SSL Bus Compressor 2 vs Analog Obsession BUSTERse (Paid vs. Free) Bus Compressor Showdown!

#ssl #buscompressor #analogobsession
Intro -
0:36 How I set up the tests
1:05 Metering issues with BUSTERse
Listening Test 1 -
2:42 Test 1 (2 dB compression, full mix)
3:57 Differences I hear between the compressors
4:45 Differences between peaks and RMS level on both compressors
5:20 Test 1 pt. 2 (2 dB compression, full mix)
5:47 Test 1 pt. 3 (2 dB compression, full mix, closer matched RMS and Peak levels)
(Note: I didn't reset makeup gain on BUSTERse)
Listening Test 2 -
6:33 Test 2 (4 dB compression, full mix)
7:25 Test 2 pt.2 - (4 dB compression, full mix, Turbo mode on BUSTERse)
8:26 My thoughts on the differences
9:16 Why Turbo mode is important
Listening Test 3 -
9:43 Test 3 (3 dB compression, Acoustic GTR Bus)
Listening Test 4 -
11:09 Test 4 (4 dB compression, Bass Guitar )
Listening Test 5 -
12:41 Test 5 (6 dB compression, acoustic drum bus)
13:45 my thoughts on the differences
Listening Test 6 -
14:50 Test 6 (7 dB compression, trap drum bus)
15:48 My thoughts on the test
Plugin Doctor Comparison -
16:45 Harmonics analysis (aliasing, oversampling)
18:30 comparing dynamic processing characteristics (knee transfer curve)
Differences between the plugins -
20:12 Additional controls unique to BUSTERse
Conclusion -
22:05 Is the paid plugin worth it? Final thoughts and conclusion.
Tags:bus compressor, solid state logic, ssl, compressors, audio plugins, music mixing, compressor comparison, free vst plugins, free plugin, ssl plugins, logic pro x, plugin comparison, plugin shootout, music production, audio mixing, analog compressors

[@timandmonica]

Thanks for the great comparison video! For my own ears, I love to start with the unprocessed signal to hear the frequency distribution. Then I can also get an idea of what the compressor is doing in the frequency realm. With an a/b of two compressors, I don't know which one is representing the original frequency spectrum more authentically. I wanted to say that the SSL clamps down on the high end a little more and that the analog obsession lets it pass through. But then I realized I have no idea if it's just the analog obsession brightening it a little bit since I don't know what the source sounds like. I hope you keep making great videos like this. Thank you!

[@sub-jec-tiv]

New sub! That’s crazy how good Buster sounds next to a $300 plugin. I’ma have to cop this one.

[@matthewbcarter]

Definitely worth trying out. Hands down one of the top 5 free compressors imo. Hope you get some good results with it! Thanks a lot for the sub and support.

[@BillGraper]

I just downloaded the Buster SE last night, because I loved how it sounded in another video. It blew the Waves SSL G out of the water!!! It just has a better sound. I got the Buster to just add about 2dB of gain reduction on the master track. Now I know that the way I had it set, I was only getting about 1.25. I'll have to let the needle go a little bit higher. This was a VERY informative video!!! Thanks for taking the time to do these tests.

[@matthewbcarter]

Thank you for the detailed comment and the support! Apologies for the late response. The way you're using Buster is pretty much exactly how I would be using it too. I recently staring using a 2:1 ratio with a bus compressor on my mixbus (2dB of gain reduction) instead of 4:1 and I think it's a bit smoother. Buster has so many controls tho that you can make it work in more complex situations than most SSL bus comps. Tbh the Waves SSL G never impressed me much either haha.

[@judsonsnell]

Couple things I've noticed (Quick background: I have two 4K-type hardware clones, the Stam SA-4000-mkII, the IGS Audio S-Type) and also have both BusterSE and the SSL X-Native inside my DAW. On the sole basis of "I think this sounds the most like the actual console", I would give the nod to BusterSE over the SSL (that's ironic). The X-Comp just doesn't seem to latch onto transients in that same, puffy/grabby way - especially on percussive material. Considering one is donationware and the other has an MSRP approaching building your own GSSL from parts, Buster's getting the nod (even if the GUI doesn't have that nice 3d-render quality). Out of the four listed above, the Stam 4k comp with the 202C VCA reproduction kills 'em all. It's just that good. I know, I know, right - it's hardware, I get that. But damn is it exquisite.

