H160

Name: H160
Price: 24.97 USD
Author: HoRNet

by HoRNet · Compressor · Hard-knee analog-modeled compressor

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H160 is an analog-modeled hard-knee compressor for punchy, tight dynamic control on drums, bass, vocals and other sources.

Auto input trim, an auto gain-reduction target, auto make-up gain, dry/wet and saturation and hiss emulation add modern conveniences. It costs €21.99 (about $24.97).

Best for: Drums, Bass, Vocals, Guitars. Genres: Rock & Indie, Hip-Hop & Trap, Pop.

Keywords: analog-sounding, bass, drums, parallel processing, punchy, vocals, hardware emulation, built-in mix knob, classic, A/B compare, auto-gain, gritty, kick, mixing, modern, oversampling, resizable UI, single-band, snare, tight, vintage.

What it does

H160 is HoRNet's hard-knee compressor, modeled on an unnamed "iconic analog compressor" and aimed at bold, punchy compression. It keeps the classic control set small and adds automatic helpers for level setting.

Compression: a fixed hard-knee curve with threshold, ratio and output gain, the short control path of classic punch compressors.
Input and output trims: separate trims before and after the compressor, so you can drive it harder or softer without touching the threshold.
Auto Input Trim: sets the incoming level for you, so the compressor starts from a sensible operating point on any source.
Auto GR Target: you choose how much gain reduction you want and the plugin moves the threshold to hit it.
Auto Make-Up Gain: brings the output back up to make up for the level lost to compression, which helps fair A/B checks.
Analog colour: an analog saturation control and optional hiss emulation for vintage grit.
Parallel and quality: a dry/wet control for parallel compression, and oversampling that follows the project sample rate automatically or can be set to 2x, 4x or 8x.

The interface is freely resizable with light and dark themes, preset load/save buttons and a full bypass. H160 was released in September 2024; KVR lists version 1.0.0. The demo is fully functional, but it goes silent now and then, cannot save settings with your session and ignores host automation.

Source: HoRNet product page

When to use it

H160 is the pick when you want fast, hard-knee punch with very few decisions to make, at a low price. Compared with Pro-C 3, it has one fixed character and no knee, style or advanced sidechain controls, but its auto GR target and auto trim get you to a usable setting quicker. Next to the CLA-76 and the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection it is a different flavour: a threshold-and-ratio design rather than an input-driven FET limiter, so it suits thick, controlled hits more than aggressive pumping. Unlike The Glue, it is not built as a soft bus glue, and it does not offer MJUC's choice of vintage tube models. Its saturation, hiss and dry/wet controls cover the parallel, slightly dirty uses that many cheap compressors leave out.

Best for: kick, snare, bass DI and upfront vocals that need to sit firmly in place, plus parallel drum compression.
Genres: rock, hip-hop and pop.
Look elsewhere if: you need soft-knee transparency or detailed sidechain options (Pro-C 3), FET-style bite (CLA-76), or gentle mix bus glue (The Glue).

Where to buy

HoRNet: $24.97 (Listed at €21.99; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))

Tutorials and reviews

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