Four classic compressors for punch

dbx 160

This classic VCA compressor has worked its magic on hundreds of hit records from the 1970s and 80s. It’s ace for making live drums sound more punchy, due to its über-fast attack and clean sound. Plugin emulations of the 160 include Waves and Universal Audio’s offerings – perfect for that classic drum snap in the box.

API 2500

A heavy-hitter for punchy whole-mix or bus compression, the API 2500 not only has a super-fast attack setting but also features a switchable high-frequency EQ shelf placed before the RMS detector, which makes the compressor less sensitive to low frequencies – ace for preserving punch. Tempted? Give the Waves or UAD plugin versions a go.

Urei 1176 Peak Limiter

First introduced in 1967, the 1176 soon found favour for all sorts of dynamicsshaping jobs in the studio due to its characterful sound and super-fast attack and release options – ideal for adding bite to anything from vocals through to drums. There are tons of plugin versions about, including the awesome HoRNet Fat-FET from our Plugins library!

Empirical Labs Distressor

Dave Derr’s modern classic is a go-to dynamics processor for all types of applications, but it’s best known for its aggressive, flavoursome character when strapped across individual drum hits or the drum bus. If you can’t afford the one and a half grand for the original hardware, check out SKnote’s Disto and Empirical Labs’ own software version, Arouser.