Today’s edition of bpb Freeware Studio features the best free compressor VST/AU plugins for Windows and Mac.
In the end I’ve decided to split the list in two parts. The main part contains my absolute favorite free compressors and the bonus part features an additional set of great freeware compressor VST plugins that are definitely worth checking out and might become your favorites.
You might also want to check out the best free multi-band compressor VST plugins and best free sidechain compressor VST plugins lists.
Follow the links for screenshots & download info:
- AC-1 by Audiocation Audio Akademie (Windows)
- BLOCKFISH by digitalfishphones (Mac, Windows)
- Classic Compressor by Kjaerhus (Windows)
- Compressive Pro by Martin Eastwood (Windows)
- D2 by de la Mancha (Windows)
- DC1A by Klanghelm (Mac, Windows)
- DCAM FreeComp by FXpansion (Mac, Windows)
- Density mkIII by Variety Of Sound (Windows)
- Endorphin by digitalfishphones (Windows)
- FL4TT3RY 2 by platinumears (Windows)
- jsCompShaper by jsAudio (Windows)
- MCompressor by MeldaProduction (Mac, Windows)
- Modern Series by Antress (Windows)
- Molot by vladg/sound (Mac, Windows)
- NightShine by discoDSP (Windows)
- ReaComp by Cockos (Windows)
- Rough Rider by Audio Damage (Windows)
- TDR Feedback Compressor by Tokyo Dawn Labs (Windows)
- ThrillseekerLA by Variety Of Sound (Windows)
- TLs-2095-LA/TLs-3127-LEA by tinbrooketales (Windows)
Extended list: BattleComp Vintage, BuzComp Free GranComp, CamelCrusher, Easy-NY, FR-COMP 87, GComp2, H2O, LMC-1, MdspCompressor, MjCompressor, NastyVCS, StereoCompressor, XPressor.
For stereo bus use, my two absolute favorites are Molot and Density mkII. Density is more transparent and smooth, a perfect tool to add glue to a mix (or a drum bus, for example) while keeping a natural sound.
Density mkII by VOS.
Molot adds quite a bit of color however, which isn’t always what you need, but it works great when you want to add some character to bland sounds. It can also work very well on bass guitars and vocals – play around with different modes and check out the manual to see what this great unit is capable of.
Molot VST by Vladislav Goncharov.
TLs-2095-LA and TLs-3127-LEA are my secret weapons – they’re not used on every mix (probably because I’m not a big fan of the limiting amplifier design), but I try them out whenever I’m not satisfied with the results I get with other compressors. And most of the time I tell myself – damn, I should use those TBT compressors more often.
TLs-2095-LA by TBT.
Compressive Pro is a great RMS compressor with a funky vintage analogue modeled sound and a reasonably low CPU hit. It’s quite easy to use due to its simple and clean GUI and has some nice bonus features like external sidechain and auto-gain makeup. A great all-around compressor, useful on individual channels as well as on the stereo bus. You might also want to check out D2 by de la Mancha, it is a nice sounding coloring compressor (coloration can be turned off) that’s very easy to use.
D2 by de la Mancha.
Another perfect all-rounder is ReaComp. It is very easy on the CPU and a breeze to use. Unlike Compressive Pro, this compressor is super-clean sounding and very transparent. When I just need a quick channel compressor, ReaComp is what I go for most of the time.
ReaComp by Cockos.
When you want to kick the living hell out of a track, Rough Rider is your safe bet. It will sound too over-the-top most of the time, but in certain occasions it’s THE perfect spice for a mix. If you’re not affraid of the compression police, try putting it on the master bus right at the start of a mixing session – this can work in some kinds of electronic dance music and can give the whole mix an oversaturated, super-sticky sidechained feel. If that sounds interesting, make sure you also check out Camel Crusher and LMC-1.
Rough Rider by Audio Damage.
BLOCKFISH is often my number one choice for use on vocals. It features a characteristic sound and a superb opto mode (modeled after the old optical compressor designs) which is great for transparent and smooth gain riding on vocals.
BLOCKFISH by digitalfishphones.
If you need a simple compressor to learn with, check out AC1, Classic Compressor, GComp2, and GranComp. All four have great clean interfaces and nice gain reduction meters that will show you exactly what you’re doing (especially GComp2 which also features a dry/wet waveform display)!
GComp2 by GVST.
Finally, to help you learn compression, here’s a very informative compression video tutorial by FabFilter (it’s basically a promo video for their Pro-C compressor, but also a very good compression tutorial):
And that’s all for today! Have I missed any good freebie compressor? Please suggest it in the comments section below!
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I enjoy the blog and it can be a great resource, but as far as compressors etc. go it would be a real shame to ignore Antress’ array of channel strip plugs buss compressors which seem pretty faithful reproductions, not just visually. The dBX 160 clone is just as obnoxious to use as the original. I’m not saying everything they do is golden, but there are some real gems in the group if you’re looking for an assortment of character, glue or buss compressors and limiters. Some info here http://antress.blogspot.com/ download without nonsense here http://www.gersic.com/plugins/hosted/antress/
hi Phil, thanks for the tip!
i’ve heard a lot of praise for Antress plugins in the past, but somehow i didn’t take time to test them myself. still, i think you’re right – they’re well known freebies and should definitely be on the list.
i’ve listed them as Modern Series with a link to the Antress website. the ones on gersic.com are older versions, no?
Thanks a million Phil. You’re a SAVIOUR !!! I had my first preview of Antress plugins on YouTube and after that I wanted them so bad. However, the official blog of Antress didn’t provide any links for download. Thanks for providing the link.
The Antress’ plugins I have missed in the list, too, but there has been a lot of controversy about the quality of them (in some forums). Is there someone who has tested them, who are the real gems??
