Thanks for the video, Mike! It's interesting hearing and confirming the Stam/Wes Audio/Warm Audio produce the same characteristics I hear in my studio.
It's funny how people in the comments often choose the stam and get disappointed with dione. The fact is that the stam emulates a 4k buss comp, which already has quite serious thd, and dione has thd mode disabled, which makes it much cleaner. To compare with some compresors from that test dione must have thd mode enabled. And then suddenly it becomes bigger, brighter, more detailed and tight.
I am probably biased but ai own 2 neko sl4000s fully modded and 2 ssl xr626 compressors in mynx chassis’s and an api2500. Bus comps are the cat’s meow, thats why the Neko bus cat does the job for me on the tests.
Awesome video man. The SSL+ and Stam Audio 4K sounded the best to me. The 4K sounds so musical. Very disappointed on the Wes Audio’s lifeless sound. Gonna give that Stam 4K a try !!
Thanks for the comment. I loved the Stam 4k. I've owned the Dione the longest and though it does come across as very transparent in these tests that's not a bad thing at all. It's a great compressor. Saying that my favourites were the Stam 4k, BussCat and Vertigo
1) Vertigo VSC3 - Undeniably the best. No undesirable artifacts, could address the broadest range of music to essentially make anything work. 2) SSL Bus+ - Transients not dulled off. Doesn’t get in the way. 3) Tierra Audio Gravity - Similar to above, different implementation of design. Edge of transients still sound right. Solid. 4) TFPro - Workable, nice sound. No undesirable artifacts. 5) Shadow SB4000 - Different, slightly harder transients but alright. 6) Tegeler Creme - Don’t totally like effect on transients but still workable. Rest do not really catch interest.
The Stam and the Shadow Audio stood out to me and I liked what the Warm did to the vocals on a couple. This is making me sad as I have the Wes Audio unit and I thought it was pretty average sounding on 2 of the 3 tracks!! Doh!
This makes me wonder how much of a difference would THD made on these examples for WesAudio? I also prefered Stam Audio here, which is a shame as WesAudio functionality is far superior. I would rather avoid recalls for my future outboard gear.
I might be bias because I own one, but to me The Créme has the sauce. I just love the way it opens up. Personally, I love what it does to the transients.
SB4000, Nekrotronics, Warm, Tegeler creme (on beyerdynamics 770pro headphones). No particular order. They all sound great. I'd love to hear the shadow hills compressor as a comparison - but I get that it's a different thing entirely.
Oh man I'd LOVE to get my hands on a Shadow Hills comp. I only see people either swearing by them or selling them which makes me wanna try it all the more 🤣🤣
For me the best stereo image went for the cream the Vertigo and the Dione. For grabby stuff the Stam and VErtigo and Cream. The busscat was also good one. I didn’t like the warm audio nor the shadow. The stam was just ok for me.
Are those images of the hardware accurate to their settings? The settings are clearly different. Level matching is good, and tweaking the side chain filter to match the other units by ear is fair. But the bus+ is on auto release it appears AND in mid side? While the Stam is .01 release and the neko is 4:1 vs 1.5:1 on Stam. The settings change in each song so I'm thinking they are accurate. I really liked the overall tone of the Stam the best but I can't rely on that if the settings were just better for the first two songs. Really wanted to like the bus+ the best and didn't like the older Stam in older shootouts so my bias is reversed to my preference which is a good sign against "confirmation bias" Plus I listened first with my eyes closed and only heard the sound *pop* once in the first song. Went back and did it again and opened my eyes on the sound to see the Stam, so I played blind.
Good demo but bypassed sounds best imo. The compression sounds good but the tracks are too well mixed, the subtle differences cant really be heard. As you said they all would work fine for a mix. Mix bus compression should be a mastering choice in this case... Thanks heaps for the video . I thinking of getting the warm audio its good value.
