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Manic Compressor | Boz Digital Labs

This thing rules.

creative tool with fantastic, -fast- -- yet always end up incredible results!

The demo mode pisses me off big time

I don't understand why we can't get a fully functioning demo for a week or two...and thus be able to try the products in a real setting.

This way it just makes me don't want to use it, and I get annoyed at the disruptive nature of the demo version.

Not the way to attract professional users!

Thanks for posting this. Here's a little background on the plugin.

Maximum Parallel Power

Parallel compression is a key ingredient that has been used by top mixers for years, but up until now, it has always required complex routing and increased clutter in your mix project to be able to utilize it on every track. Many compressors have a mix knob for blending the compressed signal with the dry signal, but we have found that this just doesn’t give enough control to really make use of the extensive power of parallel compression.

With individual wet and dry faders, along with an intuitive yet powerful EQ section, it won’t take long to recognize how much you’ve been missing out on. After using Manic Compressor on our projects, we realized that we have been missing out on a whole new world that we didn’t even know existed with compression.

6 Different Compressors

Even with so many good compressors out there, we find that it’s cumbersome to switch back and forth between different compressors with different settings trying to find the exact match for your track. With Manic Compressor, you can quickly switch between 6 different compressors without having to match settings.

Because Manic Compressor was designed from the ground up to be used in parallel, we were able to make some compressor modes the really really shine in parallel.

Built for Abuse

With Manic Compressors innovative parallel design and Loudness Relief, this compressor was built to be abused. Subtle compression is a thing of that past (unless you want it, of course). Manic compressor lets you put your settings to maximum carnage and then ease it off with it’s unique Loudness Relief knob, which softens the compression artifacts even under super heavy load.

A more personal perspective

I'll take off the salesman hat for a bit and describe why I made this thing. I was frustrated with the fact that parallel compression was such a messy process. I mean, almost every compressor plugin has a mix knob these days, but doing that and calling it parallel compression is really ignoring some of what makes parallel compression so great. Also, compressors are generally designed to be used as a standard series compressor, and using it in parallel is kind of an afterthought. What sounds good in series often sounds kind of boring in parallel, and what sounds good in parallel usually sounds really bad on it's own.

The disconnect between the way we use compression and the way we use parallel compression had a big gaping hole, and I wanted to make a plugin to bridge that. Some of the compression modes in Manic Compressor were designed specifically to be used in parallel (most notably, the digital mode). In all honesty, when used in series, "digital" mode such a wacky compressor, I can't imagine myself every using it in series. But in parallel it's like magic on drums.

For me personally, it has completely changed the way I use compression. I have a lot of compressors that I love, but after using the workflow of Manic Compressor, I find it hard to go back to using those. They still have their place in my workflow, but if I'm going to open a compressor and do any experimentation, it's Manic Compressor every time for me.

And here's kind of a lame video of me talking about it. I'll come up with some walkthrough videos this week.

There are many reasons we do the demo this way. It's not perfect, but I find my self just as frustrated as you with 2 week demos. 90% of the time I download a time bombed demo version of a plugin with the intent of really testing it out, other stuff comes up and my 2 week trial is over before I even have a chance to test it out. The number of time limited demo versions of plugins I have on my hard drive that have never been touched is slightly depressing.

Secondly, we offer a full refund on all of our purchases for 30 days if you don't like it. So if you want to try it without limitations, you are welcome to make use of that. If you decide you don't like it, just let me know and I'll give you a refund.

There's no best way to do a demo version. Some people really love this method, some people hate it.

Dying for some audio examples!

I do have this video. It's a little long winded, but it walks through the way I use it to add punch to drums:



I'll make some less wordy walkthroughs.

Wow, looks very FF PROC2ish.... gonna try!!!!

It works just the opposite for me ...I'll use it on mixes, and if it's good, it will prove itself as a "need to have" ...like your +10db did ...and thus making me buy it when the demo period expired.

Us mixers have sensitive ears, and if we get constantly annoyed, it just makes us stop using it...and move on. There are plenty of good offers and a tough competition.

