Voxengo - Sound with a Soul
Professional VST PlugIns and
AU PlugIns

Voxengo is happy to announce the release of Deft Compressor, an audio signal compressor plug-in for professional audio production applications, available in AudioUnit and VST plugin formats, for Mac OS X (v.10.4.11 and later) and Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) computers.

The characteristic feature of this compressor is its ability to produce “slim” and “slick” sounding compression, with intelligibility enhancement effect.  Such result is achieved by compressor’s timing function that closely resembles the S-curve on both attack and release stages.  S-curve timing function also helps compressor to sound “warm” and “clean” at most settings.



While at high attack settings Deft Compressor can be used to emphasize audio transients, it can also be used to “smash” audio signal if you use attack settings as low as 0.1 millisecond.

Deft Compressor also features a so called “vintage” compression mode which produces compression sound reminiscent of analog valve compressors: it produces a warm, gently saturated sound with the ability to overdrive the output signal.

Deft Compressor is perfectly usable for compressing vocals, drums, guitars and other instruments, both technically and creatively.  Beside that, it can be used to compress mix groups and full mixes.

Deft Compressor features:

• S-curve timing function
• “Vintage” compression mode
• Auto make-up gain
• Multi-channel processing
• Internal channel routing
• Channel grouping
• Up to 8x oversampling
• 64-bit floating point processing
• Preset manager
• Undo/redo history
• A/B comparisons
• Contextual hint messages
• Zero processing latency

Introductory price of USD 79.95 will be effective between March 22th, 2010, and April 1st, 2010, which is 20% off the regular price of USD 99.95.  Demo version of Deft Compressor can be downloaded freely at the Voxengo web site: http://www.voxengo.com/product/deftcompressor/

I always wonder why we can't switch between different attack and release curves in most compressors!?  This one might have a new one.  But fixed again ...

Just strange as we have it in so many VSTi synths ...

Why?  Crunchessor has 2 attack types.  Marquis compressor has 3 compressor modes.

Attack/release curve usually defines character of the compressor.  It may be counter-productive to have a "space" of modes with only e.g.  2 good modes out of 9 possible.  Beside that, attack/release behavior is what usually defines compressor's qualities when applied to various sounds - this affects "perception of value" of the compressor and hence the marketing side of things.  Adding 7 bad modes together with 2 good modes is like adding a spoon of tar to a barrel of honey, speaking from marketing perspective.

If you think your 2 good modes are enough than that's fine.


I would like to see

- linear
- exponential
- logarithmic
- s curve

in more compressors ...


That's 4 curves.  Maybe the best woud be to let the user edit the curves for even more freedom.  In most hosts you can do this on envelopes and fades too ...


Marketing wise it might be bad for you, I know.

Dandruff, I'm sorry, but I do not think you fully understand the complications of timing function design - it's not a matter of drawing a curve in time, or a transfer curve (which is simple).  Timing function design is even hard to explain in layman terms.

You should not be so rude.  You are probably not making plug-ins for a living, trying to earn some money from any good idea, without a chance to earn money otherwise.

Not giving, if we need it on top of Crunchessor and Marquis, this compressor is another example of 110% perfect GUI design and usability.  Alle the knobs and menues are just perfect.

Soundwise it might be a question of taste, if one really needs it, but the general concept is nice.

I would really highlight that these kind of features and programming design can also be found on the crunchessor and especially SPAN ( which I am sure could be sold as a standard plug in instead of freeware, because it is just THE BEST I´ve seen, especially in the new version.  Pinguin Meter is nice as well but expensive.  The IKM Tracks Meter has an alternative density scaling, which can be handy or used together with the RMS, Crest factor and K-System of SPAN.  Optically the only one that comes close is the Sonalksis FreeG Meter or the Digi Meter that comes with RME soundcards.
Stabilitywise, whatever you do with the plugins, the Voxengos are always the ones with the least problems, together with ohmforce.  I´m actually testing VST Bridge for Winamp, where many plugins work in, but somtimes show graphic problems with level indicators etc.  I stil have to find a Voxengo plugin that doesn´t work.

So overall : Congratulations again.

Thank you for your feedback!

Hi Aleksey,

Congratulations on your new plugin!  Looks great again and without even testing it, I'm sure it works good too.

Could you explain what the Deft can do which the Marquis can't.

Kind regards,
Maarten van Helden
www.tubefreak.com

Deft Compressor has a completely different behavior to Marquis.