[@matthewbcarter]

You've got some awesome hardware units! I checked out audio demos of both the Stam and IGS and I think I prefer the sound of the Stam more, but like the smaller format of the IGS better. After doing quite a few listening tests with the hardware, I completely agree with you. I genuinely think that BUSTERse reacts to audio, and sounds more like the hardware. I'm really surprised by that. As for the SSL X-comp, I recently picked it up on sale and have very mixed feelings about it. I have to save that for another comparison video haha. Thanks a ton for the comment. I really appreciate the feedback!

[@dannydaniel8975]

Hudson Snell That stam is the sh!t Analog all the way!!...I would never put that digital plugin junk on my music

[@hyperactivists9390]

wow excellent shootout yes please do more. I love analog Obsession but in this case the SSL stole my heart

[@matthewbcarter]

I really appreciate the positive feedback :) I've got a couple more comparisons set up (transient shapers, limiters, ssl emulations) but I've got to buckle down and film them. I'm gonna keep releasing smaller projects and then every once in a while do an in depth comparison. If you have any recommendations as to what kinds of plugins I should compare please let me know!

[@sub-jec-tiv]

It is bizarre how close it is though, considering that Buster is free. Crazy.

[@juantaberner1734]

Buster works so good on drum busses 🔥

[@matthewbcarter]

That's definitely my favorite use as well! Worth trying it on a bass or guitar bus as well.

[@birdvsworm]

This is great and super informative. I'm interested in more videos like this. You should consider making some Shorts out of the content in this video, sort of like some TL;DW stuff. People have short attention spans :(

[@matthewbcarter]

Nice to hear from you! That's some really great advice. Thank you for that. I'll definitely look into creating some Shorts for the key points of these videos. I'm also going to work on trimming down the video length in general and being a bit more concise. My plan for these will be to upload a separate video of just the listening examples for people who just want to hear the plugins in action. They'll probably be about 5 minutes long and will hopefully be more useful for people who just want the comparison. Thanks again!

[@radovanradovanovic2755]

music producers, sound designers or engineers and HC audiophiles have a long atention span. Trust me my friend. We can dive deep into a project and lose track of time just to determen and ajuste some issues that are 49 time out of 50 unnoticable to the general public. Now that's a true love. And not that thing with momy, dady and the baby, and what have you.....😁 .. Just kidding of cours. But you get my point. That's "frequency people" love. Love something you do, and you'll have even longer atention span than you can aford. That's Tesla way of love, and he was verry loving to everyone, Strangers, enemies, the whole world.

[@diegosur]

The SSL is better, but it's not 329 times better.

[@matthewbcarter]

Definitely agree there haha

[@ramspencer5492]

I really don't... There are several better plugins to do the SSL thing... Their plugin has none of the analog character that the hardware has.

[@mr_whyy]

Sometimes you can get it for 25 bucks, alongside channel strip 2 for 25 too, that's actually a deal

[@andreifilip]

Thanks for this nice comparison. I think you should do more... Cheers (and subscribed ;)

[@matthewbcarter]

Thank you very much! I have a couple more in the works for comparisons (pultec, transient shapers, SSL channel strips) so I'll try to get around to them soon.

[@dirkchurlish4074]

nice demo and commentary. in my experience the oversampling on AO's compressors really changes the resulting transients.

[@matthewbcarter]

I really appreciate that! Thanks a lot. I noticed slight differences in the high end with oversampling enabled. I'll have to try it out and see how it changes the transients. The plugin also has a section for transient shaping (or maybe just how the compressor responds to transients) so you could get even more unique results if you wanted.

[@EricOehler01]

SSL plug-ins are always crazy expensive stand-alone, but they always sell bundles and ridiculous sales. I think I got the “native essential” bundle for like $50 a while back. The newish 4KB channel strip is just crazy good, too.

[@BillGraper]

It makes me wonder if people actually spend the insane amount of money for just one plugin. I'm sure there are some. LOL

[@LightWthoutTheStatic]

I wonder how similar the Buster would be to the SSL with some small sidechain eq settings. The clamping sound could definitely be the comp grabbing at the low energy and I'd wonder if the SSL has an 'always on' static sidechain eq that shapes its grabbiness character.

