Teft’s Blog

So I decided to try out the demo of the new compressor by FabFilter called “Pro-C“. I’d imagine “C” stands for compressor. I’m a huge fan of the FabFilter products … Twin, Timeless, Volcano … there all great! But I’ve always thought of FabFilter tools as synths and funky effects. Not bread and butter tools (like compressors).

I decided to put the Pro-C up against my two favorite software compressors … Logic’s Compressor and the Sonalksis SV-315. Both have distinctive sounds, and both are heavily used in my productions. When I first test out new goodies I start out with a drum beat and then add the sugar (plugins!)

I used battery 3 to make a quick beat and then applied the Pro-C … first impression: Very versatile.

You have three distinctive compressor algorithms to choose from: Clean, Classic, and Opto. Each one acts exactly as they should. The clean setting is a standard digital compressor, classic simulates tube compression, and opto provides that transparent opto sound (like an Avalon AD2044 ).

As usual, the Pro-C comes with all the cool FabFilter GUI effects and has some really nice midi controls. How likely am I to bust out the midi controls on a single compressor? Not very likely, but options are always nice to have.

So how did the Pro-C compare to similar settings on Logic’s Compressor and the SV-315? (note: I bounced each compressor within 1 decibel of each other). Have a listen:

Beat with FabFilter Pro-C:

Beat with Logic’s Compressor:

Beat with Sonalksis SV-315:

Overall, the Pro-C is a strong competitor. Logic’s Compressor was the weakest out of the three, and the SV-315 brought out more bass. I preferred the Pro-C’s sound because it was more balanced and still retained a nice fat sound wtih sharp transients. But, the real test is actually using it in a production and seeing how it performs during battle! Or maybe a 1 hour song?

I’ll give my 30 day evaluation a good workout and then decide if $200 (actually $129 since I own the other toys) is worth it. (Maybe FabFilter is planning a Pro-EQ?)