Uses:Kotelnikov is mainly designed for Bus Mixing or Mastering, but it can definitely be used to process individual tracks as well, and with its incredibly in-depth features you should be able to compress vocals, drums, any instrument, full mixes, etc. Stereo Compression (Mid and Side separately).Low-Frequency Relax (High Pass Filter on the Sidechain).User Interface: The user interface isn’t as friendly as the one on Fabfilter’s C2 and it also isn’t as “visual”, but it’s still a simple-enough plugin to navigate and get the hang of.Ĭharacter: Kotelnikov focuses mainly on audio fidelity and not so much on adding color or character, which is why it’s considered by many to be one of the best mastering compressor plugins, but this is also something that makes it stand out as one of the best vocal compression plugins. This ratio lets you adjust how much the compressor will affect specific frequency ranges and you can adjust the shape, frequency, and more. The Ying and Yang controls, which can be found on the bottom of the plugin, add harmonics to the lower and higher frequencies respectively, and there’s also the “inertia” button which allows the compression to slow down during low gain reduction and to speed up during high gain reduction (Option+Clicking Inertia does the opposite).Īnother feature found at the bottom of the Plugin is FDR, which stands for Frequency Dependent Ratio. In other words, when using the “Low Freq Relax” feature, you are effectively lowering the threshold on the lower frequencies. It also features a “Peak Crest” control which can go from “peak” all the way to “RMS” detection, and this knob essentially allows you to control how the compressor reacts to peaks, either by quickly reacting to them and compressing them (turned all the way to the left), or by averaging the input signal allowing for a smoother reaction (turned to the right), and you can use the Peak Crest knob to blend the two.Īnother feature is the “Low Freq Relax” that allows you to configure a high-pass filter for the side chain, which makes the compressor react less to those lower frequencies such as kick and bass. Setting the GR Limit to that “ideal” threshold means that the compressor won’t “over compress” those sections anymore, resulting in an overall better sound that requires less tweaking. The GR Limit really comes in handy when you found the perfect settings for most of the track but in very specific sections the compressor just clamps down on the signal too hard. It offers the typical compressor controls such as Threshold, Ratio, Attack, and Release, with individual controls for Release Peak and Release RMS, as well as a Knee control, but it also lets you adjust the Gain Reduction Limit which essentially allows you to manually restrict the maximum gain reduction so as to not go overboard with the effect. The Kotelnikov is a program-dependent compressor, meaning that it can vary its response depending on the frequency content or amplitude of the signal allowing you to tweak these dependencies and add new features at the same time. Price: Free and $44 for the premium version.Ĭontrary to most compressor plugins in existence, the TDR Kotelnikov doesn’t try to emulate any existing hardware compressors and rather focuses more on fidelity. Let’s get straight to it… Tokyo Dawn Labs TDR Kotelnikov Most Powerful Free Compressor! Note: I also wrote a post about the best compressor plugins in general, not just free ones. Here I will be listing the different compressors in order from best to ¨worst¨ (all of them are great but I definitely think that the first ones on the list are better, easier to use, have more built-in functionality, etc.). Well, I’ve put together a list of the best free compression plugins available which should definitely add some flavor to your mixes. Or maybe the compressors you already have lack certain settings which you would like to use, or maybe they are too complex and you just want something that offers 2 to 4 knobs, and that’s it! With loads of great stock plugins, compressors included, you might be lookingįor some new ones that have a slightly different sound to them. While most Digital Audio Workstations, or DAWs, provide you
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