[@matthewbcarter]

I probably didn't do BusterSE justice by not tweaking the side chain filter. There are a lot of settings on that plugin that could get you much closer to the SSL Bus comp sound. I wish the compressor knee was variable! That would make a huge difference. From what I remember I kept the SSL side chain filter in the off position. Not sure it has like an "always on at 20Hz" thing going on though. Thank you for the comment!

[@VinceJackson1]

Great video I really needed this!!! The Buster does affect the bottom end, but on my phone & smaller speakers that mid range saturation helped the kick to image better 😁 that's so important in the way people listen to music these days!

[@matthewbcarter]

That's a very good point about the importance of mid range because of how people listen to music nowadays. I've noticed when doing mixing and mastering I always try to emphasize the mid frequencies from about 400Hz - 3kHz. I agree that BusterSE did very nice things to that frequency range. SSL was a bit more transparent though so it may be better suited to certain tasks where you don't want to change the tone of the source audio. Thanks a lot for the comment!

[@johnisrael5183]

Analog Obsession Comper and the Acustica Audio Bus Comps Like Sand 2, Sand 3, Camel and Amethyst 4 Neve Bus Comp, Track Comp G Bus Setting, and UAD G Comp all sound better than the Native SSL Bus Comp But.....the Native SSL Stereo V6 Bus Comp....sounds better than both of those as well

[@Wizardofvoz2]

SSL is better. Better in the high end. But--$$$ not worth it. One eq move fixes that. AO makes some good stuff.

[@matthewbcarter]

Completely agree with that

[@sos-tegno]

to me the Busterse sounds more like a real SSL Comp than the SSL emulation.. Because that is what i always never liked about the real SSLbuscomp... it sounded a bit muddy and thin on the bass

[@matthewbcarter]

Many people are saying that BusterSE sounds more like the hardware, which is a really good thing and a vote for Tunca of Analog Obsession. I definitely think they both do certain things better than the other. I know what you mean with the SSL native sounding "thin", but I also like the transparent sound on certain sources. For example I'd favor SSL native on my mixbus, but BusterSE on my bass bus. If you take price into consideration, there's no contest haha. Analog Obsession rules. If only Buster had a knee control! I would be 100% for buster in that case. Thanks for the comment.

[@ThatGuy-ru8ms]

In the guitar bus test, the Bus Comp2 sounded like it had 'more' overall frequency content but the Buster felt more glued together with and without Turbo. This, considering the metering error on Buster, makes less sense as based on the meters the Bus Comp2 would have been doing more compressing. Your bass guitar test is sadly invalidated by the changes done mid-test, honestly, this may just be me but I wouldn't touch makeup gain controls in compressor tests, I absolutely understand the point of doing it but I see it as one more "point of failure" so to speak where the compression characteristics that we're trying to listen to can get misrepresented either by differing code or by unintended human error. In the acoustic drum bus test I understand your conclusion entirely, my personal preference is the Buster though. In comparison, the Bus Comp2 began to feel harsh, I prefer the sound of the Buster, and then to reinvigorate some of the missing air I'd add on Slate Digital's Fresh Air. Although what surprises me is that for the Trap Drums, it really felt like the Bus Comp2 just took it home without even trying. Overall, please, please, please, keep making videos! You're very thorough and you treated both options in a nicely unbiased way. I'll happily watch more of your videos!

[@matthewbcarter]

Your feedback and analysis are extremely valuable to me. I mean seriously, thank you so much for the depth in your comment haha. I'll use all of your critiques to make my future comparison videos more precise. I'm glad you called out the makeup gain issue throughout my review. I initially did it to try to find a middle ground between the peak level and the RMS level of the two compressors, but ultimately it was a mistake. I noticed that I had left +1 dB of makeup gain on BUSTERse about halfway through editing this video. Considering I had already edited half the video I kind of thought it was too late to turn back and rerecord all the footage. I own up the fact that it adds a variable into the tests that can make the comparison unfair in favor of one of the compressors. Over the past day I've been listening to hardware unit clones of the SSL G Bus Compressor, and honestly they react to audio and sound more like BUSTERse than the SSL Native Bus Compressor. I'm obviously really surprised by that haha. While listening back to my tests I think I prefer what BUSTER was doing on the acoustic guitar bus and bass but preferred the more limiter style compression curve of the SSL Bus Comp on all the transient material. I think BUSTER actually does a better job gluing elements together. I completely agree with you on the Trap Drum. SSL won by a mile. Thanks again and I'll do my best to make more videos like this.

