BLEASS Compressor

Name: BLEASS Compressor
Price: 19.9 USD
Author: BLEASS

by BLEASS · Compressor · Compressor

Not rated yet

BLEASS Compressor is a general-purpose compressor with external sidechain input and input filters.

It runs in real time with low CPU use, for $19.99.

Best for: Vocals, Drums, Bass, Keys & Synths, Mix Bus. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: sidechain input, CPU-light, bass, drums, external sidechain, kick, parallel processing, bus processing, clean, look-ahead, metering, mix bus, cymbals, full mix, built-in mix knob, mixing, randomize, single-band, vocals.

What it does

BLEASS Compressor is a clean, general-purpose compressor that the developer describes as a "comprehensive compression tool." It models no hardware; the focus is plain dynamics control with sidechain filtering and very low CPU use.

Core controls: threshold, ratio up to 60:1, attack, release and an adjustable knee from hard to soft, set from faders or by dragging the compression curve.
Look-ahead: 0, 2 or 5 ms of look-ahead, which allows effectively instant attack on sharp transients.
Sidechain filters: resonant high-pass and low-pass filters on the detection path, adjusted on an interactive graph, so low end or cymbals don't over-trigger the compressor.
External sidechain: key the compressor from another track, with sidechain gain and a Listen switch to hear the detection signal.
Make-up gain: Passive mode applies a fixed, calculated gain; Active mode follows the compression as it changes.
Output and metering: output gain and a dry/wet mix for parallel compression, with source, gain reduction and output meters around the curve display.
Extras: a preset library and a parameter randomizer.

A demo is available.

Source: BLEASS product page

When to use it

BLEASS Compressor is the better pick for cheap, light, transparent compression with flexible sidechain filtering, especially on large sessions. Compared with Pro-C 3 it has a single style and no character modes, but it costs a fraction of the price and covers the same everyday jobs. It is cleaner and more neutral than The Glue, which adds SSL-style bus colour, and it lacks the program-dependent mastering behaviour of TDR Kotelnikov. Unlike an 1176 or LA-2A model, it adds no colour of its own.

Best for: everyday track compression, sidechain ducking such as bass under kick, and parallel compression on drums.
Genres: any.
Look elsewhere if: you want vintage hardware colour (the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection or CLA-76), bus glue (The Glue) or many compression styles in one plugin (Pro-C 3).
Tip: raise the sidechain high-pass so the kick and bass don't drive the compressor on a full drum or mix bus.

What producers say

Reviewers see it as a no-frills, good-value compressor that is light on CPU.

MusicTech gave it 8/10, praising the clear interface, minimal CPU load, the two-band sidechain filter and its range, from taming hi-hats to adding weight to a kick.
Criticisms: MusicTech found dragging the compression curve less intuitive than using the dedicated faders.

MusicTech review

Where to buy

Best Service: $19.90
BLEASS: $19.99
Plugin Boutique: $19.99
AudioDeluxe: $19.99

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

Compressor by Kilohearts · Digital compressor · Free
Compactor by Kilohearts · Free compressor/limiter · Free
C1 Compressor by Waves · Compressor / gate · $32.91
Oxford Dynamics by Sonnox · Compressor/limiter/gate · $270
Comprexxor by IK Multimedia · Compressor · $99.99
KH-COMP1 by Black Rooster Audio · Original-design mix compressor · $59
Comprezzore by DDMF · Drawable-curve compressor · $79
AI-Compressor by Techivation · Assisted compressor · $129

All compressors