The list is also missing the compressors of Terry West which are pretty good in my opinion. For example the CompEQ Pro-V especially for vocals or the Easy-NY for “New York compression” (BTW, parallel compression is somewhat easy to do if you have a compressor with simple dry- and wet-faders).
oh, good call – i really should Terry West stuff to the list. will do so tommorow, thanks TL!
Nice summary…
I usually use the seventh sign at drum.. it give some paramore attack on snare !
D2 at drumbuss gives you kind of overcompressed british sound,..
thrillseaker and density at guitar are worth tryin for..
sometimes i throw thrill seaker @ mastering chain, it gives you creamy smooth compression.. suit for pop, acid jazz, vintage dll
what about Sir Elliot’s comps/limiters/eqs?
i’ve heard great stuff about Sir Elliot’s plugins, but honestly still haven’t had a chance to test them out myself. could you reccomend me any of his compressors in particular?
Yes, although it is a matter of taste and of music style. I use his main 3 compressors, mostly Altered Dynamics Compressor, Little Black Box and Universal compressor in that order of preference. They have to be given some time, though, mainly because of their special character of reacting to signal. But soundwise, I find them really outstanding. Also his simple Peak Limiter is almost always in the main mixer, doing what is supposed to do in a manner which I like very much. Of course, Sir Elliot is more known for his eq’s, which I also use, but I feel that his compressors aren’t given the attention they deserve. Thanks for your work!
ok, thanks for the tips!
i’ll give these a try be the end of the week and will include them in the list (probably his limiter and eqs, too).
Which one is the best for guitar, especially for high gain sounds?
thanks
hmm, tbh i never use a compressor on high gain guitar sounds. i’m not a pro when it comes to mixing guitars (perhaps there are some secret techniques out there which i’m not aware of), but the way i see it, most of the dynamic range has already been removed by clipping your guitar in the amp.
Don’t forget audiocation AC-1 for a free 1176 style Comp
https://www.audiocation.de/en/plugin.
Its really quite good for that aggressive 1176 sound. Coded by Christian Budde who is a top notch VST developer.
thanks for the tip! AC-1 is awesome, i’ll add it to the list right away.
NightShine is also good compressor (with low CPU hit).
good call, NightShine is fantastic! thanks for the tip U-o!
You’re welcome. I found lot of good freeware here.
I’ve been reading through the list got some good plug ins there,I’d just like to say one thing though,it seems anyone who says this is a good freebie comp you’ve just been saying yeah will put that in,I’m wordering have you even checked them out to see if they sound decent or are you just taking peoples word on it ?
well, there are so many freeware compressors out there that it’s almost impossible to make a short best-of list without leaving something out.
at one point, i’ve decided to split the list in two parts. the upper part includes must-have freeware comps (in my opinion) and the extended list includes some freebies which are pretty good, although not installed on my machine.
I agree with Bill. I love and enjoy your “best free….” articles very much and they are a source of info for me time and time again. So thanks a lot for each list. Much appreciated. However, you have to be careful about making that list bigger with just about any Comp mentioned as we might end up with really “The full list of Compressor VST/AU Plugins”. Also, newer readers might not take your lists seriously anymore. Test them, refuse some and add some to your list. At the end of the day it is your list (a subjective one) and so you don’t have to be Mr Nice and agree with every recommendation.
thanks for the tip. the thing is that i liked most of the suggestions, and they are mainly included in the extended list.
Hi, I couldn´t find this fine Compressor on your great site
SSL LMC-1 Listen Mic Compressor http://www.solidstatelogic.com/music/LMC-1/index.asp
SSL also offers a free ISP Meter.
TDR Feedback Compressor by Tokyo Dawn Labs second version is in final stages of beta and is available for Mac as well.
Awesome LA-2A opto style compressor. Between this and thrillseeker LA what more could you want for that style of compression
FYI the DCAM Free Comp is essentially Cytomic the Glue lite! It is the first version of the code that eventually became The Glue. If you don’t already know, The Glue is considered to be the best digital emulation of the SSL Buss comp. Now you know.
Kingtao KT-C.
Very transparent sound, very versatile.
Nice summary. TDR Feedback Compressor and Reacomp is all I need for everyday work.
Wow the tdr feedback just blew me away, this is incredible. It does wonders on drums and vocals, and sounds more analogue than any other itb compressor ive used before, even if it claims to be ‘a proud digital compressor’. The developer could easily sell it for 100$ or more, i can’t believe it is free!
The TDR II is INCREDIBLE on vocals. For a really dynamic vocal i will typically use 2 compressors in series (AC-1 into DC1a or thrillseekerLA). I will then need to de-ess afterwards. Alternatively I’ll also use pre-fx volume automation followed by a compressor to get it level.
I can use one instance of TDR II using the fast vocal preset with up to 10-12 db of compression and it absolutely LEVELS a dynamic vocal in one pass with almost NO artifacts including sibilance. The transients are tamed by the fast attack/release peak compression and the rest of the vocal is leveled by the RMS compression with a slow release. Its Brilliant. The only problem is that its a bit TOO transparent. For rock and rap vocals you kinda want that gritty “in your face” sound that screams compressor abuse.
I’ve been muckin around with a fair few compressors lately. DC1A is fantastic on female vocals, adds in a nice warmth and thickens them right up. Lately I’ve used Molot on drum overheads for a bit of colouration, I’ve used TDR feedback compressor II on everything, most recently on the master buss of a girls choir recording I did for uni. Sounded incredible! I used Rough Rider on the drums buss in some dirty blues rock tracks recently, man those drums sounded fat. And I used Kingtao’s KT-C compressor on multiple things like vocals, drums, guitars and whatnot, fairly transparent that one, but does add a slight warmth. Can highly recommend all these plugins.