[@Ffhh391]

Today all plugins are for free 😂 If you know where to search

[@matthewbcarter]

Most are haha. SSL plugins have never been cracked for macOS (to my knowledge). The cracked versions are quite old at this point.

[@guitarforudude]

Thank you for a great A/B comparison! Wearing headphones do make a great difference. Still, I wouldn't bet my life on being able to tell the two apart. To my ears, the Buster let more low end through (had my eyes closed). Compression can be incredibly subtle, but can make a mediocre mix great. I'm here because Sweetwater has a sale for Bus 2 comp, the LMC+, and a brick wall limiter, in a SSL bundle for $49. I'm a sucker for sales and was on a hunt for yet another compressor (I'll never buy Waves again, after their subscription mess, now Update plans). I'll download the free Buster as well. Thanks again for such a detailed demo. Subbed!

[@oskarwroniewicz]

You got yourself a sub. Just watched a bit on my phone but I definitely will see the rest once I sit by my computer later to hear it on my monitors. On my phone I hear pretty much no difference, and considering many people listen to music with their phones speakers (unfortunately), what difference does gear/software really make? It's all about the composition.

[@matthewbcarter]

Thanks a ton for the sub! I'm the same way where I'll listen to an audio comparison video on my phone speakers initially and then use headphones to get a much clearer idea of the differences. The fact that you couldn't tell much of a difference on your phone speakers is more support that these bus compressors are very close sonically. Things only become very noticable with transient heavy materials. While editing this video I actually kind of preferred BUSTERse on guitar and maybe bass but hugely favored the SSL Bus Comp on drums and the whole mix. Thanks for the insightful feedback. If you'd like to see any particular plugins in a side by side comparison just let me know!

[@manvince]

The buster is better in my opinion especially in the low-end

[@matthewbcarter]

That's fair! It's definitely a matter of taste.

[@jacksmith4460]

I use Buster on My master Bus on every track, 1-2 DB of gain for glue, I love this plugin

[@matthewbcarter]

That's how I use the SSL Bus Compressor as well but it also works wonderfully on a drum bus or bass bus!

[@keithlow3056]

The SSL is definitely better especially for clarity of high end transients. The Buster is very muddy however it's free, and the Turbo makes a difference. £200 is a lot of money for clarity when EQing could probably sort that out.

[@ostrol1590]

Is it me or is the BUSTER crispier in the highs? I could easily tell them apart by looking at this. In turbo mode, I think the bass got a little choked tho, it's a shame

[@matthewbcarter]

I completely agree. I hear a noticable difference in the higher frequencies (almost like a little boost) with BUSTER compared to the SSL. I also feel that BUSTER was overactive and choked the bass a bit more (most likely due to the very soft knee). For the bass issue tho you could always use the Dry/Wet mix to make the compression a bit more subtle. Thanks for the comment!

[@lukeGGlee]

good to know could just eq out the lows then

[@ramspencer5492]

It's not as simple as RMS levels with compression.. You have them set so they are compressing very differently... Much more sustained volume on the SSL.... You can't just set the knobs to the same place...Not well gain matched at all. SSL just sounded much, much louder.

[@MrCool144]

lol the ssl grabs the transient way better. you got it backwards. quick compression has less pumping. try this if you dont believe me. pull the threshold all the way down on the buster and it exposes the reality. the buster barely stops the peaks from coming through at all and you end up with a less compressed signal with crazy tiny peaks everywhere that will make your life a nightmare

[@GeorgeLocke]

I was browsing the AO patreon yesterday and can confirm that many of his compressors have the same bug showing double reduction

[@matthewbcarter]

Seems to be the case. With that said the developer is great about rolling out updates.

[@GeorgeLocke]

@@matthewbcarter for sure I expect a patch will come before too long

[@sirdarrel2923]

Analog obsession is amazing

[@matthewbcarter]

Agreed! BusterSE, BlendEQ, RareSE and Loaded are probably my favorites. I really hope one day he comes out eq and compressor combo SSL style channel strip emulation. What are your favorite AO plugins?

[@kadiummusic]

The SSL has a tighter bottom end and a crispier top. 😎

[@matthewbcarter]

Agreed!

