The CLEANEST Compression Possible (not clickbait)

[@ragismrotzrochen5776]

All Toneboosters plugins are excellent, and very under-appreciated. Mostly because Jeroen does not want to spend any money on promoting them, and just makes his plugins more affordable. I have used them for years in my mixing, and they have replaced most expensive plugins I had, like Fabfilter etc...

[@Keroser1983]

And also very genereous of him to keep the plugins in FOREVER DEMO mode. So simply you can not save presets but use however you like

[@FerinSonny]

​@@Keroser1983 I found a work around, where I slapped their parametric EQ into a channel-strip, and saved the strip as a preset, which also saves the parameters of the TB-EQ4 with it.

[@ragismrotzrochen5776]

​​@@FerinSonnyIn Reaper, you could just create plugin-specific presets outside of the plugin itself. But I would really recommend buying then - they are very affordable. IMHO, they are too cheap for all they offer. But it only shows how much of your money usually goes directly to ads and paid promotions when you buy most plugins...

[@D29.H45]

i remember when theres a free tonebooster frequency analyzer app for mobile, very useful

[@EpsteezyFoSheezy]

Toneboosters really are hugely underrated, despite having such slick DSP and low prices. Hopefully more people give them the attention they deserve!

[@Rhythmattica]

Damn.. I love this channel...... So must goodness in sharing info , all impeccable, for not only the beginners, but also the well versed..

[@sageaudio]

Thank you!

[@HeartMere]

The product TDR Molot GE, Kotelnikov(RMS) also includes the Hilbert algorithm. Just like the TB Compressor shown in the video, it can maintain very low THD. Check it out. Black rooster KH-COMP1 and Pristine Peaks for Hilbert transform based compression/limiting.

[@davidasher22]

Yup! Theres an old thread on the GearSpace Where Fabien and Black Rooster are talking about how it works and some of the draw backs and fixes. The challenge with the Hilbert transform is by itself its not a very useful detector for musics. But I guess there are some trade secrets to get the Hilbert transform to work. One of guys mentioned filtering and windowing methods, like applying Hamming windows, I guess it helps smooth out the signal somehow. Idk. That’s where I started to get lost. You would think you could also combining it with other detection methods like RMS detection, creating a hybrid approach. Pretty cool stuff!

[@williamillington]

I'm also aware that the Kotelnikov is CLEAN. Starting to prefer it over mojo and emulations !

[@mctapia12]

In love with Tone Boosters EQs and the compressor

[@igorkhomenko2508]

Tone Booster plugins - most of them are absolutely essential on any track for me. No bs - just good usability and sound. This little gem compressor also does amazing upward compression - better then anything else I tried, with the only plugin being close - TB multi-band compressor. This algo pumps quite a bit though, thanks for the great insights!

[@LYSHEmusic]

I often use Klunghelm DC8C 3 for clean compression, and it sounds great. It has a dedicated CLEAN mode, so I'm wondering if they use the same technology. I'm going to compare them. Thanks for the interesting video.

[@villyvianvantiel6011]

Finally had the time to test this. Really clean indeed. Thanks!

[@nannue]

🪬 love your work very good info!

[@Rhuggins]

This is the content I am here for. I know it took a lot of work on your part, thanks so much for your efforts. You have made some dramatic and potentially controversial findings here; that a $29 compressor can be cleaner than a $7,000 digital mastering compressor of legendary pedigree. Pretty incredible

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching!

[@griffinpbreshears]

The new TBProAudio compressor (Impress3) is worth a check out as well. Very clean tonally, but the action is capable of tons of variety. Not sure if it uses Hilbert transforms, but I'd say the shortlist of clean for me would be Compressor 4, Fircomp2, Impress3, Kotelnikov, and DC8C. I'm sure there are plenty others, but those are what pop into my head when I think "I need clean". Also, I love that you cover tools that people may not know about. Toneboosters makes some of the best in the biz, and Compressor 4 is an absolute workhorse. The punch mode is absolutely the sauce on a mixbus.

