H4K Bus Compressor
by HoRNet · Compressor · VCA bus compressor
Not rated yet
H4K Bus Compressor is a VCA bus compressor that emulates analog circuitry, made to glue stereo mixes and buses together.
It has stepped ratio, attack and release with an auto release, plus auto trim, auto attack/release, dry/wet and 2x to 8x oversampling. It costs €21.99 (about $24.97).
Best for: Mix Bus, Drum Bus, Mastering. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: bus processing, VCA, glue, built-in mix knob, full mix, hardware emulation, parallel processing, mix bus, oversampling, auto-gain, classic, inspired by, metering, analog-sounding, circuit-modelled, drum bus, drums, mastering, mixing, modern, resizable UI, single-band.
What it does
H4K Bus Compressor is HoRNet's "classic VCA BUS compression with modern features": a console-style bus compressor with full analog circuit emulation, plus automatic helpers for setting it up quickly.
- Ratio: three stepped settings, 2:1, 4:1 and 10:1.
- Attack and release: six attack times (0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 10 and 30 ms) and four release times (0.1, 0.3, 0.6 and 1.2 s) plus Auto release.
- Threshold and make-up: continuously variable, with a VU meter showing gain reduction.
- Auto helpers: Auto Trim, automatic gain compensation and Auto Attack/Release, plus a Link I/O switch that ties input and output levels together.
- Parallel blend: a dry/wet control for parallel compression on the bus.
- Analog stage: a bypassable VCA emulation with optional noise, and a mode that bypasses the compression while keeping the analog colour.
- Oversampling: variable from 2x to 8x, with automatic selection based on the session.
- Interface: presets, light and dark themes, and a freely resizable window.
Version 1.0.1 improved Auto Trim and fixed a macOS white-screen issue and a make-up gain bypass bug. The demo is fully functional but silences periodically and does not save settings or respond to automation.
When to use it
H4K Bus Compressor is the budget pick for classic VCA bus glue with a few shortcuts on top. It follows the same stepped ratio, attack and release layout as Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor and Cytomic The Glue, and adds auto attack/release, Auto Trim and auto gain helpers that those leave to you. Compared with The Glue, the product page lists no sidechain filter or range control, so it offers less fine control over how the bus reacts to the low end. Compared with Pro-C 3, it is a single-character compressor rather than a multi-style one, but it costs a fraction of the price.
- Best for: mix bus glue, drum and instrument buses, and quick parallel bus compression with the dry/wet blend.
- Genres: any style; pop, rock and electronic mixes that want console-style cohesion.
- Look elsewhere if: you want sidechain filtering and more detailed control (The Glue), or many compressor styles in one plugin (Pro-C 3).
Where to buy
- HoRNet: $24.97 (Listed at €21.99; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))
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