[@ElectroPanPipes]

If SSL was free, you’d get different options. And people would hear the difference. Logic stock have been shown many times to produce ‘better’ results, even with Abbey Road services in the running. People do hear money

[@matthewbcarter]

I like the stock Logic compressor for transparent compression purposes and have no grips with them. I work between 2 or 3 DAWs tho so I can't rely on the Logic only plugins. ToneBoosters makes the plugins closest to the Logic plugins imo.

[@mightymorfin_]

RE: The different levels, i saw this in a comment section from another video as an explanation as to why the metering is different "I believe Analog Obsession is simulating an actual analog VU meter where 0VU was calibrated to line level (+4dBu = 0VU) where Waves VU is calibrated for the digital hard limit of 0dBFS, matching what it would be in your DAW." this is the source video with the comment kzbin.info/www/bejne/roLUl4J3oKp_a80si=sSzigEuPxhzzPbAT

[@the_conflationist]

Really great video! Thanks for your attention to detail and putting some time into this. It really showed!

[@matthewbcarter]

Thank you, that means a lot to me haha. Yeah these types of videos can eat up a lot of time but I'm glad people find them valuable for analysis and comparison.

[@radovanradovanovic2755]

SSL Bus is fater rounder and smooder in the Lo end especially at 4x oversampling... subtile balls that makes the all diference and that's that SSL G/Bus sound..On acustic drum bus the Buster is totaly suffocating it with that setting it should be corected with those extra detector options. Plus I don't think they emulate the exact same SSL/G console .. but dont take my word for it.. to me Buster sounds more like E version with that high/mid chrisp and punch with more G-like general dynamics.. But Analogue Opsession have unique sound and extra dials and knobs for all their emulations... in general they sound great and are verry usefull, the ssl may not be their closest emulation to the original. (try SPECOMP.. i can even add the internal SCH to it in FL's/pacher.. not that it needs one most of the time.) Pluginns emulations with Tube sat. are the best ones in the case of A.O. except may be DBX emu and FETISH. those are wow.. they are not made to match the consoles identicaly but with additional controles and a bit diferently dialed basic knobs they can be used to do get verry similar caracter, dynamics and sound of those famous and beloved analogue devices.

[@matthewbcarter]

Apologies for the late response. I definitely agree the SSL handles the low end better than the Buster, but you're also right that I could have tried to use some of the other controls on Buster to more closely match the SSL sound, especially on the drum test. I really just wish there was a knee control on Buster! I can't comment on how closely the plugins match the true hardware but your analysis is very interesting. The extra a dials on AO plugins definitely add to the versatility and I probably should have included more tests in the video. I also absolutely love the AO dbx emulation! Thanks a lot for the thoughtful comment and analysis.

[@youmustobservesecurity]

nice video! that acoustic guitar sounds awesome, may i ask how you recorded it?

[@matthewbcarter]

Thanks a lot. I believe it was a Martin dcpa5k acoustic/electric guitar, which has a really good Fishman pickup, and the guitar was recorded direct from the DI output of the guitar into a Roland Quad Capture interface. Then I think I used one of the acoustic guitar presets (for an audio channel) that Logic Pro has to enhance the sound. Hope that info helps!

[@veritas7010]

I looked at ao a bunch and honestly wasn't impressed much. Their algos sounds very digital and transparent to the point where I might as well use a good sat and a bunch of regular digital comps to do the same thing. The one thing to beat imo in paid plugs is good blend of algos that achieve a certain target sound.

[@matthewbcarter]

I agree that some AO plugins don't really impress me that much as well. To be fair tho it's the hardware they model, not the quality of the plugins that makes me disinterested. I'm not sure if Tunca the developer uses different saturation algorithms in each plugin based on the original hardware. the saturation all kind of sounds the same to me in AO plugins. In general tho they are some of the best free plugins available and are significantly better than many paid plugins. You're right about the algorithms of certain paid plugins being better than AO (like Slate Digital, Sonimus, Lindell, Fuse Audio Labs) and using a high quality saturation plugin with a solid digital compressor could be a lot better in many cases haha.