I'd agree and say the first track is heavily compressed already and the differences are difficult to hear but the second track has loads of regular hitting transients and sub-content for the comps to dig into. This is the track I listened to for the most comparison.
Hey Man, great job, but I've downloaded your files and Nekotronics BussCat, Wes Audio Dione, Stam Audio 4k-5 and Shadow Audio SB4000 are 180° phase reverse compared to the other files ;-) Better you check connections in your studio 🙂
SSL is in a different league, smoothness, transparency, neutrality, and the characteristic touch of sound SSL, nobody has it.......I'm listening on RME and HD600
So great video, thnx! I'm up to buyong Warm Audio Bus comp, combined with SSL fusion. Should I rather save for Bus+ or something else in your list? What is your opinion/verdict on Warm audio? Thnx so much for your time and advice 🎶🤗👍
In the 3rd test track the Tegeler Creme is substantially louder than the rest. Must be a level thing I like the open wide polished sound of the Nekotronics. The Stam has a nice depth, colour and tightness - super useful - love it! Vertigo obviously is beautifully expensive sounding. Warm is snappy upfront but renders a less higher perceived resolution, sounds less expensive and almost a bit grainy. Disappointed with SSL Bus+ Was the Dione THD turned off? Thanks for the tests!
Agree with all your comments. I can't remember if the thd was on/off. If you look at the video footage for each you'll see. I'm still rocking the NekoTronics BussCat and Stam 4k5.
tierra was the best at my opinion...It's nothing like ssl but I like the color what it's give for the tracks... And the wierd is i never heared about them...🤨
Agreed. Also the amount of GR displayed by the meters varies drastically. Sometimes its 60Hz HP, sometimes 100Hz. Sometimes Release is slowest, sometimes its Auto. ... The idea of the video is absolutely great, but this is a missed chance. Correct way to proceed in my eyes would be: 1. set all comps to the same settings. (or as similar as possible) 2. Adjust the thresholds so that the displayed GR is the same. 3. Level-match. ... Also I noticed a phase flip. Though not being sure if it was induced by the comp itself, one could take that out to easy the comparison.
I hear NO effect ............Also It would be better to listen to uncompressed tracks before and after, the tracks you're using are compressed. This Test makes me thing All brands sound the same , which ins't true,....
Hey thanks for the comment. You are true the tracks came already compressed but I can still hear a very big difference though. I am working on getting some material that is uncompressed but it's not an easy task with copy write etc. Thanks for listening
Try to listen to one element at a time, like listen to the snare and how the different compressors react. Or even the tambourine. How some compressors bring out the reverb or decay of the sound more than the the others. Or you can also turn down your volume really low to where you can barely hear anything but the transients and subtle sounds. Then when the compressors kick in you can really hear those subtleties. How the tracks pop more or breathe.
I recently bought a Nekotronics so I’ve decided that one sounds the best.
now that you have it, what is your conclusion? [Post review]
.?
Thanks for the video, Mike! It's interesting hearing and confirming the Stam/Wes Audio/Warm Audio produce the same characteristics I hear in my studio.
It's funny how people in the comments often choose the stam and get disappointed with dione. The fact is that the stam emulates a 4k buss comp, which already has quite serious thd, and dione has thd mode disabled, which makes it much cleaner. To compare with some compresors from that test dione must have thd mode enabled. And then suddenly it becomes bigger, brighter, more detailed and tight.
Stam, Tierra, Shadow. All made the music bloom 👍🏾
Stam is the most exciting and that's what I like from this type of compressor
There's a load of great compressors here, but the Creme and Dione really steal the show for me. :D
I am probably biased but ai own 2 neko sl4000s fully modded and 2 ssl xr626 compressors in mynx chassis’s and an api2500.
Bus comps are the cat’s meow, thats why the Neko bus cat does the job for me on the tests.
