
Cytomic's The Glue uses an analogue modelling approach to replicate the characteristics of stereo busses from yesteryear, while adding more features and making this coveted sound more affordable for EDM producers.

Throughout this decade, engineers used the bus compressors on large consoles to 'glue' their mixes together, while controlling dynamics and creating a unique, sought-after 'hit record' sound. The Glue is an analog modelled compressor plug-in that's based upon the stereo buss compressor found in famous British mix bus compressor of the '80s. For those determined to create aggressive sounds, the Fierce mode (which creates the 'Uber' compression) and the Noise modes are two features you'll certainly want to experiment with.

The sidechain switch lets you set the compressor in four different modes, however there's not a true sidechain input. Although it's tempting to spend all your time turning the big knob, to achieve amazing results you'll need to tweak the input gain, clip, timing and sidechain on this compressor. There are only seven controls:Input, Noise, Ratio, Fierce, Timing, S/C Bias, and Output. If you're just getting into production and are overwhelmed by all the features on compressors, you'll feel comfortable using the TBK3. TBK stands for 'The Big Knob' and on the TBK3, the big knob is the compressors' ratio control. The TBK3 is from Sonalksis' Creative Elements line that is aimed at producers who want to use plug-ins that are simple and sound great. The Sonalksis TBK3 is a unique compressor, that's able to 'push further and harder than you ever thought possible'. There are also four different analog coloration modes, each with their own signature sound but the results of the effects are dependent on the signal's incoming level. The Waves H Comp release stage can be set in seconds (3ms to 3s) or synced to the host using a special BPM sync release function. One of the more unique features of the H Comp is the transient punch control, which allows you to preserve a sound's initial transient even when using very fast attack times.

It features a large, retro-styled GUI and one of the most prominent features is the Wet/Dry mix control for parallel compression (for those who would like to learn more about parallel processing, check out this AskAudio article). Waves H Comp is a hybrid compressor plug-in that combines the modelling power of tubes, transistors, and transformers. If you're looking for an easy way to add character to your mix, a vintage emulation compressor may be the way to go.
