Frantically looking for the best drum compressor plugins online with no success? Fret no more, we have done a lowdown on some good drum compressor VST plugins that will make compression easier for your drum tracks.
Whether you want to add compression to a drum bus, snare, kick, toms, hi-hat, ride and crash cymbals, or overheads, some of the best drum compressor plugins on our list will put you in good stead. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
5+ Best Drum Compressor Plugins 2024
1) SSL LMC+
An emulation of SSL 4000E console’s reverse talkback function (the Listen Mic with an integrated compressor), SSL LMC+ is the perfect accompaniment if you are looking for a throwback drum sound of the 1980’s.
Coupled with the inbuilt noise gate, SSL LMC+ can sculpt your drum tracks to incorporate that famous gated-reverb drum sound.
Especially, if you are looking for a ambient drum track sound with fixed release and attack curves, SSL LMC+ is a no-brainer.
What’s more, SSL LMC+ high pass and low pass filters, external sidechain, and Scoop and Split functions.
Please note that these functionalities weren’t available on the original analog compressor.
All together, SSL LMC+ carries forward the legacy of great SSL compressor plugins that include Opto compressors, FET compressors, and Vari-Mu Compressors.
SEE ALSO: Learn how to use a compressor VST the right way in your DAW.
2) FET Compresso MKII
Possibly one of the best drum compressor plugins, Softube’s FET Compressor MKII is renowned for its deep gain reduction that doesn’t snap the drum sound even at extreme settings when pushed hard.
Not to mention, FET compressor MKII adds a fair amount of distortion that can add some grit to your drum tracks and make your snare drums sound majestic in the mastering stage.
Especially, if you are a rock and metal producer, using FET compressor MKII has its own benefits. But the real novelty of FET compressor is using it on overheads, room microphones and the entire drum bus.
When used strategically, FET compressors can make your drums pop and sound massive on the lines of Led Zeppelin’s drums.
What’s more, FET compressor MKII comes with the Parallel Inject feature that can trigger parallel compression. Not to mention, you can use the side chain filter to reduce kick drum pumping or bolster the low end of a bass guitar track.
SEE ALSO: 5 Best VCA Compressor Plugins3) Chandler Limited® Germanium Compressor
If you are looking for a versatile compressor VST that does way more than compression and gain reduction (including EQ, transient designing and distortion), look no further than Chandler Limited’s Germanium Compressor.
For starters, Germanium Compressor comes with external Sidechain, Mid/Side Processing and gives you total control over the attack and release times in a creative way whether you are a producer, audio engineer or a budding musician.
What’s more, Germanium Compressor sounds best on drum tracks and makes them punchier if you dial down the attack time.
Further, you can use Germanium Compressor on acoustic guitar tracks for adding a touch of brightness to them and make them cut right through a dense mix.
SEE ALSO: 5 Best Multiband Compressor VST Plugins4) CP2V Compressor
A track and program audio dynamics compressor VST, CP2V compressor is modeled on vintage compressors.
Sporting a neat and clean graphical user interface with zero bells and whistles, CP2V compressor offers multi-stage modeled processing modeled on analog compressors as well as warm saturating harmonics.
Especially if you are looking for a solid compressor for drum tracks and acoustic guitar, CP2V compressor is worth its weight in gold.
Features of CP2V compressor
- Multi-stage vintage modeled compression.
- Warm saturation
- 4x oversampling
- VU compression metering
- Fixed Release and attack time
- 64-bit internal processing
SEE ALSO: 5 Free Multiband Compressor Plugins5) BLEASS Compressor
Rounding up our list of the best drum compressor plugins is BLEASS compressor that offers compression ratios of up to 60:1, variable knee, and flexible attack and release times.
Not to mention, a dual filter that provides both high-pass and low-pass filters operating on the analyzed signal.
You can also enable external sidechain input and do lots of interesting things creatively.
For instance, you can pump a kick drum with a synth pad by inserting Compressor on the kick drum’s channel and enabling external sidechain.
Next, you can create a send from the synth pad to BLEASS compressor’s sidechain input.