[@aguirrealan]

when you compare the compression with the tone generator, the busterse has a ratio of 1.5 and the ssl has a ratio of 2

[@matthewbcarter]

You're completely right. Not sure how I missed that. With that said luckily it doesn't impact the incorrect metering on BusterSE because the ratio difference doesn't determine the incorrect amount of gain reduction being shown on the BusterSE. The 2x gain reduction (being displayed on the meter) exists on BusterSE regardless of the selected ratio. You would get the same result (2x gain reduction on meter than what is actually occuring) with any ratio setting. The ratio setting could definitely impact the shape of the compressor knee tho.

[@greghillmusic]

The larger the ratio, the more the signal will be reduced in volume after it goes over the threshold.​..@@matthewbcarter

[@matthewbcarter]

​@@greghillmusicYup. And Buster will still have 2x gain reduction over the amount of compression it's actually doing independent of the chosen ratio setting.

[@greghillmusic]

​You said ratio doesn't affect the amount of gain reduction and it does. I was just saying you're wrong about that. ​@matthewbcarter

[@matthewbcarter]

​​@@greghillmusicI used poor wording. You're saying "affect gain reduction" and I wrote "determine gain reduction" but I meant the difference in ratio doesn't "determine the incorrect gain reduction reading" referring to how the ratio doesn't change the incorrect metering shown by Buster. I'll edit my comment to have that make more sense. Thanks for the heads up.

[@saardean4481]

Very nice video. I had it running in the backround and at some point i realized. „Yup , it feels like i am not wasting my time listening to the dude“ which is very often not the case . So thank you for the meticulous comparison. I can wholeheartedly say „subscribed“ Things like this Buster Metering off leave a bad taste for me. I don`t like having to double check everything i use. Does anyone know if the issue on the Buster is addressed now 1 year later?

[@matthewbcarter]

I really appreciate the comment and support 😊. I try my best to be concise with my commentary but I can end up rambling a bit like anyone else haha. A little bit of editing makes a big difference. I'm still not sure what the deal with the metering is. People have commented about the metering being truer to analog, but I don't think that accounts for the disparity in gain reduction shown on the meter being 2x the amount of gain reduction actually happening.

[@saardean4481]

@@matthewbcarter you are doing just fine. Rock on!

[@marsrivers]

Ssl plugins are the Duende old plugins with new GUI, dont let them fool them.

[@matthewbcarter]

I wasn't in to producing music when the OG Duende plugins or the OG Waves SSL channel strip (and bus comp) were released. I did a bit of research and you're right about the Duende plugins basically being repacked into modern VST plugins. With that said, tons of people still mix professionally with the Waves SSL channel strips (and other waves SSL plugins) as well as the SSL Native plugins, and they were released around the same time (2005-2006). Just because they're old doesn't mean they're bad. Both Waves and SSL have never versions of their SSL strips too that didn't exist back in '06 (Waves EV 2 and SSL 4kB). The issue comes with the fact that SSL plugins are almost offensively overpriced. $350 for a channel strip? Seriously? I could build a new audio workstation computer for the price of 2 SSL native plugins. Then you have waves who only give you 1 license that can't be easily transferred between computers. Both companies seem to really hate the people who want to use their products.

[@SajhanWickramaratne]

I got the ssl for 29€ 😉

[@EvanGisamazing]

My understanding is the GSSL had a similar metering result and the original turbo mod resulted in accurate results.

[@matthewbcarter]

I just did a bit of research regarding the gain reduction meter behavior of the SSL G Bus Compressor hardware and I can neither confirm nor deny if the hardware has the same behavior as BUSTERse where it shows twice the amount of gain reduction than what the compressor is actually doing. If you have any sources regarding this please send them my way tho so I can know! Also are you saying that the original hardware has a turbo mod that corrects the reporting of gain reduction? If so that's pretty interesting.

[@EvanGisamazing]

@@matthewbcarter kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4KnaXqGnat6j6c

[@unsaved6]

I got the ssl native buss comp 2 for $29 now and I still feel like I’ve overpaid

[@matthewbcarter]

Honestly there aren't many individual plugins that should cost more than $20-$30 imo. It's a software license that costs the manufacturer $0 to distribute. Still better than subscription services tho.

[@ufkrec]

I've been using both but I end up using the bus compressor it sound more snappy and tight but both are good

[@matthewbcarter]

I definitely agree that the SSL sounds a bit more snappy. The extra controls on Buster are really nice tho. Both are solid.

