Multiband compression is an advanced type of compressor which splits the frequency spectrum into several independent bands with adjustable crossovers for setting a band's range and width. Each band typically has dedicated compression settings for threshold, ratio and time constants. You can have more control over your dynamics using multiband processes, meaning for example you can dial in an aggressive amount of compression on the low end of a master while gently processing the airy top end.

Some find the concept of multiband compression difficult to understand, especially as dynamic EQ seems so similar. To learn the differences between the two check out our article Multi-Band Compression And Dynamic EQ - Do You Know The Difference? Many People Don't

Later in this article we’ll share some multi-band compression plug-ins we love but first, besides compression, what else can multi-band processing be useful for in a mix? Below are several examples of how multi-band is helpful across different plug-in categories.

Accusonus ERA-D - Noise Suppression

ERA-D by Accusonsu is a powerful and simple to use noise and reverb suppression plug-in which utilizes multi-band within the main display at the top of its UI. The denoise module is a fully adaptive processor which means there is no need for users to set a learn feature for noise-profiling, The dereverberation module is as impressive both producing very transparent results. Both denoise and dereverberation engines can be used in mono, stereo or dual-mode.

The large dials in each module are wide band which effect the entire spectrum. Each of the five available bands can be used to quickly hone your noise suppression further by use of the vertical sliders and small blue dials. The ballistics also show clearly the levels for noise and reverb reduction compared to the dry signal. Watch our free video tutorial below to hear ERA-D in action.

Avid Pro Subharmonic

Avid’s Pro Subharmonic is a sophisticated plug-in which is both a weakness and a strength depending on your point of view. While some Sub-bass enhancement plug-ins offer a resonant hight pass filter or a band of sub bass synthesis, Pro Subharmonic offers high and low pass filters, two independent bands of sub bass synthesis and some great sounding overdrive to give all that deep stuff the right amount of audible “rub”.

With surround support it’s perfect for theatrical booms and thumps, it is just as at home on kick drums and if you want to get clever it can be controlled by MIDI to create a sub bass synth to fill out the bottom of your synth patches.

Watch our review and tutorial videos below learn more about Avid’s Pro Subharmonic plug-in and to hear it in action.

Blue Cat Audio MB-7 Mixer - Plug-in Host And Mixer

Blue Cat's MB-7 Mixer is unique, enabling users to host VST plug-ins within a multi-band format. This is a popular plug-in choice for Pro Tools users as it makes it possible to host VST-only plug-ins in AAX. Each of its seven available bands feature general mixer controls for volume, pan, mute, solo, stereo spread and more.

The magic within this plug-in, besides its VST hosting capabilities, is found in its ability to stack up different effects in each band. MB-7 Mixer also includes 28 built-in effects in case you are short of a few plug-ins. Up to four plug-ins can be loaded per band with the option to insert pre or post fader.

In short, mix possibilities are quite literally endless using MB-7 Mixer. Watch our video below to learn more and to see MB-7 mixer in action.

FabFilter Saturn - Saturation And Distortion

FabFilter’s Saturn is a complete saturation and distortion suite which relies heavily on multi-band. By default the plug-in works in full-band mode which is powerful enough in its own right but dive through many of the excellent presets and you will find out how multi-band can be very useful in dialling in tasteful crunch on a drum mix bus, overdrive on a guitar or gentle tube drive on a full master.

iZotope - Multi-band Is Prominent In Most Of Their Plug-in Modules

Ever since the earliest days of iZotope’s popular mastering suite Ozone, multiband has played a huge role in their software. Going back as far as Ozone 3 multiband was used in exciters, stereo width tools and of course dynamics but these categories have expanded over the years to include so much more. If you use Ozone, Neutron or Nectar, you will find multiband features used in most of the modules in these suites. Advanced versions of all of the products go one step further offering each module within a suite available as standalone plug-ins which is handy if you need a specific multiband tool for a mix task.

McDSP SA-2 Dialog Processor

The SA-2 is designed to improve the overall sound of recorded speech. But the SA-2 is not just for dialog. It’s equally useful for vocals, and is a great tool for adjusting the timbre of any track, a reliable de-esser, and a fine multi-frequency compressor, in our completely biased opinion.