I had Wes Audio ngBusComp and it sounded just like Dione, no better than any average plugin
Yeah, software seems to emulate VCA Bus Compressors quite well
Awesome video man. The SSL+ and Stam Audio 4K sounded the best to me. The 4K sounds so musical. Very disappointed on the Wes Audio’s lifeless sound. Gonna give that Stam 4K a try !!
To my knowledge the Wes is designed to be pretty transparent without the THD engaged.
Thanks for the comment. I loved the Stam 4k. I've owned the Dione the longest and though it does come across as very transparent in these tests that's not a bad thing at all. It's a great compressor. Saying that my favourites were the Stam 4k, BussCat and Vertigo
Totally agree.. Tested the Wes two times.. it makes everything smaller in a way
Bus+ very musical and little bigger
Wow !
Ultimate bus comp shoot out on YT !
1) Vertigo VSC3 - Undeniably the best. No undesirable artifacts, could address the broadest range of music to essentially make anything work.
2) SSL Bus+ - Transients not dulled off. Doesn’t get in the way.
3) Tierra Audio Gravity - Similar to above, different implementation of design. Edge of transients still sound right. Solid.
4) TFPro - Workable, nice sound. No undesirable artifacts.
5) Shadow SB4000 - Different, slightly harder transients but alright.
6) Tegeler Creme - Don’t totally like effect on transients but still workable.
Rest do not really catch interest.
The Stam is great...up there with the high end
100% agree
Bus+, Stam and Shadow.. Bus+ very musical, Stam nice allrounder and Shadow has nice forward sound, good for rock
Really nice comparision
The Stam and the Shadow Audio stood out to me and I liked what the Warm did to the vocals on a couple. This is making me sad as I have the Wes Audio unit and I thought it was pretty average sounding on 2 of the 3 tracks!! Doh!
This makes me wonder how much of a difference would THD made on these examples for WesAudio? I also prefered Stam Audio here, which is a shame as WesAudio functionality is far superior. I would rather avoid recalls for my future outboard gear.
I might be bias because I own one, but to me The Créme has the sauce. I just love the way it opens up. Personally, I love what it does to the transients.
For me the SSL BUS+ it had the most detail and sounded clear and upfront.
Amazing. I've got a new shootout coming which will also include the SSL G Bus. Very interesting
SB4000, Nekrotronics, Warm, Tegeler creme (on beyerdynamics 770pro headphones). No particular order. They all sound great. I'd love to hear the shadow hills compressor as a comparison - but I get that it's a different thing entirely.
Oh man I'd LOVE to get my hands on a Shadow Hills comp. I only see people either swearing by them or selling them which makes me wanna try it all the more 🤣🤣
For me the best stereo image went for the cream the Vertigo and the Dione. For grabby stuff the Stam and VErtigo and Cream. The busscat was also good one.
I didn’t like the warm audio nor the shadow. The stam was just ok for me.
Thanks for this amazing review , so much effort into it !
Are those images of the hardware accurate to their settings? The settings are clearly different. Level matching is good, and tweaking the side chain filter to match the other units by ear is fair. But the bus+ is on auto release it appears AND in mid side? While the Stam is .01 release and the neko is 4:1 vs 1.5:1 on Stam. The settings change in each song so I'm thinking they are accurate. I really liked the overall tone of the Stam the best but I can't rely on that if the settings were just better for the first two songs. Really wanted to like the bus+ the best and didn't like the older Stam in older shootouts so my bias is reversed to my preference which is a good sign against "confirmation bias" Plus I listened first with my eyes closed and only heard the sound *pop* once in the first song. Went back and did it again and opened my eyes on the sound to see the Stam, so I played blind.
For me, #1 Tegeler Creme, #2 SSL Bus+
Awesomeeee thanks for listening and taking part
The differences are extremely subtle. Are these tracks already mixed and mastered?
i'M thinking yes because i'm in the studio with focal twins and sub and I barely hear anything
Good demo but bypassed sounds best imo.
