Is there really a difference between compressor plugins?

A

Adam Ben Amitai

New member
Hi everyone, we just added a new compressor shootout to ShootOut.fm,
Check it out here - compressor category.

ShootOut.fm is a site that lets you shootout tons of diffrenet audio gear in real-time.
Using pre recorded source material and a very cool interface, you can choose a song, an instrument and different settings,
and instantly switch between different products to hear how they stack.

this is vid that shows how it works (the clip shows guitar pedals but its the same for plugins)



I’d love to get some feedback from you guys.
I couldn't really tell the difference between most compressors, except for when they're set to 20:1 crush mode. (give it a try).

what do you guys think is there really no difference between compressor plugins?
 
Well, let's hope there's a difference or all those folks that shelled out thousands for UAD cards and plug-ins will be pissed :-)
 
I went in and picked 4 compressors at random and added Density. Put it in blind mode and I could pick which was the Density Mk III. There IS a difference. Nice site, but just told me my free compressor stacks up pretty good against the big $$ ones.
 
"Is there *really* a difference between all these strings? I played a bunch of guitars and can't pick out the difference."

There is a difference. Sometimes subtle, often big. Different compressor plugins all respond differently to sound sources. The trick is knowing enough to be able to hear the difference. When I was 12 I couldn't tell the difference between a Squire Strat and a Gibson Les Paul. I hadn't played enough guitars for long enough to know what I was supposed to notice.
 
yes there's a difference. Difference doesn't always means better, right?

I've used stock plugins that kicked the damn out of some paid plugins and vice-versa :)
 
Yes. There is a difference.

However, knowing how to adjust all those funny knobs on your compressor rather than just using the first preset makes a much more audible difference.
 
Brian Miller said:
Let me add this: It is more often knowing the subtle differences and when to use them that makes great recordings.
Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY the point. There are lots of great musicians. There's lots of great techs. There are few that have the experience and the ability to make the two mesh into more than great. This voice on this song would sound best with this compressor.
Be it FET or Tube or VCA or optical or something completely different, each compressor has it's own unique way of handling sound waves. They sound really similar, but not identical.
 
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