Today we’re bringing to you the hottest lineup of multiband compressors out there. We’ll give you our list and then let you decide on which is the best. Read below to see!

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What is a Multiband Compressor?

A Multiband compressor is a compressor that can compress multiple frequency bands individually. They are powerful tools when it comes to production, mixing, and mastering.

It’s important to know when to use multiband compression, in this article we’ll let you know some of our favorites going into 2019.

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iZotope Ozone 8

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Ozone 8 is the newest version of iZotope’s mastering suite. The advanced version comes fully loaded and is arguably the best mastering software available, a total steal for the price.

Ozone comes with 12 mastering tools that add punch, snap, warmth, character – you name it – to your song master. Ozone 8 would already be in the lead with its set of powerful tools, but it stands above the rest with its AI assistance and referencing tools.

You get traditional processing effects, AND their referencing plugins – Total Balance Control, plus the ability to insert a reference track right into the plugin.

Ozone 8’s modules are designed for mastering but as with most rules, those too are meant to be broken. You can add quite a bit of punch to your group busses utilizing Ozone’s 12 effects, so get started right away!

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FabFilter Pro-MB

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FabFilter’s Pro-MB would be the top competitor for Ozone 8, in our opinion. FabFilter has clearly established itself in the plugin market for its powerful, and good-looking plugins.

Pro-MB is one of the best dynamic processors on the market. The plugin rocks processing for six individual bands with flexibility on where to place them.

This flexibility helps make it good for mixing and mastering. Pro-MB utilizes precision band-splitting as opposed to traditional crossover frequencies (but those are there too).

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Waves C6

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The C6 Multiband Compressor is a widely popular plugin because of its versatility, and it doesn’t hurt that Waves runs massive sales year-round. It’s also good for live use, but make sure to rehearse effectively to test that claim.

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UAD Precision Multiband

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Universal Audio is one of the finest plugin makers in the business, and their Precision Multiband Compressor is nothing short of amazing. It’s particularly easy to use and hailed by Grammy-winning engineers such as Emily Lazar (David Bowie, Foo Fighters) and Paul Blakemore (Esperanza Spalding, Arturo Sandoval).

The plugin can tame dynamics and handle de-essing, and offers you five spectral bands to do so. Each band offers separate compression/expansion and various gate modes.

The one downside is how expensive UAD plugins are. They are certainly quality but the other plugins listed here pack as much of a punch with more features as well.

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Multiband Compressor by Vengeance

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Vengeance makes killer plugins and there multiband compressor is an excellent example. It’s a fully-loaded dynamics processor which will give your mix the punch and loudness it was born for.

Vengeance stands out from the rest simply due to its colorful tone it leaves on mixes. If you’re looking for complete transparency then search elsewhere, otherwise, check out this badass piece of software.