Your previous products haven't behaved like this one...and I think this is a wrong move...but hey, your call

Love the interface...but would have preferred a blend button instead of the sliders, and would have preferred that the presets didn't increase the volume.

Is it just going silent too often? This is the same method I've used for the demo version on every plugin I've done. I used to add a noise burst, but that really annoyed people, so I switched to to just cutting out the sound.

Absolutely love it! Barely touched the surface, but it's so much fun to use , and the distortion sounds fab too .

I've spent around hour with demo (by the way I like the way how you provide demos)
It's like channel strip to me. Replaces chain of several plugins.
And CPU usage is great.
AND user interface looks smooth and tasty. Yet another "among the best" and "must have" plugin, damn it.
Oh and what a sweet saturation it can make!

Congratulations!!

Really? ...maybe I just bought the +10db because I loved the hardware ...I just don't remember being annoyed by you before

Just seems like lately most of the "smaller" companies utilize this method in demo products, while the bigger companies go for the fully functional method.

Like now trying to demo your product, Valhalla plate and the Drum Gator in the same session, turns into cut out and noise galore...and impossible to get any joy out of trying the stuff.

Nice video btw...and I'm sure a nice product.

Not a big deal here. I have several instances & they go out every 10 seconds or so. Plenty of time to hear what's going on.
Great compressor btw, planning to purchase.

Looks terrific - extremely excited to demo this.

Curious if each of the 6 modes were modeled after specific hardware units? Or are they mostly original designs?

If it's 10 seconds, then I agree, that's too often. Are you using the windows version? The mac version's demo cuts out every 30 seconds. If the windows version is cutting out every 10 seconds, then I'll release an update to the demo that does it less often.

They are original designs, with hardware inspired algorithms. That's marketing talk for "I looked at and analyzed a few hardware compressors and took some clues from them (how they respond to dynamics and such), but didn't intend to make the algorithms sound exactly like the hardware."

Digital mode was most definitely not inspired by any hardware. No competent hardware designer would release a compressor that sounds like that. Ironically, it's one of my favorite modes for parallel compression.

Is saturation type are the same for all compressor modes?

Hey Oli P........................ Just buy it

My only gripe is the color of the Digital Mode. Please change/moderate to not SOOOO bright (or a more not so "childish" color).

Other than that: A feckinunbelievablefabulouslygreat compressor

This will replace many a compressor here, at least for paralell compression duties.

Congrats on a great one.
It is in good company together with Imperial Delay, T-Bone, +10 and HoserXT and also a few others.

PS. Two wishes: An output control on the Hoser, and an update on the Panther

Cool idea. Seems to be getting at the same concept as Slate's new Bomber thing, except with more understandable controls.

Gonna take it for a spin for sure.

Disagree. I want to buy this comp just for the digital GUI.
Seriously it's like speaking to me "Pssst, hey, I know it's 2a.m..... now WAKE UP and keep mixing!"

FWIW, it's extremely different. Don't go into demoing it expecting anything remotely similar to Pro C 2.

Just checked again & it's 30 seconds this time. Plenty of time here.

does the drive knob just increase the level going into the compressor?

it also adds distortion.

Well...I had to! ...in order to avoid a stroke from using that annoying demo

Don't get me wrong...I never said anything bad about the product...just hate that way of demoing.

Very interesting concept Boz.

I'll be demoing this ASAP.

This is extremely good. Bought it after a 20 minute demo. By the way, I have no problem with the silence in the demo. Quickly dialed in some mix stuff on vocals, acoustic guitar and drums.

As other people are saying this is extremely quick to get a sound with. I have the +10 which I use occasionally and I passed on the Hoser. I think this is definitely Boz's best compressor. I can already tell that it's right up there near the top of the heap in ITB compression. The word that comes to mind on all sources is "body."

By the way, don't be shy with that input knob, especially on drums. It adds a very interesting and musical distortion.

Oh yes . . . and that Loud Relief knob is some really special sauce