Our analog expertise simplified

The ToneKnob Compressor is essentially a compact, simplified version of the legendary German Telefunken U73b tube compressor on steroids. We took the heart of the analog sound and color of U73B and fine tuned the compression to be usable in the whole range of the one simple knob.

Simple compression applicable everywhere

• Soft and slow compression: When you need to retrain the natural dynamics of your tracks but need to smooth out the dynamic range, ToneKnob Compressor has you covered. Enhance the groove of your bass and help it sound more natural. Help the attack and sustain in your guitar tracks. Bring the best out of your vocal tracks and make them sound smooth, while retaining the dynamics of the singer.
• Fast and aggressive compression: The more you turn the knob, the faster and more aggressive compression you will get. The internal parameters of ratio, attack, and release increase, and you will get a completely different type of compression. Use these settings to bring the punch of a kick or snare drum. Enhance the chugging of your aggressive guitars with controlled transients. Retain a tight low-end on your bass track.
• Mix Bus Glue: Subtly apply the ToneKnob Compressor on the drum bus, vocal mus, or even the master bus to smooth out elements of your mix. Each aspect will sound cohesive and integrated without overly squashing the mix.
• Bring the color in: As with all of our emulations, the smooth and warm tube saturation makes mixes sound full and rounded. Apply ToneKnob compressor lightly and improve the tonal qualities of vocals, bass, or entire mix busses where warmth and vintage flavor are desired.
• Fine tune it yourself: Since compression is highly dependent on the input source, we’ve added a calibration feature in the service menu. This lets you fine-tune the compression to meet the exact needs of your track.

The Indication Ring tells you all you need to know

ToneKnob Compressor doesn’t rely on meters or numbers. For us, it’s a way to relax and focus solely on the essentials of mixing – sound, our ears, and our taste. As a visual aid, the light ring around the knob indicates the depth of compression, its progression, and release based on the incoming signal.

If the Ring lights up constantly, you need to reduce the compression level in calibration. If the Ring doesn’t light up or flickers slightly, you need to increase the compression level in calibration to achieve the desired optimal compression. We hope this approach brings you as much joy and ultimately better sound results as it does for us.

Why will you love it?

The ToneKnob Compressor is perfect for those who appreciate quick, intuitive work, allowing them to focus on their ear and taste rather than tweaking multiple compression parameters. It’s also ideal for new sound engineers who might not be familiar with all the technicalities of compression. Want great compression? Just turn the knob—and you’re there.

What’s Next?

The ToneKnob series will soon expand, bringing you a full range of essential studio effects in one familiar interface. Besides the classic effects, you can look forward to some unique, creative effects that will give your instruments and mixes an unmistakable character.