Find the right preset for any sound.

Very gentle, slow control that evens out a finished mix without changing its tone.

Best on

Mastering acoustic, jazz, classical or any mix you want left untouched.

Starting point

Lower the threshold until you see about 1 dB of gain reduction on the loudest parts.

Classic bus-style glue that makes the whole mix feel like one performance.

Best on

Mastering pop, rock and hip hop.

Starting point

Aim for 1 to 2 dB of reduction. Past 3 dB it starts to flatten the groove.

Soft, rounded compression that smooths level jumps without dulling the top end.

Best on

Vocal-led songs, singer-songwriter, R&B.

Starting point

1 to 2 dB of reduction. Put it early in the mastering chain.

Slow tube-style squeeze that adds gentle warmth and harmonics.

Best on

Soul, R&B, indie and anything that needs warmth.

Starting point

Set it for 1 to 2 dB of reduction, then raise the Tube drive for more colour.

Vintage optical feel with tube colour for a rounder, older sound.

Best on

Lo-fi, indie, retro pop and soul.

Starting point

Start with the drive as set. Back it off if the top end turns fuzzy.

Light control with a touch of top-end sheen from the Bright character.

Best on

Pop, acoustic and dance music that needs to sparkle.

Starting point

Watch the hi-hats and S sounds. If they get spiky, lower the Bright drive.

A slow attack lets drum hits punch through while the body of the mix gets denser.

Best on

Hip hop, rock, EDM and drum-heavy mixes.

Starting point

2 dB of reduction is plenty. A faster attack loses the punch.

Firm, forward compression with a little diode grit.

Best on

Rock, hip hop, EDM and trap.

Starting point

Listen for pumping on the kick and bass. If you hear it, raise the threshold.

Controls the sustain and body while leaving drum attacks untouched.

Best on

Mixes that sound flat or squashed, live drums.

Starting point

Push for 2 to 3 dB of reduction. The slow attack keeps the hits intact.

Upward compression that lifts quiet detail for a fuller, denser master.

Best on

Thin or sparse mixes, ambient and acoustic.

Starting point

The lift is capped at 6 dB so it can't run away. Listen for noise and reverb tails coming up.

Catches only the loudest peaks so your limiter has less work to do.

Best on

The last compressor before the limiter on any loud master.

Starting point

It should only flicker on the biggest hits. Reduction is capped at 3 dB.

Heavy compression blended in at 30% for weight without losing dynamics.

Best on

Masters that need more energy, EDM and hip hop.

Starting point

Set the Mix knob by ear. 20 to 40% is the usual sweet spot.

Console-style bus compression with punch and snap.

Best on

Mix bus and drum bus in rock and pop.

Starting point

2 to 4 dB of reduction on the loudest parts.

Polished, controlled glue for the whole mix.

Best on

Mix bus for pop, hip hop and R&B.

Starting point

Put it on early and mix into it. 2 dB of reduction is a good target.

Very gentle glue for any bus or the whole mix.

Best on

Mix bus, instrument groups, acoustic mixes.

Starting point

1 dB is enough. You should feel it more than hear it.

Thick, slow tube glue with warmth.

Best on

Mix bus, keys groups, backing vocals.

Starting point

Let it work slowly. Raise the Tube drive for more colour.

Aggressive, punchy bus compression.

Best on

Rock mix bus, guitar bus, live drums.

Starting point

3 to 4 dB of reduction gives that driven, forward rock sound.

A heavy squeeze blended at 35% for energy without flattening.

Best on

Mix bus, drum bus or any group that needs excitement.

Starting point

Set the Mix knob anywhere from 20 to 50%.

Gentle glue that helps instrument groups sit together.

Best on

Guitar, keys, synth or backing vocal groups.

Starting point

1 to 2 dB of reduction.

Evens out strummed and chugged rhythm guitars.

Best on

Electric rhythm guitar and power chords.

Starting point

Aim for 3 to 5 dB of reduction on the loudest strums.

Smooth optical levelling that keeps strums even.

Best on

Acoustic guitar, ukulele, mandolin.

Starting point

2 to 3 dB of reduction keeps it even without killing the life.

Natural levelling for keyboard parts.

Best on

Piano, Rhodes, organ and pads.

Starting point

2 to 3 dB of reduction. Lower the threshold for more sustain.

Pumps in time with your song on every beat. No sidechain routing needed.

