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Compressor/Limiter Settings Guide

This document is a cheat sheet for analog modeled compressors and limiters, detailing various models, their plugin types, attack and release settings, ratios, and typical usage scenarios. It categorizes compressors by topology, including opto, RMS detection, FET, VCA, and more, providing specific examples such as the LA2A, 1176, and Fairchild 660/670. The information is aimed at audio professionals looking to understand the characteristics and applications of different compression tools in music production.

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
1K views3 pages

Compressor/Limiter Settings Guide

This document is a cheat sheet for analog modeled compressors and limiters, detailing various models, their plugin types, attack and release settings, ratios, and typical usage scenarios. It categorizes compressors by topology, including opto, RMS detection, FET, VCA, and more, providing specific examples such as the LA2A, 1176, and Fairchild 660/670. The information is aimed at audio professionals looking to understand the characteristics and applications of different compression tools in music production.

Uploaded by

luis4fer
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

ANALOG MODELED COMPRESSORS/LIMITERS CHEAT SHEET (v 1.

4) (June 11, 2017)

TYPE/
MODEL PLUGIN ATTACK RELEASE RATIO USEAGE
TOPOLOGY

Waves,
OPTO 60 ms @50 % - .5 - 5 s @ Bass, Synths, Vox, Buss
LA2A Cakewalk IK 10 ms freq. dependent Program dependent
100% Vox: LA2A > 1176 R:4-8
Multimedia,…
RMS
detection, 60 ms @50 % - .5 - 5 s @
medium LA3A Waves CLA 3A 1,5 ms Program dependent Bass, Vocals, Gtrs, Drums
100%
attack,
probably Buss, Bass, Piano, Gtrs, Keys,
CL1B Softube CL1B 500 µs - 300 ms 50 ms - 10 s (fixed/manual) 2:1 - 10:1 (variable)
feedback Vocals, Drums
topology
TLA-100A Softube Fast, Medium, Slow Fast, Medium, Slow Program dependant VOCALS, Drum Room Mics

Waves, PSP
FET Audioware, IK Everything (Bass, Drums, Vox,
1176 Multimedia, 20 µs - 800 ms 50 ms 1.1 s 4, 8, 12, 20:1 +ALL Gtrs, Dr. Pepper Setting: A: 10, R:
super fast N.I. McDSP, 2, Ratio: 4; Vox (1176 > LA2A)
attack, UAD…
transformer
Expander: 0.2, 2, 40 ms 0.025, 0.5, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 5:1, DRUMS, Bass, Vox, OHs, »When
saturation ADR F760 RS Boz +10 dB
Comp.: 0.25, 2.5, 25 ms 1.6, 3.2, Auto 10:1, 20:1 the Levee Breaks«

Drawmer 73 Softube Mix Bus

TC 1: 200 µs ≙ 0,2 ms 300 ms ≙ 0,3 s Program dependent. Acoustic Instruments, Vox


Waves TC 2: 200 µs 800 ms Limiter with special,
Fairchild IK Multimedia TC 3: 400 µs 2s Attack/Release
VARI-MU
660/670 Klanghelm, TC 4: 400 µs 5s Behaviors (Time
McDSP TC 5: 400 µs 2-10 s (Program dependant) Constants) Mix Bus
RMS
TC 6: 200 µs 0,8 s - 10 s
detection,
slow attack, N.I., UAD, LIMIT (4:1 to 20:1)
very wide Manley Vari Mu 25 - 70 ms 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 4, 8s Mix Bus, Bass,Vox,Strings, Horns
McDSP COMP (1.5 to 1)
knee, tube
saturation Similar to LA2A with less artifacts
STA Level Sknote ? ?
when pushed harder

EMI RS 124 discontinued

1 of 3
TYPE/
MODEL PLUGIN ATTACK RELEASE RATIO USEAGE
TOPOLOGY

Mix Bus (warm, mid-range detail),


Waves, COMP: 400, 800 ms, 1.5 s, A. 1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1,
Neve 2254 LIMIT: 1 µs, 1ms (Slow) Bass, Horns, Piano, Adds
McDSP LIMIT: 100, 200, 800 ms, Auto 6:1, Lim
Attitude
BRIDGED
DIODE Neve 33609 IK Multimedia 3 - 6 ms 100 ms - variable Bass

DRUMS & Busses, Snares,


Kramer Pie Waves 500 µs 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 x 100 ms 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 5:1, Lim
Everything

Waves API 1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, Mix Bus, Drums, Overheads US
API 2500 0,03, 0,1, 1, 3 10, 30 ms 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 s, var.
2500 6:1, 10:1, inf.:1 Equivalent to SSL Bus Comp

API 525 LSR VLB 525 0.1, 0.5, 2.0, 2.5 s 2:1, 20:1 DRUMS, Bass

NI, Waves, 15 ms @ 10 dB
Bass, Drums, Low End Kick (dbx
Stillwell, 5 ms @ 20 dB
> Pultec EQ on Parallel Bus)
dbx 160 Softube, 3 ms @ 30 dB 120 dB/s 1:1 - inf.:1
Woody Kick (dbx > HP@240, LP
Sknote,
@ 5 kHz, Bost at 700 in Parallel
McDSP
VCA
Focusrite Red 3 Focusrite 25 - 500ms 0.1 - 4 s, Auto 1,5, 2, 3, 5, 10, inf.:1 Everything. Drums (in Parallel)
peak
detection, [Link] = 1 ms,
SSL Channel Waves 0.1 - 4 s 1:1 - inf.:1 Indivdual Elements
hard knee, OFF= Prog. dep.
fast attack/ Waves,
release, SSL G Comp 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 10, 30 ms 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, Auto 2:1, 4:1, 10:1 Mix Buss, Busses, Drums
Cytomic, N.I.
probably
feedforward Soft, 2, 4, 8, 10:1,
Vertigo VCS-2 Brainworx 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 10, 30 ms 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2 s, Auto Mix Buss
topology Brick

BSS DPR 402 Waves 50 μs - 100 ms 5 ms - 4 s, Auto 1:1 - inf.:1 in 0.1 incr. Punchy, 80s, Hip-Hop Drum, Vox

1:1, 1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1,


UAD, Sknote, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1, 10:1, Kick, Snare, Bass, Vox, Nuking
Distressor 50 μs - 40 ms 50 ms - 3000 ms (3 s)
Empirical Labs 20:1, inf:1 (= Rivet Room Mics, Parallel Comp.
Mode)

Shadow Hills Optical: 2:1


Opto: slow Optical: program dependent »The grand master of VCA
Mastering UAD/SKNote VCA: 1.2:1, 2:1, 3:1,
VCA: .1, .5, 1, 5, 10, 30 ms VCA: .1, .25, .5, .8, 1.2, Dual compressors« Drums, Mix Buss.
Compressor 4:1, 6:1, 20:1 (Flood)

2 of 3
TYPE/
MODEL PLUGIN ATTACK RELEASE RATIO USEAGE
TOPOLOGY

Elysia Elysia
0.01 -150 ms 5 - 1200 ms -4:1 - 10:1 DRUMS (AutoFast, Parallel)
Mpressor Mpressor

Elysia Alpha Elysia Alpha Mix Bus

Kush UBK-1 Kush UBK-1 Drums

OTHER/
SOFTWARE

3 of 3

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