The Best Compressor Plugins for Windows and Mac

Compressor plugins are frequently discussed, and with good reason. Compression is one of the vital components of a mix, alongside EQ, and the two combine to provide greater weight and depth in the mix. A mix crafted with quality compression across its tracks, busses, and groups will simply sound more musically balanced, fuller, and have more attitude. Compression is an elusive art, and having the best compressor plugins at your disposal is half the battle! There are many different types of compressors, so it’s good to review those before reading on!

Fabfilter Pro-C

Fabfilter’s Pro-C delivers tremendous compression with a wide range of uses. It offers three distinct modes of compression: Opto, Clean, and Classic modes. The Fabfilter Pro-C includes all the usual compression settings, perfectly optimized for sound quality and responsive to user-defined parameters. The Fabfilter Pro-C achieves everything from subtle to pumping compression or de-essing. Its standout feature as one of the best compressor plugins is its M-S functionality. You can widen groups and busses by activating M-S mode and adjusting the relative levels of mid and side channels while compressing each individually. It also functions brilliantly as a side-chain brilliantly,compressor](https://www.masteringbox.com/learn/what-is-sidechain-sidechaining-techniques). For example, you can compress the middle channel of drum sounds while leaving the sides untouched or only lightly compressed.

PSP Vintage Warmer

The PSP vintage warmer doesn’t look like much with its utilitarian styling. It really is a force to be reckoned with. Many will think ‘how did I ever go without this?’ when they use it. It functions as a single or multi-band compressor and utilises a very warm vintage algorithm. It’s a really flexible plugin that can be used to brick-wall limit or provide soft knee compression to any source. It basically tries to mirror analog tape recorders when pushed, and this is what PSP achieves masterfully. Analog emulation provides character and glue to your track. This plugin provides that elusive auditory ‘glue’ which pulls instruments together smoothly. It is a real workhorse and has a great set of presets to get you going.

UAD 1176LN

The hardware version of this UAD 1176LN compressor was released in the 60s and was used on classic recordings by Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, and many others. It’s a true classic with the capability to provide fast attack and release compression while delivering a beautifully sounding output and flexible performance. This is a great compressor for adding character to your tracks, and you can operate it with extremely quick attack/release settings. From very subtle, soft-knee or transparent compression to full-on distortion, this compressor really adds that fizz to your tracks. It’s a fairly straightforward compressor, so don’t expect too many bells and whistles—it’s simply a high-performance instrument compressor and ranks as one of the best compressor plugins for this role.

NEVE® 33609 / 33609SE Compressor

Neve have an awesome reputation and this compressor allows you to recreate the non-linearities of classic gear on your tracks. It’s wonderfully smooth and characterful and can be employed on individual tracks, groups or busses to glue instruments and add a bit of warm grit. Neve have really modelled this perfectly and you can even use it for parallel compression. It’s no surprise that Neve have produced one of the best compressor plugins and the 33609 / 33609SE is beautifully musical. This compressor is great on vocals too and employing it in your vocal chain will provide great results.

API 2500

The API 2500 is a Waves mainstay and lends itself to various compression settings. The API 2500 is notoriously good at adding punch and attitude to drum groups. It has a dual design that allows users to compress two mono channels with a singular setting. There are a couple of different compression types, an analog switch for extra warmth, and all your usual compression settings. Overall, the API 2500 can really enhance your tracks, and it has a certain rhythmic quality when used to compress fairly hard with a hard-knee setting. The API 2500 offers a great array of presets and can be used for anything.

H-Comp Hybrid Compressor

The H-Comp Hybrid Compressor is an inexpensive workhorse from Waves. The H series of plugins seeks to combine digital and analog-modeled features for flexibility and musicality. This compressor is modeled on the behavior of analog gear like tubes and transistors, and you can select the analog character from four distinct types. This compressor also features a wet/dry mix, adding easy parallel compression to its repertoire of flexible features. Something unique about this compressor is its Punch mode. This allows a portion of a transient to pass through uncompressed, meaning you can retain some pure uncompressed attack before compressing the remaining signal. Furthermore, it has a tempo-sync setting, allowing you to lock the release in with your track. Truly impressive! Waves has engineered some great plugins, and this is entirely their own. It’s inexpensive and ranks as one of the best compressor plugins.

SSL Master Buss Compressor

This SSL master Buss compressor is ubiquitous in top studios worldwide. The Solid State Logic G console is a famous unit that has inspired many plugins. Waves teamed up with SSL to create the 4000 series which contains EQs, channel strips, and this compressor. The SSL Master Buss Compressor is prized by top engineers. It has an elusive ability to glue mixes together with the analog warmth and energy that brings a track to life. This isn’t the most flexible plugin but you can work wonders with its small quantity of settings. It works great for compressing groups. For example, you can run your bass and drums to a group and compress together to get things bumping along with a rhythmic pump. The SSL Master Buss Compressor is easy to use, too. Its presets provide ideal suggestions. Easily one of the best compressor plugins from Waves.

Softube FET

Softube has created some superb hardware, and this plugin is modeled on the famous solid-state FET compressor. This compressor boasts a stunning range of features, including parallel compression, detection filters, super-fast attack capability, and continuous ratio control. The FET is a real beast, known for its aggressiveness. If you push it, it will respond in kind and impart a lovely layer of distortion. The Softube FET excels when used to squash or slam tracks, rewarding you with great warm harmonics.

Your DAW’s Compressors

Every DAW includes built-in compressors, but some outperform others. Ableton offers the best options available. They provide a standard compressor for track compression and side-chain compression. Their Multi-band Dynamics plugin effectively handles multi-band compression. Lastly, the Glue Compressor targets groups or mix busses and closely resembles the SSL Master Buss Compressor. All these compressors are well-built, allowing you to achieve excellent results without needing to invest in third-party compressors.

Choosing the Best Compressor Plugins

There are many quality compressors here, and they can all contribute something special to a mix. You can never rely on just one compressor, so pinpointing one as the best is impossible. If you have a few combined with your stock DAW plugins, you should be all set. Ideally, it’s beneficial to have a compressor for individual instrument tracks, a compressor for groups, and a compressor for M/S compression.