Best on

Pads, chords and basses in dance music.

Starting point

Your DAW needs to be playing so it can follow the tempo. Lower the threshold for deeper pumping.

A hard squash with diode grit.

Best on

Drum loops, synth basses, vocal effects on a send.

Starting point

Use it on a send or blend it in with the Mix knob. It is meant to be extreme.

Only touches the loudest syllables.

Best on

The first compressor on any lead vocal.

Starting point

It should only grab the shouty words. Follow it with a smoother compressor.

Smooth, musical levelling.

Best on

Lead vocals, ballads, R&B and soul.

Starting point

3 to 6 dB of reduction on the loud phrases.

An upfront, controlled vocal that sits on top of the mix.

Best on

Pop and dance lead vocals.

Starting point

5 to 8 dB of reduction is normal for modern pop.

Light, invisible control.

Best on

Delicate vocals, spoken word, podcasts.

Starting point

2 to 3 dB of reduction. Pair it with Peak Shaver for more control.

A dense, in-your-face rap vocal.

Best on

Rap and hip hop lead vocals and ad libs.

Starting point

6 dB or more of reduction keeps the level steady across the verse.

Vintage-style compression with tube warmth.

Best on

Soul, indie and retro vocals.

Starting point

Raise the Tube drive for more grit.

A hard, gritty squeeze.

Best on

Rock, metal and screamed vocals.

Starting point

Hit it hard. The diode grit is part of the sound.

Keeps the natural feel while smoothing level jumps.

Best on

Acoustic, folk and jazz vocals.

Starting point

2 to 4 dB of reduction.

A crushed, bright vocal blended in at 30%.

Best on

Lead vocals that need presence and air.

Starting point

Raise the Mix knob for a more aggressive vocal.

Upward compression that brings up quiet words and tails.

Best on

Breathy vocals, quiet verses, spoken word.

Starting point

The lift is capped at 8 dB. Watch for breaths and room noise coming up.

Locks the bass level steady under the kick.

Best on

Electric bass and synth bass.

Starting point

3 to 5 dB of reduction.

Round, warm optical bass.

Best on

Fingerstyle and upright bass, soul and funk.

Starting point

Raise the Tube drive to add harmonics that help the bass show up on small speakers.

Flattens synth and 808 bass to a constant level.

Best on

808s, synth bass, trap.

Starting point

Heavy reduction is fine here. Check that long 808 tails don't distort.

A slow attack lets the pluck snap through.

Best on

Slap, funk and picked bass.

Starting point

3 to 5 dB of reduction.

Controls distorted bass and adds grit.

Best on

Distorted, overdriven or reese bass.

Starting point

Raise the Diode drive for more growl.

Crushed bass blended at 35% for weight and sustain.

Best on

Bass that disappears on small speakers.

Starting point

Set the Mix knob between 25 and 50%.

Classic drum bus glue that keeps the punch.

Best on

Drum bus, full kits and drum loops.

Starting point

2 to 4 dB of reduction.

A slow attack makes the hits jump out.

Best on

Kick, snare, drum bus.

Starting point

More reduction gives more snap, up to about 6 dB.

A fat, cracking snare with extra body.

Best on

Snare top and claps.

Starting point

4 to 6 dB of reduction.

Keeps the kick level consistent without losing the click.

Best on

Kick drum and 808 kicks.

Starting point

3 to 4 dB of reduction.

Smooths harsh cymbal peaks.

Best on

Overheads, hi-hats and cymbals.

Starting point

2 to 3 dB of reduction on the crashes.

Crushed, exploding room mics.

Best on

Room mics and drum ambience tracks.

Starting point

Blend the room track in underneath the close mics.

New York style parallel smash blended at 40%.

Best on

Drum bus and full kits.

Starting point

Set the Mix knob between 20 and 50% for more or less smash.

Dense, gritty loops and breaks.

Best on

Drum loops, breakbeats, lo-fi hip hop.

Starting point

Use the Mix knob to bring back some of the original loop.

A warm, squashed vintage drum sound.

Best on

Retro, soul, funk and indie drums.

Starting point

Lower the Tube drive for a cleaner result.

A breathing, pumping drum bus that follows the kick.

Best on

Drum bus in house, French touch and indie.

Starting point

The lower the threshold, the bigger the pump.

A quarter-note tape echo that sits behind the lead vocal.

Best on

Lead vocals in any genre.