[@quentinjames981]

Does the metering bug mean we are shown double the true GR at all times? I just tested this in Ableton with a sine wave hitting just below 0dBFS. When BUSTERse shows 16dB GR the sine wave is being reduced by 13.5dB. So the GR does not seem to be consistently doubling the true value. Perhaps this is because dB is not a linear scale. But just wanted to point this out, that it doesn't seem that we can just halve what we are seeing on the GR meter in order to interpret it :/

[@sobasage1958]

AO for life!

[@matthewbcarter]

Some of the best free plugins and many better than paid plugins!

[@byniasofficial2567]

Just wait for the sale ang get the SSL one for $30

[@matthewbcarter]

True. If you can catch the sale (usually once or twice a year) that's the way to go. If you're really lucky they'll do the Native Channel Strip 2 and Bus Compressor combo for $50 which is a steal.

[@gregedenfield1080]

the Buster sounds like a 4k and the SSL Ntv sounds like a 9k...imo

[@matthewbcarter]

Agreed. I think that's a really good assessment of the differences. I prefer the cleaner 9k sound which probably made me lean more towards the SSL Native.

[@tvdylan]

pretty good video ! maybe see if you can match ssl with side chain fine tuning on the buster : )

[@matthewbcarter]

Very good idea. I'm sure you can get the two compressors a little bit closer in sounds. I think the difference in the knee makes a pretty significant difference tho and unfortunately you can't tweak that.

[@tvdylan]

yeah fair point ! we have to accept they have slightly different characters : ) is a soft knee something more prevalent in analog or not really ? @@matthewbcarter

[@focusdecorating3637]

at 4 mins the two compressors have vastly different threshold settings.

[@matthewbcarter]

Correct. If they had matched thresholds and one compressor was doing 2dB of gain reduction and one compressor was doing 6dB of gain reduction, that wouldn't be an accurate comparison. They react to audio differently (most likely due to compressor transfer curve aka "knee") and require different threshold settings to have matched amounts of gain reduction. If either of them had a knee control you could probably get the threshold settings closer, but regardless the thresholds will most likely never perfectly match between 2 different models of compressors or two different compressor plugins.

[@zimouspero]

Buster wins cuz its to good for free plugin

[@matthewbcarter]

Can't beat the value of a free version that competes with a paid version. I'm sure with enough tweaking you can make them indistinguishable from each other.

[@mygoogle1525]

Hi . Does any one know if the meter has been fixed?

[@DerSilvano]

Tunca said about 95 weeks ago (according to the BusterSE post on IG) that he was checking all the meters when updating it prior to releasing it on the 21st of December, 2022

[@benhurzz]

very nice, well thought out video 💯

[@matthewbcarter]

Thank you!

[@TRaddcliff]

The thresholds were completely different in some tests 🤔

[@matthewbcarter]

That's because they responded to incoming audio differently. I believe I tried to match the absolutely highest point of gain reduction on the meters of the plugins to achieve the same amount of compression (max point of RMS gain reduction) with all other settings matched on the plugins. My goal was to match the effect of the compressors, as opposed to just matching the settings verbatim. If I matched the thresholds I think the A/B comparison would be further off because one plugin could be doing more or less compression than the other one. Both plugins have different settings to make them respond to incoming audio in a more similar way tho. Hope that all makes sense haha.

[@TRaddcliff]

@@matthewbcarter thanks 👍🏾

[@JustinHeronMusic]

Did you do one for varimoon?

[@matthewbcarter]

I've never checked out Varimoon so I'll have to give it a look. I'm guessing it's a Fairchild or Manly Vari Mu clone though.

[@jcpuga]

Love the content already 😅 New Sub! 👍🏽🎃

[@matthewbcarter]

Thanks a lot for that 🙂

[@eranddroory9987]

Great vid. Thanks from a new sub 🙂

[@matthewbcarter]

Thank you! Appreciate the sub as well ☺️

[@MatthiasLindemann-hp2zr]

The SSL Buscompressor 2 sounds finer, more detailed and warmer. The treble and bass also sound finer and more transparent.

[@matthewbcarter]

I agree. I like that it's a bit more transparent and clearer sounding. Apparently Cytomics The Glue is better than this but I haven't had the chance to try it yet.

