COMPARISON - Xtressor (XTComp) - Arousor - Comprexxor - Can you hear the difference?

[@russhughes5368]

And the winner is... the customer. They all sound great and in any track the average buying listener wouldn't know the difference. It's a great time to be making music.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Thats right, nowadays you can draw from such a large pool of high-quality plugins and choose the best for yourself. This is really a great benefit of today.

[@faultysystems]

Yeah the Arouser definitely wins here. I love the tight and consistent sound on the drums where the Comprexxor sound way more dull and flat (listen to the snare drum). Also listing to the bass guitar, the Arouser retains so much more definition and detail while the Comprexxor sounds too boomy and the Xtressor loses character. The Arouser also wins on the vocal. Very nice compression without losing detail. You can hear the "airiness" while the others choke a bit. Thank you for the video! Very interesting comparison! I might buy the Arouser after hearing this. edit: In addition to my comment. You might be able to get the same sound out of the others as well, I am not sure about that. If I listen to the drums for example, the attack & release of the Xtressor just sound off compared to the others. Some tweaking might get the same results. Might be cool to do a video on that as well. How to get them to nearly sound the same, and then see what sounds better.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Hello @faultysystems, thats a great idea, thank you! It still needs a bit of preparatory work, but maybe I'll tackle that soon. 🙂

[@alchemistrpm82]

Agreed on all points, except I thought the Xtressor was better on that vocal. All in all, I love the Arouser. Nothing here to change my mind. (Although I own all 3 for some reason 🤷‍♂)

[@BibotoMusic]

The Arouser sounds great and while they're all pretty close and all work perfectly fine. What really seals the deal for me is the ease of use with the Arouser. I mean none of them are that complicated to set up but the Arouser I can really quickly dial in and just know what to expect most of the time. I often just use the LT version which is an awesome option to have plus a lifetime of free updates. And it helps directly support Empirical Labs which is a great company, great people.

[@levondarratt787]

big mouth "definitely" lol - from some noob with ears that top out at 14 000Khz due to age.

[@hughlawson5399]

well done i like the way your video is set out with the timer. no talking no bullshit.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Thank you! I’m glad you like the format.

[@MusicaMercy]

I love it the Kiive Xtressor. Great video comparison, thanks!

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

You're welcome! I'm glad you like the video.

[@jrockofages5413]

Why? I was considering the Arouser. Gonna buy one very soon

[@elduderino04]

best COMPARISON video I ever seen, great job bro, keep going

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Many Thanks for your motivating words! I'm really glad you liked the format so much. I'm currently working on more comparison videos.

[@methodofkolishin]

Nice! Thanks for the comparison! They're all extremely usable, but the Xtressor really stands above the rest, to my ears. I'm totally uncertain how it compares to the real-deal... Although, I have a sneaking suspicion that it probably isn't too far off! 😝 Honestly, just stoked and impressed to be able to have such great analog modeled plugins these days. Complements to Kiive for the great work! :)

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Hello @methodofkolishin, many thanks for your comment! I'm glad that you like the video 🙂Yes, Kiive did a really good job on the Xtressor.

[@BibotoMusic]

It's odd how I thought it sounded very open on the drums (although the cymbals were maybe a little too screachy for my ears) and the Arouser sounded slightly muffled to me on drums. But then on Bass the Arouser was hands down the winner and the Xtrs sounded muffled.

[@dlopez61]

AMAZING COMPARISON VIDEO! You killed it bro. Thanx so much for this.💯🔥🔥🔥. Got my like & Subscription.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Thanks a lot for your motivating words! I really appreciate that and I'm glad you like the video so much. Have a great day!

[@0e0]

I like the IK multimedia the best because of the transients

[@Wizardofvoz2]

Kiive is doing something great in the low end.

[@SomebodyPickaName]

For your consideration: The precursor to the distressor: The Omnipressor by Eventide. Now it's a plugin and I can't recommend it enough. The things it does is just amazing.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

That's right, Eventide's Omnipressor is great too, I love it!

[@partlysimpson5154]

I agree lol

[@kadiummusic]

The Comprexxor suits the mids and highs, the other two suit the bottom end. 😎

[@petefaders]

Dist on T-Racks should probably be on to be fair.

[@jameswilkerson8873]

Ive been utilizing the T Racks joint for a minute. But that Kive sounds nice. Imma try it.

[@eroero830]

I liked the Xtressor most of all, the Arouser beats the Comprexxor but it has the opposite sort of sound as to what I like, maybe it is the best after all.