The compression sounds good but the tracks are too well mixed, the subtle differences cant really be heard. As you said they all would work fine for a mix.
Mix bus compression should be a mastering choice in this case...
Thanks heaps for the video . I thinking of getting the warm audio its good value.
I'd agree and say the first track is heavily compressed already and the differences are difficult to hear but the second track has loads of regular hitting transients and sub-content for the comps to dig into. This is the track I listened to for the most comparison.
Hey Man, great job, but I've downloaded your files and Nekotronics BussCat, Wes Audio Dione, Stam Audio 4k-5 and Shadow Audio SB4000 are 180° phase reverse compared to the other files ;-) Better you check connections in your studio 🙂
SSL is in a different league, smoothness, transparency, neutrality, and the characteristic touch of sound SSL, nobody has it.......I'm listening on RME and HD600
So great video, thnx! I'm up to buyong Warm Audio Bus comp, combined with SSL fusion. Should I rather save for Bus+ or something else in your list? What is your opinion/verdict on Warm audio? Thnx so much for your time and advice 🎶🤗👍
In the 3rd test track the Tegeler Creme is substantially louder than the rest. Must be a level thing
I like the open wide polished sound of the Nekotronics.
The Stam has a nice depth, colour and tightness - super useful - love it!
Vertigo obviously is beautifully expensive sounding.
Warm is snappy upfront but renders a less higher perceived resolution, sounds less expensive and almost a bit grainy.
Disappointed with SSL Bus+
Was the Dione THD turned off?
Thanks for the tests!
Thanks for the comment.
Yeah I think the Creme was 1-2db louder 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️.
Agree with all your comments.
I can't remember if the thd was on/off. If you look at the video footage for each you'll see.
I'm still rocking the NekoTronics BussCat and Stam 4k5.
04:21 bypass 04:29 cats 05:05 stam 04:47 ssl 05:23 tegeler
great video
tierra was the best at my opinion...It's nothing like ssl but I like the color what it's give for the tracks... And the wierd is i never heared about them...🤨
It's a nice comparison but the settings tend to be quite different from one to another don't they?
Agreed. Also the amount of GR displayed by the meters varies drastically. Sometimes its 60Hz HP, sometimes 100Hz. Sometimes Release is slowest, sometimes its Auto. ... The idea of the video is absolutely great, but this is a missed chance. Correct way to proceed in my eyes would be: 1. set all comps to the same settings. (or as similar as possible) 2. Adjust the thresholds so that the displayed GR is the same. 3. Level-match. ... Also I noticed a phase flip. Though not being sure if it was induced by the comp itself, one could take that out to easy the comparison.
Stam tegeler cats👍
What converters are you using.
Uad apollo 8p
Don't they all sound the same? hahaha
With all the fuss people make about the g-comp ssl, the bus+ doesn't make that much of a difference..
Neko
i am sorry , its not working like that , the bypassed are deferent that's mean you run them with deferent AD/DA
Thanks for taking the time to comment
I hear NO effect ............Also It would be better to listen to uncompressed tracks before and after, the tracks you're using are compressed. This Test makes me thing All brands sound the same , which ins't true,....
Hey thanks for the comment. You are true the tracks came already compressed but I can still hear a very big difference though. I am working on getting some material that is uncompressed but it's not an easy task with copy write etc. Thanks for listening
Try to listen to one element at a time, like listen to the snare and how the different compressors react. Or even the tambourine. How some compressors bring out the reverb or decay of the sound more than the the others.
Or you can also turn down your volume really low to where you can barely hear anything but the transients and subtle sounds. Then when the compressors kick in you can really hear those subtleties. How the tracks pop more or breathe.
@@300AcreStudios Thank you, an uncompressed Version would be great !
not level matched
Thanks. I think there VERY close but each to there own. Which one do you like the best?
No difference from using plugins
Song is so bad no matter what compressor it is.
Thanks for taking the time to comment