Despite the software industry offering up a wealth of all-new compressor designs that come at the concept of dynamics shaping from all sorts of novel directions, emulations of classic hardware units from decades gone by still dominate the plugin scene. The proven sounds and styles of the LA-2A, 1176, SSL Bus Compressor and other vintage icons remain as desirable today as ever, it seems – here are eight of our favourites.

Lindell Audio 254E

Lindell’s handsome plugin emulates the standalone ‘E’ version of the Neve 2254 compressor/limiter, which was introduced in 1968 as a module on the venerable British company’s mixing consoles. Built on an innovative diode-bridge design, the 2254 was known for its warmth and character, and the 254E captures every aspect of the hardware’s sound and functionality, adding only a dry/wet mix control for parallel compression, a 100ms Compress Recovery setting, a Slow attack time, and a high-pass sidechain filter.

With the signal hitting an adjustable limiter prior to compression, and its comparatively languid response, the 254E is great for levelling individual instruments and vocals, and is particularly in its element on drums and mix busses. See and hear it pitted against a FET-style compressor on a snare drum in Julian’s video below...

Empirical Labs Arousor

A recording industry standard since the end of the ’90s, Empirical Labs’ groundbreaking Distressor changed the dynamics processing game with its thoughtfully crafted preset compression curves, highly adaptable response and distortion characteristics, and knockout sound. The ‘official’ plugin version, Arousor, not only brings you a hugely convincing take on the hardware in every sense that matters, but goes far beyond the original design with the transformative implementation of four extra ratios (1.5:1, 6.5:1, 7:1 and 8:1), two LA-2A-inspired Opto modes, attack stage shaping, and variable saturation and soft clipping. There’s simply no dynamics-wrangling situation that Arousor can’t handle, and the punch and energy it brings to drums, basses, vocals and anything else you might send its way is extraordinary.

Sonically superlative, endlessly versatile and regularly improved with significant free updates, Empirical Labs’ virtual compressor is nothing short of a masterpiece – we’d honestly take it over its physical counterpart!

Softube Tube-Tech Compressor Collection

Don’t be fooled by the deceptive name, as Softube’s contribution to our list actually only comprises the current and original versions of a single plugin: their emulation of Tube-Tech’s CL 1B opto compressor, itself a reimagining of the legendary Teletronix LA-2A. Rebuilt from the ground up a few years ago, the Mk II incarnation added dry/wet mix control, a sidechain high-pass filter (fixed at 80 or 220Hz) and high-res graphics, and improved the core algorithms to deliver a sound even closer to that of its hardware counterpart than the already-impressive original version. With its nippy attack, languid opto release, easy operation and 10:1 maximum Ratio, CL 1B is, as expected, particularly keen on vocals, basses, keys, guitars and the like, and very much one of those compressors befitting the epithet ‘musical’.

Kind of overpriced at full RRP, but seemingly on sale much of the time, this is as definitive a version of Tube-Tech’s beautiful compressor as you’ll find in software. The Legacy version is really just for compatibility with old projects for previous CL 1B owners, however, and so adds nothing to the ‘Collection’ for newcomers.

Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection

For their emulations of the legendary Fairchild 660 and 670 limiters for UAD-2 and Apollo DSP systems (not yet available in the new Native format), Universal Audio have lovingly modelled the “golden reference units” owned by Ocean Way Studios, and added dry/wet Mix knobs, sidechain filters and the distortion-tailoring Headroom Control. Although the actual 660 was a mono unit, while the 670 upgraded the architecture to stereo, both plugins can load in mono or stereo configurations, plus dual mono and mid-side options for the 670. The perceptible differences between the two, then, aren’t exactly profound – a little more punch from the 670, most notably – but between them they present two subtly different but equally delicious compression flavours, with the Headroom Control proving very effective for setting your desired degree of transparency.

Also included with the Collection is the original UAD1 version of the 670 – 670 Legacy – which demands far less DSP usage and operates at slightly lower latency, but doesn’t model the amp and transformer stages and so lacks the colouration of the newer builds.

Watch Russ take Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection through its paces in his video review.

IK Multimedia Black 76

There are so many fantastic software remakes of the Urei/Universal Audio 1176 compressor on the market that trying to pick a ‘winner’ would be folly – but we have a real soft spot for IK Multimedia’s emulation of the 1176LN, which can be loaded as a self-contained plugin or within their T-RackS mastering suite.

With its meticulously modelled FET-based design delivering super-fast attack times and a particular colouration that’s desirable in its own right (with compression bypassed), and the famous ‘all buttons in’ ultra-high ratio mode given its own dedicated button, Black 76 puts the authentic 1176 sound and experience at your fingertips. It also adds in mid-side processing, but, surprisingly, stops short of a dry/wet mix control.

Waves CLA-2A

Like the 1176, the Teletronix LA-2A Levelling Amplifier is well represented in the plugin space, and Waves’ exacting emulation of multiple Grammy-winning mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge’s personal unit is without doubt one of the best. There’s little in the way of frills and extras over the original hardware specification – electrical hum can be switched between 50Hz and 60Hz currents (or turned off), and the sidechain includes a high-pass filter – but all that really matters is that Waves have succeeded in modelling the program-dependent, two-stage release of the T4 electro-optical cell that governs the gain reduction, and the glorious warmth of the tube amp. Switch between 3:1 Compressor or 100:1 Limiter modes, dial in the compression with the Peak Reduction knob, make up the Gain (and overdrive the tube) if required, and bask in some of the most transparent, musical compression you’ll ever hear. A must-have for vocals, especially.

Dan Cooper compares CLA-2A to the Universal Audio LA-2A in this video.

Arturia Comp TUBE-STA

Once the most intriguing third of Arturia’s Three Compressors You’ll Actually Use collection, alongside the also-excellent Comp VCA-65 and Comp FET-76 DBX 165A and 1176 emulations, TUBE-STA is now available on its own or as part of the FX Collection 3 bundle. As far as we’re aware, this is one of only two software emulations of the ’50s vintage Gates STA-Level compressor in existence (the other being Sknote’s STA-Limit), and it aims to faithfully recreate the Vari-Mu magic of that American-designed box via Arturia’s well established TAE modelling technology. Actually, to be more precise, it appears to be aping Retro Instruments’ 2014 remake of the long-discontinued original, as evidenced by the extra Triple Recovery Mode (faster attack) and Recovery Time knob. Further to that, popping out below the main control panel, the Advanced section brings a comprehensive sidechain setup to the party, with five stereo detection modes and a full-on EQ/filter combo.

Comp TUBE-STA’s gloriously non-linear attack/release and warming saturation make it especially well suited to vocals and basses, but it’s wonderfully bolstering on the drums bus, too, and anywhere else where a touch of bottom-end fattening might be called for.

SSL Native Bus Compressor 2

Another deified high-end hardware processor made abundantly available in software via a raft of developers, the integrated Bus Compressor from SSL’s 4000 G Series console is widely regarded as one of the most effective instant mix-improvers in the history of music technology, its quasi-magical gluing effect having beefed up countless hits since the late ’80s. As you’d expect, SSL’s own virtualisation is one of the most authentic versions around – if not the most authentic – and as well as nailing the essential bus compression side of things, the company have opened the remit up to better cater to individual tracks, too, by extending the Ratio control up to and some distance beyond 20:1, and adding various new Attack and Release settings.

Sidechain filtering and a Mix knob are also onboard, natch, and Native Bus Compressor 2 is the best way to imbue your mixes with that characteristically in-your-face SSL sound short of dropping two grand on the real thing.

What are your go-to vintage and classic compressor plugins? Let us know in the comments.