The SA-2 Dialog Processor is made up of 5 bands of strategic active equalization, configured in a variety of modes to best address common issues of dialog. Each band of active equalization has a threshold control to determine at what signal level the active equalizer begins to effect the signal. There are also enable buttons for each band to quickly audition the effect of any given band. Two mode selectors – one for controlling the ballistics of the active equalization, and a second for placing the five bands at strategic locations in the frequency spectrum. Finally, there are input and output gain controls for overall adjustment.

Nugen Audio SigMod

Nugen Audio’s SigMod is a channel operations plug-in which allows you to build useful combinations of basic processes like polarity and gain and combine them with more sophisticated processes or even host plug-ins. One of these processes is a crossover.

The crossover module is a 2 way crossover which allows either the high or low pass element to be tapped off to a parallel path via the complementary receive plug-in in much the same way as the tap module demonstrated in the first of these tutorials.

Unlike the tap module, because it is a crossover, the two signals can be recombined to a full bandwidth signal. In this demonstration the crossover forms the basis of a chain which allows the width of the bass end of the signal to be controlled and using the Tap module a second path is created which can process the top end of the signal using polarity inversion, level trims and channel swaps.

Waves Vitamin - Sonic Enhancer

Waves Vitamin is a multiband harmonic enhancer that can be used as a tone-shaping tool making any mix sound full and purposeful in a matter of seconds. Its multi-band format helps make Vitamin an intuitive tool to use.

Each of its five bands has a fader for dialing in the level of excitement, solo, bypass, and a cool width control which can be used to spread top-end bands out wide while setting sub-band to a more pleasing mono. Frequency ranges for each band are set using the four crossover controls located above and between the five band gain faders.

Watch our free video tutorial below to hear what Waves Vitamin can achieve on a piano track.

Top Multiband Compressors We Love And Recommend You Check Out Next In A Mix

Now that we’ve seen what multiband can be useful for outside of compression we continue this article with several multiband compressor plug-in suggestions we use and recommend you check out.

Avid Pro Multiband Dynamics - Pro Tools AAX Only

Avid’s Pro Multiband Dynamics is AAX only but can support 7.1 surround. It features four bands each with independent compressors and expanders which can be outputted to separate busses for extra processing.

Watch our video below to hear Avid’s Pro Multiband on a lead vocal track and to see how easy it is to set on a mix bus.

FabFilter Pro-MB

FabFilter’s Pro-MB shares its signature visuals with many other FabFilter plug-ins such as Pro-Q3 and Pro-R. The main cluster of controls at the bottom of the UI can, in most cases, be ignored as the nodes within main graphical display execute the vast majority of Pro-MB’s multiband parameters.

The metering within Pro-MB provides plenty of helpful feedback and is also very responsive showing gain changes within the colour coded bands as well as frequency changes in greyscale.

iZotope Compressor In Neutron 3

As stated earlier, use an iZotope suite such as Ozone and you’ll quickly come across many modules based around multiband. Within iZotope’s intelligent mixing platform Neutron is a multiband compressor that works very well when used inline with other modules in Neutron. Depending on the genre of music users can pick between clean or vintage styles and switch between multiband or single modes quickly if a a simpler dynamics approach is needed.

Softube Drawmer 1973

Softube’s Drawmer 1973 is the only emulation featured in this list and is fully-endorsed by Drawmer themselves. The 1973 provides three bands with two crossovers offering more than the original hardware by including mid-side selectable within the mode section of the UI. The compression effects of Drawmer’s 1973 are very musical sounding, though if you do overdo it you can simply adjust the mix control to put back some unprocessed signal.

Softube also offer a slimmed down variation of the 1973 emulation for those who struggle with multiband compression. The S73 promises to give you excellent multiband results by use of a small selection of predetermined settings and an amount control. Watch our review of both these plug-ins below to learn more.

Softube Drawmer 1973 Review

Softube Drawmer S73 Review

Waves Linear Phase Multiband Compressor

Waves Linear Phase Multiband has been around for a long time and is very popular with mix engineers thanks to its ease of use and performance. Many Lin-MB users find this particularly useful as a mix bus or mastering processor as the results are super clean sounding when small amounts of glue like compression are dialled in, as you can hear for yourselves in our free video tutorial below.