Pumper 3
by W.A. Production · Compressor · Compressor, saturator and imager
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Pumper 3 is a three-in-one plugin from W.A. Production with a four-mode compressor, a saturator and a stereo imager.
It adds wet/dry parallel compression and RMS shaping, for $39.
Best for: Drums, Bass, Keys & Synths, Mix Bus. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Hip-Hop & Trap, Pop.
Keywords: bass, drums, mix bus, wide, keys, parallel processing, punchy, synths, bus processing, mastering, built-in mix knob, spacious, warm, full mix, gentle, glue, kick, mixing, percussion, single-band, subtle, transparent, utility, visual feedback, vocals.
What it does
Pumper 3 is W.A. Production's three-in-one tone tool: a compressor, a saturator and a stereo imager in one window, with before-and-after waveforms. The developer pitches it as a way to add "immediacy, body and depth" quickly.
- Four compressor modes: Punchy for clear kicks and percussion, Fat for more bottom end, Clean for transparent work and Soft for gentle control on the master channel.
- Parallel and RMS: a wet/dry control for parallel compression and RMS shaping controls that set how the detector responds.
- Saturator: goes from subtle warmth to obvious distortion, with Rise and Fall settings that shape how it treats transients and character.
- Stereo imager: a Stereo Image control for width and depth, with Low and High shelf modes that have their own frequency and resonance controls, so the widening can focus on part of the spectrum.
- Gain staging: gain controls for each module plus a master gain.
- Display and presets: a real-time waveform display of the signal before and after processing, and 50 factory presets for drums, vocals, bass, keys, synths, acoustic instruments and mastering.
The current version is 3.2.0 (17 April 2024), and a free demo is available.
Source: W.A. Production product page
When to use it
Pumper 3 is the pick when you want punch, warmth and width from one cheap plugin rather than three. Compared with Cytomic The Glue or Klanghelm MJUC, it gives far less control over the compressor itself (four fixed characters instead of detailed attack, release and ratio work), but it adds saturation and stereo imaging that those two don't have. It is less transparent and less precise than TDR Kotelnikov or FabFilter Pro-C 3, and it has no sidechain or detailed metering in the feature list. With 50 presets, it is aimed at beat-makers who prefer to pick a preset and nudge a few knobs.
- Best for: quick punch, body and width on drums, bass, synths and keys, and light colour on a master bus.
- Genres: EDM, hip-hop, trap and pop.
- Look elsewhere if: you need a precise or hardware-style compressor (Pro-C 3, The Glue or MJUC), or a dedicated saturator with many styles such as FabFilter Saturn 2.
Where to buy
- W.A. Production: $39
- Plugin Boutique: $39
- AudioDeluxe: $39
- Best Service: $39.90
Tutorials and reviews
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