Compressors / measured

4030 Retro Comp

McDSP · VST3

9.1/10 Measured score · Measured fidelity · how scored

Flatness

7.3/10

±1.37 dB · scored

Transparency (THD)

9.7/10

0.003% · scored

Noise

10.0/10

< floor · scored

Linearity

10.0/10

-149 dB · scored

Latency

0 smp

factual · not scored

On the bench

48 kHz · 512-block · offline · same procedure for every plugin
Magnitude responsestepped sine, −12 dBFS
2026-07-17T18:06:36.113194 image/svg+xml Matplotlib v3.10.9, https://matplotlib.org/

Output level vs. frequency.

It gives your sound a mild tone tilt of up to ±1.4 dB across the range — enough to hear on bright or dark material.

Distortion vs level1 kHz, THD / THD+N
2026-07-17T18:06:36.193734 image/svg+xml Matplotlib v3.10.9, https://matplotlib.org/

THD   THD+N. THD is the trustworthy figure; THD+N is method-floor-limited at low levels.

It adds almost none of its own edge (at or below 0.003%), so it keeps the sound clean.

Latency, reported
0 smp
Latency, measured
0 smp (matches)
Onset
0 smp
Noise floor
below measurement floor
Linearity residual
-148.5 dB (1000 Hz, -12/-18 dBFS)
Processing cost
not measured

Its own background hiss is below what the bench can even measure, so it adds no noise you would hear.

It treats quiet and loud the same (within -149 dB), so it behaves identically however hard you push it.

It adds no delay to your audio.


What these measurements mean

read from the numbers above · transparent / clean design

On the bench it behaves like a clean tool, scoring 9.1/10 on staying flat, low distortion, low noise, and steady behavior at any level. It gives your sound a mild tone tilt of up to ±1.4 dB across the range — enough to hear on bright or dark material. It adds almost none of its own edge (at or below 0.003%), so it keeps the sound clean. Its own background hiss is below what the bench can even measure, so it adds no noise you would hear. It treats quiet and loud the same (within -149 dB), so it behaves identically however hard you push it. It adds no delay to your audio.

Measured score 9.1/10 — flatness, low THD, low noise and linearity, evenly weighted toward a clean pass-through. How scoring works.


What people report

sourced sentiment · in our words, not a bench measurement
7.8/10 press & editorial sentiment, 4 sources · a separate figure from the measured score

Consistently praised

  • Reviewers describe the compression as smooth and musical, holding together even when driven hard thanks to a detector that automatically nudges attack and release to keep artifacts down
  • The built-in wet/dry Mix knob earns repeated praise for making phase-coherent parallel (New York style) compression easy, with one writer wishing every compressor included it
  • Controls are kept to a short, no-frills set (threshold, ratio, attack, release, makeup gain, mix, plus sidechain monitoring), which testers found quick to dial in by ear
  • Works well across sources, with engineers calling out lively, characterful results on drums and percussion at extreme settings and smoother, fuller guitar and bass tones

Common criticism

  • One independent reviewer notes it is not a transparent, surgical tool and wouldn't be a first pick for detailed post work, since it imparts its own color
  • The ratio tops out at a fairly gentle 2:1, so heavier squashing leans on the mix blend rather than the ratio control itself
  • Its tasteful, hi-fi voicing was felt to suit acoustic material more than noisy or aggressive genres

A review score is shown only when at least two independent sources — published reviews or genuine user discussion — return usable text. Launch or announcement coverage alone does not qualify, so some plugins read N/A here while still carrying a full measured score above.


How it sits in compressors

measured score + bench figures, then the sourced review score (separate, N/A if unscored) · alphabetical · not ranked
PluginMeasured /10Mag devMax THDLatencyNoiseReview /10
4030 Retro Comp9.1±1.4 dB0.003%0 smp<floor7.8
6030 Ultimate Comp8.4±0.6 dB0.002%0 smp<floor9.0
6060 Ultimate MC9.5±0.9 dB0.000%0 smp<floorN/A
Bettermaker Mastering Compressor9.3±0.0 dB0.045%0 smp−105N/A
Black 7610.0±5.6 dB1.086%34 smp<floor8.5
Bus Compressor6.9±2.1 dB0.108%34 smp<floorN/A
Comp DIODE-6099.0±0.4 dB0.203%32 smp−1108.0
Comp FET-7610.0±3.0 dB0.000%272 smp<floor8.5
Comp TUBE-STA10.0±1.5 dB0.029%32 smp<floor8.2
Comp VCA-658.5±2.7 dB0.000%272 smp<floor7.8
CompressorBank CB3039.8±0.0 dB0.011%0 smp<floor8.4
Comprexxor10.0±6.5 dB0.140%72 smp<floor8.2
CORE Comp10.0±0.1 dB18.693%0 smp<floorN/A
Devil-Loc Deluxe10.0±6.8 dB3.526%63 smp<floor8.3
Dyna-Mu10.0±1.7 dB0.715%34 smp<floor8.3
VC-67010.0±1.5 dB0.270%3 smp<floor7.9
White 2A10.0±8.6 dB0.906%3 smp<floor8.3
Sponsored · not a measurement

This lane is separate from measured results

No promoted plugins here. Anything in this lane is labeled and never affects the bench numbers or the order plugins appear in.