[@wilhemheider]

Buster is a great plugin, but SSL native sounds better, and consumes less CPU 👍🏻

[@matthewbcarter]

I agree that SSL sounds better when all applications are considered. I never noticed that Buster used more CPU so I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the comment :)

[@leftovercode]

Well. The SSL is way overpriced. But an absolute credit to AO for his skill, modesty and charity For the AO to be this close should be impossible.

[@matthewbcarter]

Absolutely. Tunca at AO is a real gem 💎.

[@marlonbrown5763]

I can't tell the difference

[@ApexArtistX]

You need ear training

[@thelikotube]

Now it’s for 49€

[@mikelo303]

SSL Native is clearer and has more fidelity.

[@matthewbcarter]

I would overall agree with that. SSL sounds a bit more open. I recently started using the Overloud Gem Comp tho in place of the SSL and I really like that it has Mid/Side functionality so it's my goto now.

[@lukassbeataddicts]

It’s a trap guys. There is no difference once you close your eyes. I need to concentrate on making music and not listening to compression 😅

[@GeorgeLocke]

Really enjoyed this. Also, wow buster sounded awful in the drums comparison...

[@matthewbcarter]

Thank you for that! I agree regarding buster struggling with the drums. If I backed off the compression (as opposed to matching the gain reduction with the SSL Bus comp) I may have been able to get a better sound. Also you could mess with the high pass side chain filter to make the compression trigger less aggressively with low freq content. Overall I think the very soft knee that buster has puts it at a disadvantage compared to the SSL when used on drums.

[@thagoatee]

use De-Esser for your videos. :)

[@matthewbcarter]

Thanks for the tip! Honestly I use a De-Esser for about 5dB of gain reduction on my vocals and they still sound like ass lol. Maybe that's just not enough. I use a really crappy lav mic ($25 Hixman) that requires a lot of post processing (acon noise reduction, just started using breath reduction) and I still get a pretty bad result. I actually just tried moving the lav mic further to the side of my head and the sibilance sounds worse. I'll shoot for 9dBs of De-Essing to see if I can get a better result. Also I'll make sure to not eq up the high frequencies. Thanks for the feedback tho! Hopefully someday I can afford a better lav mic.

[@thagoatee]

@@matthewbcarter shure sm7 is perfect for the job for de esser i suggest mcdsp DE555 and use fabq3 for surgical . this is my suggestion.

[@matthewbcarter]

Appreciate the recommendation! Google tried to block your comment for some reason? You were just giving constructive feedback but they flagged your comment for review. I appreciate any critical feedback. I'll definitely consider a dynamic microphone instead of a condenser. It will probably be a lot better for voiceovers and rejecting keyboard noise.

[@YuriesMix]

Analog obsession is trash

[@matthewbcarter]

If that's your opinion then I entirely respect that. Just out of curiosity what issues do you have with their plugins and? Also what plugin manufacturers do you prefer? I've definitely had my fair share of issues with Analog Obsession plugins but the developer is also good about updating his products. Admittedly I've definitely paid money for plugins that ended up being worse than Analog Obsession plugins haha. I think a handful of Analog Obsession plugins are good but also there are plenty I could never see myself using. I could say the same for Waves plugins tbh.

[@blackink9555]

@YuriesMix Can you please mention some reasons?

[@YuriesMix]

@@blackink9555 sometimes stop to process for a seconds the sound Quality in sound The oversampling too It makes distortion unharmonycs It has many options to be free ! I recommend use the native plug-ins in any daw , what sound engineer use it CLA ? David pensado ?

[@YuriesMix]

@@matthewbcarter basically the sound when you make the bounce It makes distortion.. etc Shadow hills is a good option $29.99 or less another free is acústica audio tan 2 (free) compare and hear the huge difference

[@blackink9555]

@@YuriesMix Thanks for the good observations. I haven't noticed anything except the metering issue. Tan is definitely one of my favorites too. It really sounds good.

[@everyonexist]

thanks and goodness!

[@stupidusername38]

have you reported the incorrect metering to Analog Obsession?

[@matthewbcarter]

I personally haven't but I've seen people on the Analog Obsession Patreon page report it to the Dev (Tunca) I believe. I have heard that the incorrect metering is how the original hardware responded as well but I can't confirm that to be true. I feel like that should be fixed on the plugin even if the original hardware was wrong.

[@stupidusername38]

@@matthewbcarter I agree. No point replicating something that was wrong in the first place