Expand in style. A good gate/expander is an indispensable tool in any mixing or live situation. FabFilter Pro-G offers everything you could wish for: perfectly tuned algorithms, complete control over the side chain and channel linking, excellent metering and great interface design. Buy now 30-day trial. HoRNet CompExp is a compressor-expander vst plugin designed by Saverio Vigni, the design is base on a commander chip designed for telephone lines and used to reduce noise on an electronic device. Achieving a well balanced and a commercial ready track/sound with a compressor tool is far more said than done, achieve a faster result with CompExp.
If you want a better mix, knowing how to use compressors is key. Not every compressor does the same thing. Compressors have personalities!
In fact, you should have several compressors and get to know what each one brings to your mix.
Compressors give you more loudness without clipping. They smooth out peaks and give more punch.
So here are 7 free VST compressors plugins for you:
- Rough Rider
- OTT
- DCAM Free Comp
- TAN
- SAFE Compressor
- FR COMP 87
- MCompressor
Grab them for either Mac or PC and install them on any DAW.
Add them to your toolkit today and compress your way to success:
1. Rough Rider
By Audio Damage
Audio Damage’s Rough Rider is a modern compressor with a vintage flavour.
Rough Rider is the best for adding pump to rhythmic tracks. It’s not designed for transparency but gives great high impact bite. Drive it to get some extra crunch and warmth.
Adjust the Ratio, Attack, Release times, and Sensitivity and Makeup gain knobs to find your perfect ride.
Download Rough Rider for free here.
2. OTT
By Xfer Records
OTT is a multiband upwards/downwards compressor made by Xfer Records.
It’s an aggressive-style of compression very popular in dubstep and electro productions.
Tweak the knobs to adjust the Depth, Time, In Gain and Out Gain. Play with Highs, Mids and Lows. Adjust the percentages of upwards and downwards compression to your taste.
Download OTT for free here.
3. DCAM Free Comp
By FXpansion
FXpansion’s DCAM Free Comp is modelled after classic console bus compressors.
What does it do best? It glues together subgroups in your mix. Gluing gives you more punch and definition while also taming your peaks. Nice!
Change the settings for a more extreme creative effect.
Download DCAM Free Comp here.
4. TAN
By Acustica Audio
Acustica’s TAN compressor was modelled from classic analog VCA compressors.
It’s a versatile compressor that gives you a wide range of adjustments.
The TAN compressor has a unique ShMod knob. It allows you to fine-tune the shape of the attack. For all of you precision freaks out there!
Download TAN for free here.
5. SAFE Compressor
By Semantica Audio
The SAFE compressor is part of a unique project. Semantica Audio has one mission: “control your audio effect plug-ins using terms that normal human beings can understand!”
Just type a term into SAFE’s text box (warm, bright, etc.) and the plugin will look for a setting to match it. Add your own words for a particular setting you like.
A dream right?
Upward Expander Vst
Download the SAFE Compressor for free here.
6. FR COMP 87
By eaReckon
Instead of giving you a limited demo version of their ANALOG87 series, eaReckon made a fully functional free FR COMP 87.
What this plugin does best? Simplicity. The FR COMP 87 has two knobs: threshold and makeup. Choose from three speeds—fast, medium and slow. Or turn on the limiter switch if you need it. Sometimes simple is just better.
Download FR COMP 87 for free here.
7. MCompressor
By MeldaProduction
MCompressor is a feature-packed, smart compressor.
Fully customize the shape of your graph. Use the smart randomization feature to instantly generate new settings. Use side-chaining to better mix your kick and bass. Even map your MCompressor onto a MIDI controller!
The MCompressor can handle mono, stereo and even 8 channel surround processing—great if you’re mixing for video, film or movies!
Download MCompressor for free here.
Be a Comp Champ
Stock up on these compressors and build a killer virtual effects rack.
Testing lots of compressors and finding the perfect ones for each mixing situation is key.
So download this list, try them out and keep your favorites close.
Make the art of compression part of every DAW session.
Get all of the LANDR-approved free VST plugin collection:
Disclosure: When you buy through our links, we may get a commission at zero cost to you.
Free Stereo Expander Vst
A noise gate is similar to a compressor in the sense that, it is used to control the loudest and the quietest part of an audio signal, but specifically, a noise gate reduces audio signals that are below a certain threshold, so, when the signals are above a threshold, it let the signal pass-through (opens the gate). on the other hand, if the signals fall below the threshold, no signal is allowed to pass (closed the gate) or the signal is attenuated with respect to the settings dialed.
Practically, noise gates are used to remove noises in an audio signal, for example, if you have some unwanted noise you would love to attenuate, you can use a noise gate plugin to find the threshold where that noise becomes annoying and adjust your settings to quiet everything below that.
Also, it can be used for sidechaining, gluing bass & kick drum together, and in fact, most producers I know use it for stuttering effect, where you can turn a sound e.g an ‘Ah’ sample sound into the same rhythm as the drumbeat, which in turn makes it groovy and danceable on the dance floor 😉
Since Noise gate works similarly to a compressor, you can read the guide on how compression works to understand some of its parameters. In this guide, I will be recommending the best Noise Gate VST/AU/AXX Plugin for use in your DAW, let’s get started…
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- 5.) FabFilter Pro-G – Fabfilter ($179.00)
1.) Gatekeeper – Polyverse ($49.00)
The first Gate plugin on our list is Gatekeeper plugin by Polyverse, which is not only easy to use but also intuitive and allows for drastic, punchy gating and sequencing while keeping the output smooth.