[@EdwinDekker71]

The TB comp also has a great sidechain eq / filter

[@jfilbert]

Black Rooster KH-COMP1 has a selectable Hilbert detector as well. Only other comp I know that has it.

[@sageaudio]

Cool I'll check that out, thanks!

[@esahm373]

I deliberately use compressors that CAUSE distortion. But the Toneboosters plug-ins are great indeed, some of the modes have built-in saturation, so they are versatile too! Some of the best bang-for-bug

[@royalinvasionproductionstv6370]

Any modes that could replace a LA2A or a G Bus Comp? I definitely could see this replacing an 1176 for me...

[@esahm373]

@@royalinvasionproductionstv6370 I think of compressors not in terms of brands / hardware models, but in terms of function. Vocals need a certain type of compression, drums need a certain type of compression ,,, If a plug-in can be set to fullfil that function, I‘m fine. I don‘t need a pseudo-LA2A GUI or parameter ranges deliberately limited to what a specific hardware had. Most emulations of hardware don‘t sound like their real life counterpart anyway

[@royalinvasionproductionstv6370]

@@esahm373 I get it...I'm just wondering would this be a good fit to fill those spots sound/saturation/color wise as I'm no pro but still tryna figure things out ...

[@esahm373]

@@royalinvasionproductionstv6370 Those spots don‘t need to be filled in the first place. Using compression is not about emulating hardware devices from the 1950s, it’s about dynamic control of the material, sometimes about adding character. Anything that can do the job, whether it claims to be an analog hardware emulation or not, is fine.

[@OperculumAudio]

Thank you Sage!

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching!

[@MesaMXR]

The newest Toneboosters EQ Pro that just came out like a week ago is fantastic. If you're reading this comment, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

[@sageaudio]

Just checked it out - very cool!

[@AngelAngelesIII]

@@sageaudio Please make a video about it!

[@EdwinDekker71]

Been using eq4 for a while, it's great. Thinking about upgrading.

[@eletrizando_]

Sir, I'd love if you could explain spectrum gate. I have a thinking line about it, but didn't find nothing that could make my mind quiet.

[@neuroxik]

Just when I thought I was aware of all cons in some adjustments, like phase in EQ, pre-ring, etc, SOMETHING ELSE COMES UP!

[@SEVYNTHEVILLAIN]

been using TB comp for almost 2 years now 😭🐐

[@PharaohLawLess1]

Wow! This is something. Seems like I have to get the Tone Booster’s compressor now

[@DrKaoliN]

🤩Wow, thank you for explaining this!

[@fcmas]

Sonible Smart Comp2 is ridiculously clean.

[@dutnakke]

But also with insane latency - makes it useless for production work of any kind.

[@fcmas]

@@dutnakke "of any kind"...didn't realize compressors were only used for production, and not post-record engineering 🤣

[@dutnakke]

@@fcmas That's not what I'm saying. It's great for mix work where latency doesn't matter so much. Absolutely great. It sucks for production work, where indeed it does matter a lot. Why not implement a zero- latency mode for that application and keep everyone happy? I end up never using the Smart Comp, as I usually have made my compressor choices in the production phase. The Smart EQ is another matter - it is low latency and therefore usable in the production/recording phase.

[@jungalist117]

thougths on spectral compression?

[@mttlsa686]

i dare to say that it's basically dynamic multi band equalization with detailed parameters...

[@90below]

I just tried the demo and it sounds very good. Thanks for the tip. Have you tried the Massenburg DesignWorks MDWDRC2? It has been my first choice for clean dynamics control since its release.

[@Reneromero08]

Toneboosters is underdog vibes!

[@tom22333]

Wow that was a lot of great info thx!!!

