Painstakingly recreating the characteristics of the now world famous Distressor it really had to be done right – and it was. It certainly delivered though when it was finally released to the public. One of Steven’s most anticipated plugin releases, and a bit frustrating as it was delayed several times. And Waves still have some of my faves, even though those plugs are ancient in plugin years. What I discovered compiling this list is it’s a mix of old and new, some of these have been favourites for years. Now, before anyone gets uppity because I’m not ever talking about their favourite Avid or UAD plugins/software, all I will say about them is that unless either of those companies stop their money-grabbing policies and general resentment for people not loaded with cash (or in UAD’s case, people who don’t use Macs), I just won’t be buying or trying anything from them.
We’re approaching the end of the year, and that means…list time! And for this article I’ll be taking a look at what is currently my 5 favourite compressor plugins.