Compressors / measured

Black 76

IK Multimedia · VST3

10.0/10 Measured score · Measured signal quality · how scored

Tonal shaping

±5.56 dB

strong · character, by design

Harmonic character

1.086%

moderate · character, by design

Noise

10.0/10

< floor · scored

Level dependence

-15 dB

heavy · character, by design

Latency

34 smp

factual · not scored

On the bench

48 kHz · 512-block · offline · same procedure for every plugin
Magnitude responsestepped sine, −12 dBFS
2026-07-17T18:06:36.798180 image/svg+xml Matplotlib v3.10.9, https://matplotlib.org/

Output level vs. frequency.

It shapes your tone by up to ±5.6 dB on purpose — that built-in curve is part of its sound.

Distortion vs level1 kHz, THD / THD+N
2026-07-17T18:06:36.878284 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 clear harmonic color (1.1% at full level) — the grit and warmth this design is meant to give.

Latency, reported
34 smp
Latency, measured
34 smp (matches)
Onset
22 smp
Noise floor
below measurement floor
Linearity residual
-14.6 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.

How hard you push it changes what it does (a -15 dB gap between levels) — expected for a saturator, which reacts to input level.

It delays the audio by 34 samples (0.7 ms at 48 kHz) and reports that delay, so your DAW lines it back up.


What these measurements mean

read from the numbers above · character / coloring design

On the bench it behaves like a coloring tool, scoring 10.0/10 on how clean its signal path is; its tone-shaping and harmonics are reported as character, not graded as faults. It shapes your tone by up to ±5.6 dB on purpose — that built-in curve is part of its sound. It adds clear harmonic color (1.1% at full level) — the grit and warmth this design is meant to give. Its own background hiss is below what the bench can even measure, so it adds no noise you would hear. How hard you push it changes what it does (a -15 dB gap between levels) — expected for a saturator, which reacts to input level. It delays the audio by 34 samples (0.7 ms at 48 kHz) and reports that delay, so your DAW lines it back up.

Measured score 10.0/10 — signal-path noise floor (the shaping and harmonics are the design's intent, shown as character, not graded). How scoring works.


What people report

sourced sentiment · in our words, not a bench measurement
8.5/10 press & editorial reviews, 4 sources · a separate figure from the measured score

Consistently praised

  • A close take on the classic FET compressor's fast-attack character, including the all-buttons-in mode for aggressive, gritty gain reduction.
  • Versatile across sources — sits gently on a track or adds firm character at higher gain reduction, and is at home on bass, drums, and vocals.
  • Large, legible panel with fine knob control and plenty of headroom; reviewers single it out as an easy 1176-style unit to dial in.
  • Strong value, delivering studio-grade results at a budget price next to pricier takes on the same hardware.

Common criticism

  • No wet/dry mix control on the plugin, so parallel compression needs external routing.
  • True to the original's fixed-ratio buttons and input-driven level rather than a threshold knob, which is less direct for newcomers.
  • A faithful emulation rather than a new design, and it lives inside the wider plug-in suite.

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.