My software recommend of the year.

[Lost to the Void]

I rarely gush about gear, as you all know.

But I`ve been living with a new soft comp since it came out, and it`s so fucking amazing, I have to gush about it.

Here is the link http://www.sknote.it/SDC.htm

SKNote makes amazing stuff, he makes hardware as well as software (I`m buying a lot of his hardware mastering suite next month for the new mastering studio).
His software is unbelievably well priced (another nail in the coffin of the big companies like Waves and NI, go indie`s go!!).

The new stereo double compressor is modelled on the Shadow Hills MC (which I have), and whilst it doesn`t really sound the same, this isn`t an issue at all.

What it does do is, for me, is quite simply the best version yet of certain characteristics of certain style of hardware analogue compressors that only a few other soft comps achieve, and I don`t think they achieve it as well. There are a lot of great soft comps out there, especially the 1176 style and obviously some of the purely New Tech forward thinking, ultra featured comps out there offer things you can`t get in hardware land (such as TDR Kotelnikov, an amazing software feedback comp) or things you can`t get for under 10 grand.

But this thing is just OMG. It really is great.

The dual nature of it might not be necessarily what a lot of you want/understand, but you can switch in and out either compressor in the circuit (as well as run in mid-side or dual mode if you wish).

The discreet compressor alone makes this whole thing worthwhile, regardless of the ton of other features. It grabs in such a lovely, workable, musical way. It just sounds great, even if you don`t really know what you are doing, you should be able to just wack the discreet over a drum buss and get instant grin factor.

The optical has a lovely modern mode that is also quite grabby for an opti, but very subtle, great for the mix buss. The sidechain for the discreet is set at just the right point to be incredibly useful. The way the compressors react together is great.

It`s really the first bit of gear, hardware or software, where I`ve had a "holy shit" moment (apart from my drool worthy new mastering monitors that I went to a demo for recently argle blargle.....) for some time. It just sounds real, it has air, it grabs and pulls at the sound in a way that compression should so that it becomes "fun" and "desirable" and, well....Sexy.
You`d be hard pushed to find anything in hardware land, let alone software land that sounds this good for anything but a serious amount of money.

It is a little processor hungry, and if you don`t know your compression too well, it might be a little intimidating, but if you use it in stereo mode you only need to use the left set of the paired controls, and as I mentioned, you can switch out either compressor so you only focus on just the one.

I`ve not even focused on the other features, the transformer selection, the lovely silky sound, the mid-sound stuff and a whole other shit load of great stuff this can do, as I don`t have time to write about it all.

AND still at the introductory price of 30 dollars, you would be stupid not to snap it up.

I`m not sponsored or associated to SKNote in any way, I`m just blown away by the quality of his stuff.

[arkos]

Was reading up on "Disto" just before and now this one, will have to buy them both.

[terryfalafel]

Interesting. Sknote is a company that really seems to know what they're doing.

I read a lot of great stuff about the Leso PWM compressor which was available as a DIY kit for a while. I didn't act quickly enough to get one before the kits sold out.

For $30 it'd be daft not to give your recommendation a go...

[Lost to the Void]

Interesting. Sknote is a company that really seems to know what they're doing.

I read a lot of great stuff about the Leso PWM compressor which was available as a DIY kit for a while. I didn't act quickly enough to get one before the kits sold out.

For $30 it'd be daft not to give your recommendation a go...

eye he really does, I`m getting the Leso and Vastaso (along with some of his other mastering suite) end of the month/next month

[Mslwte]

I rarely gush about gear, as you all know.

But I`ve been living with a new soft comp since it came out, and it`s so fucking amazing, I have to gush about it.

Here is the link http://www.sknote.it/SDC.htm

SKNote makes amazing stuff, he makes hardware as well as software (I`m buying a lot of his hardware mastering suite next month for the new mastering studio).
His software is unbelievably well priced (another nail in the coffin of the big companies like Waves and NI, go indie`s go!!).

The new stereo double compressor is modelled on the Shadow Hills MC (which I have), and whilst it doesn`t really sound the same, this isn`t an issue at all.

What it does do is, for me, is quite simply the best version yet of certain characteristics of certain style of hardware analogue compressors that only a few other soft comps achieve, and I don`t think they achieve it as well. There are a lot of great soft comps out there, especially the 1176 style and obviously some of the purely New Tech forward thinking, ultra featured comps out there offer things you can`t get in hardware land (such as TDR Kotelnikov, an amazing software feedback comp) or things you can`t get for under 10 grand.

