronized to thease would be the ultimate solution since I like tweaking more than mousing...I think it's timeconsuming to use the mouse to set values, I find it easier to control fingers than the whole hand.

I don't know if this is possible though? To control the vst plugins via a daw controller? Do you know if it would work with one like this for example?
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.thomann…"]Akai LPD 8 - Thomann Verkkokauppa[/]="http://www.thomann…"]Akai LPD 8 - Thomann Verkkokauppa[/]

RemyRAD Tue, 10/09/2012 - 23:51

Unfortunately I am a MIDIdiot. I don't do any MIDI. So I really have no idea whether T-Racks can be dynamically controlled through MIDI? Perhaps there is a way to accomplish that? This is where as a recording engineer, I fall a little short. We all have our specialties and MIDI isn't one of mine. Only once in a while have I had need to use some MIDI instruments and/or control of something. Not often enough to become proficient with it however. So I'm not the be-all end-all when it comes to recording engineers. My specialty has been mostly live capture and mix for broadcast and live album production. Quite a bit of studio work doing mixing and recording moreover and not a MIDI function, during recording and mixing. When MIDI instruments are required, I generally lay those up to the multi-track recorder, rather than having the instrument played directly from a MIDI data track. And that's how I deal with MIDI. I even have the Lexicon LARC MIDI controller for my digital reverb units but that's the extent of my MIDI implementation. I'm really not into MIDI music.

I have wanted to implement MIDI, to create an entire multi-instrument, MIDI, Symphony Orchestra for operatic performances. This would involve a couple of computers tied together with multiple MIDI instruments and their multiple outputs. Total outputs would have to be at least 16 channels if not more. And all of those outputs would be going to individual speakers within the orchestral pit. Speaker sizes and types would be matched to the particular instruments they were to reproduce. Utilizing as many speakers as instruments, as is necessary. That combined with MIDI software that could be clocked from a conductor utilizing a baton with built-in accelerometers and perhaps a single sustain pedal. Now that's a MIDI orchestra! Not a single sampler with a couple of speakers on either side of the stage. No way. This has to have all of the proper timing and spatial projection coming from the pit. And you don't get that with just a pair of PA speakers on either side of the stage.

Well I guess I'm done with my tirade now?
Mx. Remy Ann David

hueseph Mon, 10/15/2012 - 15:17

Nutti, post: 394726 wrote: I tried the 5orcery but it did not work...I've noticed that some plugins doesn't work at all for me, don't know the reason why...? I think I'll go with the standard package from IK mutimedia when the time comes

You couldn't get it to load? What exactly wasn't it doing?

RemyRAD Thu, 10/18/2012 - 23:47

Well you can't just place the .dll where you want it to be. That's the job of the software installer program. No wonder it's inconsistent for you. Why didn't ya let the program install itself as it should?

By the way, I've tried other multi-band compressor/limiter plug-ins and like yourself, found they really did not work for me the way I wanted them to. Not like the real-time broadcast processors I'm used to. And that's where T-Racks seemed to get it right to me. I was turned onto them when it first came out. The first standalone version had some nasty bugs in it but still worked most of the time. The VST version is quite modular and nice. So you don't need to bypass any algorithms you don't want. Because we're not flipping switches, we're changing program parameters. So I'm really not quite sure what that bypass really means? Does it mean that it's actually bypassing the program or just simply nulls it? I'm not a programmer/coder so I really don't know? I know that with the VST, you choose only the modular portion you want or the entire suite. And that makes me feel a little different than the bypass switches on the standalone version. I've heard no difference either way. So I've never been terribly concerned about that.

You should know by now that these computers never work the way we want them to when we need them to. It's the wonder of Windows. They are really bulletproof Windows because they really don't let you break free.

I don't even want to know from the Android OS. Nothing very professional about how they brand their OS. Ice cream sandwich? What about cherry cheesecake? Why don't they create operating systems called " Acapulco Gold ", " Panama Red ", how about " Kinde to your Time "? Then I'd be interested. I need a smart operating system. Androids only follow directions. Notice we don't hear anything anymore about Linux? What's with that? All these incredibly smart people around the world and we can't get a decent hack operating system that will run apples and windows software? What? What am I not understanding? Everybody seems to have a custom OS today so where is ours?

LET'S PLAY WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE! A new OS will do it ya know.
Mx. Remy Ann David

hueseph Thu, 10/18/2012 - 23:55

The plugins on IIRs' page are homebrew. They don't have an installer. You just copy the dll to your vst folder. I think it may be that the plugins are in VST 1 or 2 format at best. Cubase is into VST 3 already and I don't know if Cubase 6 has a bit bridge. Most if not all homebrew VSTs are still 32 bit.

RemyRAD Fri, 10/19/2012 - 10:47

I'm falling behind the times. I did not know that. VST three? I think I still have the old stuff? I haven't purchased any for quite some time. Not since I bought my T-Racks sometime before my brain surgery seven years ago. I think? I do? I didn't think I thought? But that's not what I was thinking? I don't know what the hell I was thinking? Dinner. Yeah that's it.

I'm going to purchase some stake in a steak.
Mx. Remy Ann David

djmukilteo Fri, 10/19/2012 - 12:44

Cubase 6.5 and previous versions have a great multiband compressor....it's under "Dynamics" on the insert channel plugin box. Don't know if you are using Cubase or not, but it's in there.
All the plugin search does is tell you where they are on your computer.
It's best to put any VST plugin (the .dll file) in the correct subfolder within Steinberg/Cubase/VST Plugins folder.
VST3 is the latest plugin programming code, that can utilize Steinberg's VST3 instructions but that should only be used for actual plugins that were written and listed as "VST3".

Cubase 6 in 64bit mode does have it's own VST BitBridge which will load older VST1/2 32bit plugins, but there are some plugins from 3rd parties that don't work that well.

x

User login