[@privacee1845]

Good video! Definitely gonna check out that tb compressor, fab filter gets there compressors smoother by filtering the detector after it gets it's reading, same thing with their lookahead delay. Smoother but needs to be adaptive like you said to the input to have minimal THD

[@bobcruz2826]

FirComp Ultraclean compressor is still undefeated imo and its free. Worth checking out

[@dropLove_]

Appreciate all the constant, meaningful effort.

[@Veridi]

In the future, TB may be my goto digital plugins

[@dom2555]

After some findings with much more extreme settings (think 0.05 ms attack and 1ms release), sweeping through the spectrum from 20hz and up, I see different conclusions in plugindoctor, pro-c2 mastering is actually cleaner than tb-compressor, how come?

[@millionhertzbeats2352]

Ok that is a great video !!! You guys shoud try the KH comp 1 from black rooster audio wich has several detection circuits and hilbert is one of them !!! i trieed it in plugin doctor and the result are the same as in your video !!!Never knew you should and could test my compressors like that so now i am fully capable of learning correctly my compressors thank you for that guys ... keep on the gret job you re doing we want more though

[@LYSHEmusic]

By the way, this Weiss DS1-MK3 has the best sounding limiting I heard. It would be interesting if you test and compare it with other high quality limiters.

[@nateknowles4]

Hey Sage. How big of a deal is distortion with compression if I'm mastering music that heavily relies on distortion, ie. hiphop. I frequently use wave shaping in loud genres anyway, so should I worry about it with compression?

[@sageaudio]

It's not a big deal! It's really up to your personal preference. Limiters and clippers will introduce a good amount of distortion, so if compression is needed beforehand, this could be a good processor to reduce the overall amount of distortion (since it would reduce the amount of limiting needed and introduce little distortion). I'd recommend testing it out in your chain and seeing if you like it - only way to really know if it works for you.

[@jamiewilliams7679]

Is there a way to use a compressor at 0ms attack to reduce a transient without causing distortion or would you use a limiter in that case instead?

[@ThalamusGhipopotamus]

lookahead

[@moksja667]

@@jamiewilliams7679 or a clipper maybe?

[@jamiewilliams7679]

@@ThalamusGhipopotamus what should i set it to to not cause distortion when the attack is at 0ms?

[@jamiewilliams7679]

@@moksja667 yeah clippers are good for that but can sometimes cause distortion.

[@ThalamusGhipopotamus]

@@jamiewilliams7679 you can start with 0.5 ms.

[@MrFlying7]

I guess phase rotation is not good for parallel compression

[@vitalaudio8803]

FirComp2

[@badtrip858]

One would simply expect more distortion from a "punch" algorithm, but turns out this is far from the case

[@fcmas]

UrsaDSP Boost is super clean as well

[@KYTHERAOfficial]

This is the one

[@croay]

FirComp 2 is also really clean

[@sageaudio]

I've only tried the first one, I'll check it out - thanks!

[@kaikaminski9860]

Ok i don't understand much at this point haha but still somehow very interesting

[@luxuriousfir]

Wow the tone booster compressor destroyed the Fab filter. I love it!

[@moses1440]

You need to find us the cleanest EQ (besides the iZotope RX) that's usable directly in our DAWs! And hopefully other processors as well in the future.

[@VicMorrowind]

I always get worried when I read in the title. Not clickbait or honest review or some wildly exaggerated claim, etc. So, I skip them.

[@moksja667]

I don't want a clean compressor😅

[@sageaudio]

You have a lot of options for compression that introduce distortion!

[@pablopicasso3122]

⁠LMFAO so true!!! In many cases the distortion is a feature and not a bug, although, you guys have optional distortion as well correct? Also, do you know how C4 compares to the TBT Cenozoix Compressor?

[@doktordrift948]

You need a "not clickbait" in your title, sir. I almost scrolled right past, thinking this was just another one of those audio vids about gear bias, selling something, opining with no facts.... i'm so sick of that garbage. It's no wonder, engineers don't know what they're doing, digesting the brain-rot from engineers that don't know what they're doing.

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for the suggestion! I just put that in the title haha