[@tyranic1]

The Xtressor especially on the vocals had more oomph, whether that means it's better i couldn't say, they were all close enough not to matter. My monitors are genelec 1029a with sub and audio interface is an orion 32.

[@CHEpachilo]

Well all three of those guys are really great compressors. I think that Arousor has much more character then the others. Maybe that is not what you want, but for me that is the decisive factor, Arousor easily beats other two. If I pull "branded" compressor I want the color, there are tons of "general use" compressors in my VST folder so less colorful options are obsolete.

[@flowscreation3741]

Kiive audio for the color and retaining detail. Comprexxor for taming something harsh that needs a little edge knocked off and for cleaner sound.

[@MrTunes333]

I have the xtressor and the comprexxor they both sound good but think the comprexxor just has a bit more beef to it..

[@danepaulstewart8464]

Really good method of comparing. Very helpful. 😎👍👍

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Many thanks! I'm glad you like it 🙂

[@alchemistrpm82]

The Kiive has a nice tone. The T-Racks has a nice punch. But I love the Arouser. Consider me aroused. Xtressor sounded great on vocals though.

[@partlysimpson5154]

So just use them all parallel lol

[@waynebaker2452]

To due a fair comparison on the Kiive you should have turned off the bottom module off completely. Even though the knobs were at 1 your Comp and Saturation mix knobs were pegged probably muddying the sound up slightly.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Hello and thanks for your comment! With comparisons of this kind, it's always a balancing act, as an exact match is simply impossible. The compressors differ too much in terms of their functions and sound character. I always try to make the settings as similar as possible. As far as your suggestion is concerned, I can only agree with you to a limited extent. The other compressors also color the sound. If I had turned off the module on the Kiive, the sound of the XT Comp might have been too clean in comparison. But as I said, matching is not easy with something like this and is often a matter of opinion.

[@waynebaker2452]

@@ColorfulTonesStudio I agree that trying to make a fair comparison is almost impossible because each circuit and modeling is different. I did feel however those settings had an effect that could have muddied the sound of the Kiive and probably wouldn’t have mentioned it except that the Sat and Mix knob were pegged. If turning the Saturation circuit off would have made it cleaner it maybe would have compared more to the others. Loved the video anyway and great job informing us of their differences. Keep up the good work! As you said there’s no way to do a perfect comparison.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

@@waynebaker2452 Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked the video! That's a good point. If I do another comparison with the XTComp, I'll definitely check that out.

[@elunicomaxter]

KIIVE ... LOVE IT

[@cryptonios]

you should include slates version also

[@thethings4708]

The 3 sound great, BUT i think the Arousor have some kind of ``reverb`` colors on it... not bad but you can easy note that on the vocal part... SO i think the Comprexxor a more neutral and the Xtressor more in ``control`` if i can said that . 3 Good plugin , but for me is ( at least in this video...) 1 - Xtressor , 2- Comprexxor , 3- Arousor.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Thanks for your comment!

[@michaell.8938]

The Empirical Labs version sounded best on all the examples, in my opinion.

[@Harrysound]

For the punches stuff the xtressor sounded best. Great plug-in I got for £10

[@Harrysound]

Oh excellent t video by the way, can see a market for these shoot outs

[@TheRealPistolP]

Not sure if you’re aware but if you want to match the arousor ratio to a distressor you have to go up to the next highest ratio.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Hello @TheRealPistolP, I had thought about it before recording, but it was more important to me to compare the plugins with each other. Since I can't say for sure how Comprexxor and Xtressor handle ratios (and other settings), I ended up choosing the same settings for all three Compressors. I think that should work as a comparison, since these are the values you work with. Still an important note, thank you! 👍

[@Griuofficial]

Thanks for the video!

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

You're welcome, thanks for your comment.

[@mr.e8432]

They all sound good, but the IK multimedia doesn’t sound like it’s doing as much compression as the other ones even at the same setting.

[@bourianboubbov9937]

Thx for your time! From what I can hear here the comprexxor defs has the most dirt and the longest sustain.. Dirt is subtle tho. Sustain, for me, is more obvious. Kiive. Awesome overall too, just a different shade. I have both the Comprexxor and recently through Plugin Alliance on sale the Kiive. I also have the free Kiive Nuke, which is now almost always my first-call along with Cable Guys' ShaperBox Compressor unit, Klevgrand's Korvpressor, PA's Purple Audio MC77 and FabFilter Pro-C. Hahahah, that's a lot!! Anyway. Arouser is the cleanest. Perhaps the settings are despite looking the same slightly differently parametrised?? I did buy the Arousor Lite a year or so ago, waited long for it to come out, made the huge mistake to try out the beta which destroyed a Logic file ( irreparable, sent it to never again land, oblivion etc...!!!). Even version 1 is not much better!!! Beware buyers.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Many Thanks for your comment! 👍

[@darrellkeyes4070]

Nice Comparison!