Whether you plan on using gate as an LFO, envelope, step sequencer, volume automation, Gatekeeper is capable of all that, plus it has 8 MIDI programmable envelopes, CV output for external hardware, and hundreds of presets that will spice up your sounds.
Note that, Gatekeeper doesn’t work well for denoising, so, if you want a gate plugin that would attenuate noise at a certain threshold, I’ll highly recommend using Gatey Watey by Boz Digital Labs, which is what I am reviewing next.
VIDEO SNEAK-PEEK
Key Features:
- Sample fast and precise volume modulation
- Expressive and fun envelope drawing tools
- Boost and clip features for extra punch
- Smoothing algorithm to eliminate clicks and pops
- 8 independent volume envelopes
- Fully customizable midi-triggering
- Panning tools
- Tempo mapped looping
- CV output for Modular synths
- Hundreds of presets
System Requirements:
- OS – Mac/PC
- Bit Depth 32/64
- Format – AAX, VST, AU
- Hardware Requirements – Mac: Intel Core 2 Duo or higher, 4GB RAM minimum
- Hardware Requirements – PC: Intel Core 2 Duo/AMD Athlon 64×2 or higher, 4GB RAM minimum
- OS Requirements – Mac: OS X 10.6 or later
- OS Requirements – PC Windows 7 SP1 or later
2.) Gatey Watey – Boz Digital Labs ($49.00)
Gatey Watey is a simple and easy to use gate plugin, it lets you choose which frequencies you want to attenuates when the signal falls below the threshold, similar to the way the threshold kicks in compression settings. Gatey Watey works well for de-noising annoying signal without affecting the main audio signal, a use case is getting rid of drum bleed without cutting off your drums.
Unlike Gatekeeper that isn’t suitable for denoising, Gatey Watey has a frequency selective attenuation, which means you can tell it to only attenuate a certain frequency when the input drop below the threshold. This feature can be really powerful if you know what you are doing, for example, if you want to cut the high hat bleed out of a snare without killing the ring of the snare, Gatey Watey is your preferred choice.
VIDEO SNEAK-PEEK
Key Features:
- Frequency selective gating
- Lookahead
- Simple Interface
- No Learning Curve
System Requirements:
Mac
- AAX/AU (Audio Units)/RTAS/VST/VST3
Windows
- AAX/RTAS/VST/VST3
3.) Gate Snapin – kiloHearts ($19.00)
This is my favorite gating plugin, and I highly recommend this for producers or mixing engineer that love simple and straight to the point plugins. The Gate Snapin by kiloHearts helps to get rid of low hum and noise from your audio signal, cut reverb tails short or exaggerate the dynamics in a beat.
If for some reason, you want a ducking effect/sidechaining, it can be easily driven by an external sidechain signal, However, I’ll highly recommend sidechaining through your stock plugins, it’s a matter of preference anyway, use what suits your style.
System Requirments:
- CPU: 2 GHz or faster
- Memory: 1 GB or more
- Operating System: Windows (7 or newer) or Mac OS X (10.7 or newer)
Supported formats: AAX/AU/VST2/Snapin
4.) Trance Gate Snapin – kiloHearts ($39.00)
This is another gating plugin by kiloHearts, Trance Gate Snapin can be used to chop up any sort of sound, think of it as a gate sequencer where you chop up an audio signal, and turn it into an arpeggio or rhythmical groove.
System Requirments:
- CPU: 2 GHz or faster
- Memory: 1 GB or more
- Operating System: Windows (7 or newer) or Mac OS X (10.7 or newer)
Supported formats: AAX/AU/VST2/Snapin
5.) FabFilter Pro-G – Fabfilter ($179.00)
Fabfilter Pro G features 6 awesome expander/gate algorithms, including upward expansion and ducking or sidechaining.
One feature I love about the Fabfilter Pro G is the way you can route signals, also, you can choose between mono, stereo or mid/side processing and in expert mode, external side chain input is available with completely customizable channel linking and routing.
VIDEO SNEAK-PEEK
Key Features:
- Six meticulously tuned expander/gate algorithms, including upward expansion and ducking
- Program dependent attack and release curves
- Low CPU usage
- Adjustable range, hold time and knee settings
- Optional look-ahead time up to 10 ms
- Precise and helpful metering, including a real-time level display
- An expert mode that offers highly customizable side chain options
- Mono, stereo or mid/side processing
- Up to four times linear-phase oversampling
- Zero-latency operation mode
- MIDI triggering: open the gate/expander with your MIDI keyboard
- External side chain option
- Separate dry/wet level settings
- Easy to set up for common gating/expansion scenarios with the included factory presets
- GPU-powered graphics acceleration
- Double-click text entry of parameter values
- Stereo and mono plug-ins available
- Supports common Pro Tools hardware control surfaces
- Extensive help file with interactive help hints
System Requirements:
Windows:
- 32-bit: Windows 8, 7, Vista or XP
- 64-bit: Windows 8, 7 or Vista(x64)
- VST 2/3 host or Pro Tools
Mac OS X:
- 32-bit: OS X 10.5 or higher
- 64-bit: OS X 10.6 or higher
- AU or VST 2/3 host or Pro Tools
- Intel processor