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H-Comp: Analog/Digital Hybrid Compressor

Andrew Thornton

H-Comp Hybrid Compressor brings new dynamic dimensions to your mix, combining the character and color of analog hardware with the features and flexibility of digital software. It’s got capabilities that engineers could only dream about in the past.

“Loving the H-Comp! I used to run three plugins on the drums to get the right amount of compression, punch, and limiting. Now I'm just using the H-Comp.”

Andrew Thornton
FOH Engineer
Sugababes, Jamiroquai, Badly Drawn Boy

Direct from the Desk

H-Comp is a compressor that delivers the modeled analog behavior of transformers, tubes and transistors, together with the power and performance of a plugin. Using standard controls like Threshold, Ratio, Attack\Release Time and Output Gain, H-Comp provides the perfect amount of compression, punch, and limiting.

H-Comp

These are a few of the unique features that differentiate H-Comp from other processors:

Manual or BPM-Sync Release Time
Choose BPM or MS to manually set your compression release time, or choose Host to automatically sync your release time to the host BPM. In Manual mode, average release times will give you much more make up gain than a faster or slower times.

Easy Parallel Compression
H-Comp’s unique wet\dry mix feature is similar to splitting a single source into 2 channels, one with hard compression and the other with soft or no compression.

4 Analog Character Modes
From clean, contemporary digital sound up to old school analog sound.

Transient Pass-Through Punch Control
Allows initial transients to pass through unprocessed, providing more overall punch

Production Notes

Here’s how you can use H-Comp to get a tight, in-your-face lead vocal without completely neutralizing the singer’s dynamics:

  • Insert H-Comp on your vocal channel
  • Set Ratio to 1:4, Attack Time to 3 ms, and Release Time to 420 ms
  • Set the Threshold to -35 dB and Mix to 70%
  • Choose Analog sound 1, with a Punch setting of 8

These settings will give you a punchy drum group sound:

  • Insert the H-Comp on your drum group
  • Set the Ratio to 1:5, Attack Time to 13 ms, and Release Time to 50 ms
  • Set the Threshold to -29dB and Mix to 100%
  • Choose Analog sound 1, with a Punch setting of 12

H-Comp is Available separately and in Waves Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Mercury and Live.

H-Comp is Available separately and in Waves Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Mercury and Live.