Starting point

Ducking keeps the echoes quiet while the singer is singing. Raise the Mix for more.

A faint, clean dotted-eighth trail.

Best on

Ballads, intimate vocals, spoken word.

Starting point

You should only notice it when you mute it.

A short, warm slapback.

Best on

Lead vocals, rap verses, country.

Starting point

Pairs well with a longer delay on a send.

Ping-pong eighth notes softened with diffusion.

Best on

Backing vocals, harmonies, choirs.

Starting point

Raise the Diffusion for a softer, more reverb-like sound.

A dotted-quarter ping-pong throw, 100% wet.

Best on

Throws on the last word of a vocal line.

Starting point

Put it on a send and automate the send level on the words you want to throw.

A dark, tape-style throw, 100% wet.

Best on

Ad libs, hooks and hip hop vocal effects.

Starting point

Use it on a send and automate it for single words.

The classic dotted-eighth echo.

Best on

Guitar leads, synth arps, vocals.

Starting point

Sounds best on parts with gaps between the notes.

A clean quarter-note echo.

Best on

Any instrument or vocal.

Starting point

Lower the feedback for busy songs.

A long half-note echo with soft diffusion.

Best on

Slow songs, ballads, ambient.

Starting point

Adds space without clutter at slower tempos.

A ping-pong triplet echo.

Best on

Hip hop, trap hats, plucks, vocal chops.

Starting point

Adds swing to parts played straight.

Eighth notes bouncing left to right.

Best on

Synths, plucks, guitars, percussion.

Starting point

Ping-pong disappears in mono, so check your mix on a phone speaker.

Triplets on the left, dotted eighths on the right.

Best on

Arps, pads, ambient guitar.

Starting point

Works best on simple, sparse parts.

A dark analog dotted-eighth with gentle movement.

Best on

Lead and clean electric guitar.

Starting point

Raise the feedback for big ambient leads.

A short eighth-note echo filtered for snare.

Best on

Snare, claps, percussion.

Starting point

Put it on a send fed only by the snare.

A single, clean slapback.

Best on

Vocals, guitars, drums.

Starting point

Shorter times sound tighter.

A gritty fifties tape slap.

Best on

Rockabilly vocals, country, blues guitar.

Starting point

Raise the Drive for more tape grit.

A tight mono slap that keeps the image focused.

Best on

Rap vocals, snare, mono sources.

Starting point

Use it when stereo echoes make the vocal feel wide and loose.

A driven, distorted slapback.

Best on

Rock vocals, garage, punk.

Starting point

Lower the Drive if it gets too dirty.

Two very short delays for a wide, double-tracked sound.

Best on

Single vocals and guitars that need width.

Starting point

Check in mono. If it sounds phasey, lower the Mix.

A diffused stereo slap that sounds like a room.

Best on

Drums, claps, vocals that need space.

Starting point

Try it instead of a short room reverb.

Clean studio tape echo with light wow and flutter.

Best on

Vocals, guitars, keys.

Starting point

Raise the Age for a more worn sound.

Worn, wobbly ping-pong tape echo.

Best on

Lo-fi hip hop, soul, indie.

Starting point

Raise Wow and Flutter for a more seasick sound.

A crunchy cassette-style echo.

Best on

Lo-fi beats, keys, vocal chops.

Starting point

Raise the Age for more degradation.

A dark analog echo with gentle chorus.

Best on

Guitars, synths, vocals.

Starting point

Use it where tape echo sounds too bright.

Tape echo with heavy wow and flutter.

Best on

Synth leads, guitars, effects.

Starting point

Turn Wow and Flutter down for a subtler wobble.

A long, washy ping-pong with high feedback.

Best on

Ambient, pads, transitions, build-ups.

Starting point

Feedback is high. Watch your levels and lower it if the echoes build too much.

Each repeat climbs an octave higher.

Best on

Pads, ambient guitar, vocal effects.

Starting point

Lower the feedback to stop the octaves stacking up.

Each repeat shifts in pitch, spiralling up.

Best on

Sound design, transitions, synths.

Starting point

Small shifts sound like phasing. Bigger shifts sound alien.

Echoes that play backwards.

Best on

Vocal effects, guitars, transitions.

Starting point

Works best on sustained notes.

A mono, narrow, crunchy echo.

Best on

Vocal effects, intros, breakdowns.

Starting point

Automate it in for a short section rather than the whole song.