Kush Audio UBK-1
$149
In case you hadn’t noticed from his articles for Attack, Kush Audio’s Gregory Scott (also known as UBK) is something of a guru when it comes to compression. Having moved from the world of analogue hardware to software, his UBK-1 is a slightly eccentric but incredibly creative effect. If you want something very different to your standard compressor options, it’s the first plugin we’d recommend.
Based on compression curves from Scott’s modified version of the Empirical Labs Fatso (which is sadly not available in plugin format, although the original Fatso is emulated by Universal Audio), the UBK-1 is a unique character piece, doing far more than just compression. Scott himself describes the effect as a “motion-generating character compressor”, which hints at the fact that it’s designed to control and affect the movement of the signal rather than being thought of as a conventional compressor intended to tame dynamics and smooth out peaks.
UBK-1’s interface is split into three sections. On the left, you’ve got Saturation, used to add analogue-style distortion to the signal. With just three controls, it’s a simple but effective starting point. The Compression section that follows is similarly pared-down, with just four controls: a high-pass filter for the sidechain circuit, a wet/dry mix setting, five compression modes (Splat, Smooth, Glue, Squish and Crush) and a single knob for controlling the level of compression, with settings ranging from Mild to Intense. If that sounds like you don’t have much control over the compression, that’s not the case. You don’t have conventional threshold, attack, release and ratio controls, but the approach forces you to concentrate on the sound itself rather than the settings and the results can be dramatically different from one mode to the next. The final piece of the puzzle is the Density section, allowing you to thicken either the highs or mids, with just one knob again to control the intensity of the effect.
UBK-1 is unlike anything else on the market. It’s a hugely creative tool that forces you to rethink the way you approach compression. Most importantly, it sounds incredible.
06.08 PM
Big fan of the UAD stuff, just want to point out that paying $299 for any of their classic plugins be it the La-2a, 1176 or the Pultec EQ’s is over doing it.
UAD has frequent sales and promotions the biggest are around the Holidays and in June for the 1/2 year sale. The compressors will go as low as $99 and if you pair that with other coupons you can snag them very inexpensively. Another way to go would be buying a custom bundle. Like when you order say a Satellite or Apollo, spend another $300 and you can get 3 plugins of any value.
At first glance you may think the UAD stuff is a lot of dough. And it is if you’re going to get the latest right when it comes out. But if you watch sales and buy custom plugin bundles you can really save. There’s really no reason to pay full price for the classic compressors. They are great tho and I def like the Silver La2a
06.22 PM
great article! surprised DMG’s Compassion is not on this list. it’s pretty much my go to compressor for everything. oh, and no mentions of Waves’ compressors… that’s kinda strange.
10.18 PM
Eric – we always list products at full retail price, but you make a great point. A lot of these plugins can be had for much less at sale time, including the Universal Audio emulations.
11.48 PM
what no rocket
12.08 AM
No [insert product name]? And no [insert product name]!?
The hell with you people! 😛
12.18 PM
But what about [insert product name]?
In all seriousness, thats a great roundup.
10.38 PM
Fabfilter bundles are in sale until August 1st, in case someone’s interested. No I don’t work for Fabfilter 🙂
I’ve been eyeing the mixing bundle for some time, I’m very tempted.
03.19 PM
Slate Digital’s Virtual Mix Rack is amazing. The 1176 emulation adds nice grit and sustain. Also, the new opto compressor from BrainWorx is so punchy, sounds killer in parallel.
05.32 PM
Great list, I would also have to add any of the Native Instruments Compressors such as the Vari Comp and the Solid Bus Comp not to mention the Vintage Series VC 2A, VC 76, VC 160 as well.
07.04 AM
Elysia comps are geat! The alpha compressor can save you good money in the mastering department.
09.06 PM
Can’t see how you missed compressors like: Acustica Audio Murano and Titanium for example or MJUC, then what about Boz Audio, Slate Digital?
IMO most important compressors were excluded from this article
07.11 AM
Thank you for the article, but…what about Waves? Quite a glaring omission!
08.08 PM
The thing with the UAD stuff is that you need the DSP accelerator. I don’t have a spare £1000 lying around…
07.39 AM
I agree with Ralphonz on this one. As good as they may sound you left out the fact that UAD plug-ins won’t work without the hardware which raises the bar to 1.000 $ plus.
And hey, what about waves? You don’t have to be fan of their vast product range but a Roundup without at least one of their plug-ins seems a bit strange… Actually I don’t like a lot of their emulations either but there are some true gems…
07.48 AM
+1 for slate … The Neve type compressor really does something
01.45 PM
I dig waves ssl stuff.
12.04 PM
No Klanghelm MJUC ?! This comp is a steal !
06.20 PM
Klanghelm MJUC. Excellent. For the price nothing to compare on the market.