+10dB Compressor 2

Name: +10dB Compressor 2
Price: 79 USD
Author: Boz Digital Labs

by Boz Digital Labs · Compressor · FET compressor/expander

Not rated yet

The compressor from Boz's +10dB Channel Strip, sold on its own: a model of a rare hardware limiter, compressor and expander, made with producer David Bendeth.

It compresses, limits and expands at once, is known for snappy, aggressive drum sounds, and adds a Dry Passthrough knob for parallel compression.

Best for: Drums, Drum Bus, Vocals. Genres: Rock & Indie, Metal, Pop.

Keywords: drums, downward expansion, aggressive, FET, parallel processing, vocals, bus processing, classic, drum bus, extreme, hardware emulation, kick, built-in mix knob, mixing, musical, post-production, punchy, room mics, single-band, snare, subtle.

What it does

+10dB Compressor 2 is David Bendeth's signature compressor from Boz Digital Labs, "meticulously modeled after one of the industries most iconic hardware compressors." Sound On Sound identifies the unit as the ADR F760X Compex, which limits, compresses and expands through a single FET gain element.

Controls: threshold (-20 to 0 dB), six ratios from 1:1 to 20:1, three attack times (0.25, 2.5 and 25 ms) and eight release times from 25 ms to 3.2 s, per MusicRadar's review.
Limiter and expander: an optional hard limiter and an expander/gate section alongside the compressor.
Dry Passthrough: a mix knob Boz added for parallel compression "without having to set up extra buses."
Character: at higher ratios it turns aggressive and snappy, which suits drums.
Presets: the original release shipped with 10 presets by Bendeth for drums and vocals.

KVR lists version 2.0.13. The EQ and the full +10dB Channel Strip 2 are sold separately.

Source: Boz Digital Labs product page

When to use it

+10dB Compressor 2 is the pick for its combined compress, limit and expand behavior and aggressive drum snap, where CLA-76 and Softube's FET Compressor Mk II are 1176-style FET compressors and the Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor covers a wide range of colors. It lacks the matching EQ and sidechain routing of +10dB Channel Strip 2, so get that instead if you want them.

Best for: room mics, snare and kick, parallel drum smash, and aggressive vocals.
Genres: rock, metal, pop-punk and pop.
Look elsewhere if: you need transparent, precise gain control; reviewers say it needs careful handling.
Standout: simultaneous compression, limiting and expansion from one modeled unit, plus the Dry Passthrough control.

What producers say

Reviews of the +10dB release praised the drum punch and the expander, with a warning that the compressor needs care; a recent buyer complained about support.

SonicScoop (2015) said it adds "a crazy smack to the transients" and is more bombastic than SSL-style compression.
Sound On Sound (2015) found it matched the hardware's "attitude and character" in a direct comparison.
Boz customers gave it 5/5 in 2014 ("This thing smokes!") and 2021 ("Extremely musical, delicate").
Gripe: MusicRadar (2015) warned the compressor demands caution; a 2024 buyer gave 1/5 over bugs.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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