Renaissance Compressor: Compressor Plugin by Waves

Renaissance Compressor lets you choose between a warm or a smooth character, so you can shape how the compression colors the signal. Waves says the auto-release mode provides silky gain reduction, even when the compressor is pushed hard.

The plugin offers the classic opto or modern electro attack and release times, giving you a choice of timing behavior depending on the source. Parameters are designed to control the feel of the compression as well as its raw performance.

Beyond compression, the plugin includes upward expansion with a soft knee, which can bring up quieter passages without the abruptness of a hard threshold. Compression and expansion share the same soft-knee behavior, keeping the response consistent.

An Ultramaximizer-based limiter catches peaks at the end of the chain. The metering includes a limiting indicator, so you can see when the limiter is working. Three skins change the look of the interface if you want a different visual style.