But this thing is just OMG. It really is great.

The dual nature of it might not be necessarily what a lot of you want/understand, but you can switch in and out either compressor in the circuit (as well as run in mid-side or dual mode if you wish).

The discreet compressor alone makes this whole thing worthwhile, regardless of the ton of other features. It grabs in such a lovely, workable, musical way. It just sounds great, even if you don`t really know what you are doing, you should be able to just wack the discreet over a drum buss and get instant grin factor.

The optical has a lovely modern mode that is also quite grabby for an opti, but very subtle, great for the mix buss. The sidechain for the discreet is set at just the right point to be incredibly useful. The way the compressors react together is great.

It`s really the first bit of gear, hardware or software, where I`ve had a "holy shit" moment (apart from my drool worthy new mastering monitors that I went to a demo for recently argle blargle.....). It just sounds real, it has air, it grabs and pulls at the sound in a way that compression should so that it becomes "fun" and "desirable" and, well....Sexy.
You`d be hard pushed to find anything in hardware land, let alone software land that sounds this good for anything but a serious amount of money.

It is a little processor hungry, and if you don`t know your compression too well, it might be a little intimidating, but if you use it in stereo mode you only need to use the left set of the paired controls, and as I mentioned, you can switch out either compressor so you only focus on just the one.

I`ve not even focused on the other features, the transformer selection, the lovely silky sound, the mid-sound stuff and a whole other shit load of great stuff this can do, as I don`t have time to write about it all.

AND still at the introductory price of 30 dollars, you would be stupid not to snap it up.

I`m not sponsored or associated to SKNote in any way, I`m just blown away by the quality of his stuff.

I'm hard now!

I took your advice in the satson plug and never regretted purchasing them, so I might go for this.

[Mattias]

Thanks for the recommendation, I've been hoping it would be good really. Been lacking good optos in software world.

Did you also per chance try Klanghelm Mjuc? It's Vai-Mu style and its also a killer.

[Planar]

I remember seeing a tutorial video where someone (might be D Ramirez?) used the UAD version of the Shadow Hills Compressor, I thought it looked interesting then. Regardless, the last time I recall you being so enthusiastic about a plugin was Satin, and that's one of the best buys I've ever made.

I'm in.

[OHADOHAD]

I rarely gush about gear, as you all know.

But I`ve been living with a new soft comp since it came out, and it`s so fucking amazing, I have to gush about it.

Here is the link http://www.sknote.it/SDC.htm

SKNote makes amazing stuff, he makes hardware as well as software (I`m buying a lot of his hardware mastering suite next month for the new mastering studio).
His software is unbelievably well priced (another nail in the coffin of the big companies like Waves and NI, go indie`s go!!).

The new stereo double compressor is modelled on the Shadow Hills MC (which I have), and whilst it doesn`t really sound the same, this isn`t an issue at all.

What it does do is, for me, is quite simply the best version yet of certain characteristics of certain style of hardware analogue compressors that only a few other soft comps achieve, and I don`t think they achieve it as well. There are a lot of great soft comps out there, especially the 1176 style and obviously some of the purely New Tech forward thinking, ultra featured comps out there offer things you can`t get in hardware land (such as TDR Kotelnikov, an amazing software feedback comp) or things you can`t get for under 10 grand.

But this thing is just OMG. It really is great.

The dual nature of it might not be necessarily what a lot of you want/understand, but you can switch in and out either compressor in the circuit (as well as run in mid-side or dual mode if you wish).

The discreet compressor alone makes this whole thing worthwhile, regardless of the ton of other features. It grabs in such a lovely, workable, musical way. It just sounds great, even if you don`t really know what you are doing, you should be able to just wack the discreet over a drum buss and get instant grin factor.

The optical has a lovely modern mode that is also quite grabby for an opti, but very subtle, great for the mix buss. The sidechain for the discreet is set at just the right point to be incredibly useful. The way the compressors react together is great.

It`s really the first bit of gear, hardware or software, where I`ve had a "holy shit" moment (apart from my drool worthy new mastering monitors that I went to a demo for recently argle blargle.....) for some time. It just sounds real, it has air, it grabs and pulls at the sound in a way that compression should so that it becomes "fun" and "desirable" and, well....Sexy.
You`d be hard pushed to find anything in hardware land, let alone software land that sounds this good for anything but a serious amount of money.