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked the video.

[@MixingMAN]

Xtressor WIN!

[@arhev]

the comparison is not very objective, for arousor the release works differently, it is slow on almost all instruments, therefore, compared to others, it seems to sound worse. release 2 on Arowsor is a completely different indicator on other compressors, heard by the sound and by the gain reduction indicator

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Hello, thanks for your feedback, thats a good argument! It is always complicated to match analog plugins with each other, since each plugin has its own rules, depending on which company programmed it. I think it make sense to match the values so that everyone can get an idea of how the plugins sound with the same settings. It may be that this is not 100% objective, but these are the values you work in practice. So this should still provide a representative comparison.

[@ДмитрийРоманов-ц1у]

Отличный ролик только бы еще ручку микс покрутили)

[@andersonproducoesoficial]

Xtressor tem mais Agudo Preciso TOP 10 Arousor

[@Fox_is_Fox]

The moment you put a real Distressor on a vocal, and boom it cuts through the mix, magical! No plug-in does this for me (yet), sorry :( On a side note it's endearing to see you old folks recording...drums?! Like it's 1955 😂 😂

[@jocke1972]

I guess you’re missing out on something

[@philippgrunert8776]

To me they do the same thing similar enough not to care about owning one over the other.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Thanks for your comment! Yes, in the end it's not just about which tools you use, but how well you can handle them. Of course, if you already have your favorites and are getting good results from them, stick with them. But there's nothing wrong with trying something new either. As far as functionality is concerned, the three compressors are very different from each other. The Xtressor, for example, offers extensive possibilities for soundcoloring and can thus lead to interesting results.

[@ashwinighogare9663]

Xtressor is open controlled and less artifects

[@ronaldirawan3643]

Kiive is louder, in your face result. Ik is mild, kind a italian taste.

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

Thanks for your comment! Now I'm in the mood for pizza 😄🍕

[@v-future1444]

The comprexxor sounds awful in front of the arousor. The Xtresor is ok... not bad... But the comprexxor is horrible. Arousor is way superior.

[@dna598]

yeah i dunno man. Did you listen to the plucked sound? The comprexxor beat out the arouser. The arouser exhibited some horrible clicky artifacts.

[@v-future1444]

@@dna598 I own the comprexxor, it squashes the sound a lot. The other 2 sound way more transparent using the same settings.

[@dna598]

@@v-future1444 compressing IS squashing the sound. But it shouldn't click like the arouser did.

[@v-future1444]

@@dna598 Maybe the clicks were caused by latency problems. Some plugins consume a lot of CPU.

[@dna598]

@@v-future1444 the latency wouldn't cause that. It was an artifact of the attack. Could have been set up wrong somehow, if I'm being generous. IK maybe cheaper, but doesn't mean they can't be better. I was comparing UAD Fairchild 670 against the IK VC 670, and I preferred the IK. It had a better fast attack also.

[@MichelMusicien]

Ik multimedia: Good, but generic. Empirical Labs: muffled. Kiive audio: Analog with a lot of shine

[@ColorfulTonesStudio]

True, with the different distortion types and the saturation and warmth controls, the Xtressor has a variety of features to color the sound and make it feel even more analog.

[@AndreasTsachidis]

Guys, Distressor is a VCA comp, meant to be clean. If you seek analog vibey thing go for tube comps. For my ears Empirical sounds the cleanest, especially the way it transition from uncompressed to compressed and back, it "lays" just right. Comprexxor is a bit of, but much of usable. Xtressor tends to sound more like a FET comp tbh.

[@firmans12]

@@AndreasTsachidis true distressor is a vca. But the aim of distressor is to wipe off all the clean vca compressor available at that time coz people miss the dirt from a compressor unit

[@bbtodd]

@@AndreasTsachidisfor me the Arouser is hands down, my go to, my desert island compressor. I love that thing and hardly bother with other plugins unless I want something different or unusual. I don't understand how it came out muffled sometimes in this shootout. Must be settings? It's a very clean, reliable, great sounding plugin. But it has saturation too if you want to dial that in.