Kotelnikov Compressor Free Download
Jaimee Jaffy
If you're not familiar with feedback compression, or if you're indifferent to compression's inner workings such as the particulars of envelope curvature, side-chain filtering, oversampled control signals to catch intersample peaks, et cetera, this might be an easy compressor to overlook.
The comprehensive control scheme allowing to meter off a crest factor rather than merely peak or RMS, and the ability to set different release controls varying on peak vs RMS, makes this compressor unbeatable for more complex signals higher up in the buses of the mix. Or dynamic, polyphonic instrument tracks.
Add to that a built-in adjustable high-pass filter to the side-chain (makes for a cleaner sound on bass-heavy buses with a slight roll-off, or when cranked it allows it to double as a remarkable de-esser on top of being such a great vocal compressor already), adjustable stereo sensitivity rather than simply choosing between stereo/mono - this is a compressor designed for and by professionals.
I think the problem you gave a great product a bad review based on some assumptions. TDR is a digital and transparent compressor while presswerk is an analogue model - they are designed to achieve different dynamic action and you based your opinion on CPU load not the (outstanding) quality of the product.
Ok so 30 intances of Kotelnikov (eco mode) in Studio one 3 is hitting 30/33% CPU and 30 instances of presswerk about 15%. My Macbook is 5 years old so its not the latest by any means. Kotelnikov is specified as a mastering or bus compressor. It is not designed to be on every track. your review was not conducted with any level of respect towards the purpose of Kotelnokov - it is totally worth the CPU 'hit' how about you do a review based on the sound / features and ignore the CPU hit giving 5 out of 10 based on CPU is disingenuous. I mean if you could run 1000's of intances of a poorly implemented compressor would you mark that higher?
I tried using it on vocals last night and it's able to create a tone that I haven't ever heard on ff c2 or any waves compressors. It almost gives the vocal more body, like it's a smoother rms level?
TDR Kotelnikov is a brand new free mastering compressor in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX plugin formats for compatible digital audio workstations. The plugin comes from Tokyo Dawn Labs, a team of developers behind the absolutely brilliant TDR Feedback Compressor.
Coming from the guys who brought us TDR Feedback Compressor, my expectations for this new mastering compressor are very high. The official announcement says that TDR Kotelnikov is basically the successor to TDR Feedback Compressor, featuring a similar control scheme and sharing some of the high-precision algorithms for dynamics control.
It is important to note that when deciding to use mix-bus compression, it should not be applied after a mix has been completed. If you have put time into perfecting your mix with individual track EQ, compression, and fader moves, throwing a compressor onto the mix-bus will yield results that you may not have expected. All of the balances you have worked hard to achieve are now subject to more dynamic control which could very well throw off the balance or vibe of your mix. Because of this, the compressor must be applied to the mix-bus before mix decisions are made. This way, you will be mixing into the compressor and monitoring its output, making your decisions on individual track EQ and compression more appropriate for the song and the signal chain.
As with any type of dynamic control, you will want to choose the correct tool for the job. Maybe your mix needs a vintage type of tone to it, maybe you want the benefits of mix-bus compression without any color applied. While all compressors will help create the glue and punch, they will all do it differently based on what kind of compressor you have chosen. There are a few different types of compressors that will yield different results for your mix.
This type of compressor is known for being quick to react to transients while remaining rather transparent in its coloration. They work using these VCA (sometimes IC chips) to apply gain reduction based on the incoming voltage into the circuit. Since they are able to apply lots of gain reduction with little added color, the VCA compressor can be great for mixes that have many repeated, percussive transients. As mix-bus compressors, the transparency of VCA circuits can provide the cohesive sound to your mix without coloration, perfect for those who want the glue and punch without a sonic character attached.
For many engineers, the price of analog hardware makes an in the box mix the only option. Luckily, many of the previously mentioned compressors are available as plugins to use inside of your DAW making mix-bus compression a technique that any engineer can experiment with. Outside of hardware emulations, there are digital compressors that look to offer their own, unique sound ranging from heavy coloration to complete transparency. With so many options, digital compression may have what your mix needs at a fraction of the cost of hardware.
Now that you have the right tool for the job, how do you go about choosing your settings? The main thing to remember here is that you are not looking to compress too hard. Your mix will sound cohesive with much more modest settings than you might be used to for individual track compression. A good target for gain reduction is 3 dB or less so start by setting your threshold to allow for 1-3 dB of gain reduction. This way you can still even out dynamics of your mix without crushing all of your transients or getting a negative pumping effect from your compressor. For your ratio, start with a setting ranging from 1.5:1 to 2:1. A lower ratio will allow your mix to breathe and still maintain the life coming from individual instruments, but will also grab any transients that may still be lingering. Your attack and release settings will be where the fine tuning happens. Extremely fast attack times may give the effect of a limiter, so setting them a bit slower is the name of the game here. Start with a moderate setting of 50 ms. This will allow the compressor to work with the loudest of dynamics, but will prevent it from reacting every time the snare drum (or any transient) sounds.
The compression action on the U73b is very smooth even on aggressive settings. It is hard to describe in words but it can give your music great breathing movement. It is not a transparent compressor at all, so as such it does not suit all situations. The U73b sounds very analog and gives you music a little bit of edge and attitude, bringing out the upper mids slightly in a very pleasant way.
The Waves SSL G-Master Bus Compressor is a classic plugin, modeled after a classic compressor. This SSL bus compressor clone has been around for a long time but I find it still holds up nicely. There is nothing wrong with it, it can be had for a great price and it works in many situations.
The Dynamics module is a multiband compressor that can also be used as a single band one. It is a perfectly good compressor, but for single band mix bus duty the Vintage Compressor is the star of the show.
The Vintage Compressor is a single band compressor with three characters: Sharp, Balanced and Smooth. They all sound different and good in their own right. It is super clean and easy to operate. The great metering section is very helpful also.
In a standard compression setting, any signal above the set threshold gets compressed and attenuated. With a low level compressor, any signal that goes below the set threshold gets compressed upward, resulting in an increased gain. The dynamic range is thus compressed, pushing low levels up while leaving high levels as they were.
A true all in one workhorse. When I need to go clean and surgical, this is my weapon. The Fabfilter Pro-C2 has a ton of options including possibly the most fully featured sidechain filtering in any compressor plugin. It has several different compression modes including Bus but also Clean and Mastering which can also work equally well in a bus compression context.
TDR Limiter 6 GE is an entire dynamics toolkit comprising of compressors, clippers, and limiters. I often use it for the purpose of mix bus compression alone. You can hide the other modules and just have the compression and output/metering sections visible.
Absolutely nothing from waves except the PIE bus comp, the DPR402 which is one of the very best emulations they have ever done and not a common plugin emulation, and their DBX which they pretty much nailed. I was amazed lol that waves did a great compressor emu.
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