It is a little processor hungry, and if you don`t know your compression too well, it might be a little intimidating, but if you use it in stereo mode you only need to use the left set of the paired controls, and as I mentioned, you can switch out either compressor so you only focus on just the one.

I`ve not even focused on the other features, the transformer selection, the lovely silky sound, the mid-sound stuff and a whole other shit load of great stuff this can do, as I don`t have time to write about it all.

AND still at the introductory price of 30 dollars, you would be stupid not to snap it up.

I`m not sponsored or associated to SKNote in any way, I`m just blown away by the quality of his stuff.

Agree with every word!
Amazing piece of software, like any other vst from sknote.
I would add a recommendation of the Disto plugin!
Bought it instantly and it's another beast!

[Hepta]

Getting this! Thanks for the share.

[Lost to the Void]

Thanks for the recommendation, I've been hoping it would be good really. Been lacking good optos in software world.

Did you also per chance try Klanghelm Mjuc? It's Vai-Mu style and its also a killer.

There are a couple of klanghelm bits i still want to buy, im throwing 20 grand at the new mastering studio over the next couple of months, so i have to be very careful with the budget.
The Mjuc and a couple of other klanghelm bits are on my list if i have any change left out of the budget. They are cheap and his stuff is awesome, but everything is adding up and those little buys all add up.

[Dr.Techno]

Klanghelm Mjuc all the way. Amazing compressor.

[Koichi]

Yep I got the satsun recommendation off your post before - wasn't disappointed - gonna get this one too. Great shout.

[msl]

Oh god stop!!! Not more compressors, I have too many, will probably get this now too. See what you did.


.

[Hades]

ok, I'm going to bother you with this Steve, since I find the Sknote a bit of an irritating site, to be honest,

I just solved the installation part since I didn't notice that "how to install" page at first,
but is there manual, or just a few small pages with info to be found anywhere ?
because the d/l only comes with the VST and nothing else.
It's not that I don't know the basic stuff about compressors,
but I'm not a big compressor user,
and it's exactly because I would like to know the other features that I'd love to find a bit more info on how to use it.

[Hades]

forget I asked,
I'm just stupid.
just found the user manual on the bottom of the product page (before you buy the thing)

god I find that website annoying.
I like what I'm hearing so far though.

[Markus Wolf]

@Void, This is going to sound stupid im not experienced at all with compressors, but what would this be used for? Drums, Mastering, Synths, Bass?


thx

[Lost to the Void]

Doesn`t sound stupid man, we aren`t born knowing how to mix....

Use it for anything that it is appropriate for.

It is modelled on the SH Mastering compressor, but even the community agree the hardware itself is much too nice to just be used for mastering.

I would say the optical, on its own, due to the non linearity and program dependence of the reaction, is more appropriate to the mixbuss, individual busses, but also great for vocals. It`s more of a glue effect overall, though it can behave in a slightly more aggressive manner having the modern mode.

The discreet, on its own, is lovely on more sharp material where you want a more controllable or noticeable dynamic effect, so drums, synths, guitars, mixbuss. It always sounds pretty musical, even on the fastest settings where you can just use it for chopping peaks.

However, they both react in a lovely way to material, so I would just try them out on anything to see what you get.


Combined as a dual compressor is overkill for most things except the 2buss or mastering, but again as it sounds so musical there is no reason to limit it to that.

[Hades]

It just sounds real, it has air, it grabs and pulls at the sound in a way that compression should so that it becomes "fun" and "desirable" and, well....Sexy.
.

I've been trying to finish a track this past week using this SDC compressor,
and I must say, though I'm NOT at all big on compressors, and barely use them as anything more than a handy side-chain ducking tool or "soft limiter",
this was actually the very first compressor where I actually understood what people meant when they talked about the "creative use of compressors".
I mean, I really heard this one literally grabbing and pulling at my drum sounds, creating extra groove in a way...

When I was lowering my levels in general because my master was clipping,
the SDC wasn't doing anything anymore since the levels were too low,
and I instantly started to "rectify" all the settings so that I still had the "grab 'n pull" effect of the SDC on my drums...

fuck, me using compression in such a way,
what's next ? getting myself a cable tv connection after 20 years ?

It is a bit of a CPU eater though...

[Lost to the Void]

Yeah its hungry, but it really does sound wonderful.

[Hades]

it's all YOUR fault though !
no point denying that, you cunt !