Muso-comp – compression that breathes in time. VST3, Windows 64-bit, 0 ms latency, free.

Attack and release in note values, not milliseconds. Dial in 1/8 and Muso-comp follows your project tempo, tempo changes included. No calculator, no re-tweaking, no pumping against the groove.

Windows 10/11 (64-bit), any DAW with VST3 support · no macOS/Linux

Everything in. Nothing extra.

Two compressor types – Opto and VCA – with every feature around them.

Note values

Attack 1/1024 to 1/16, release 1/128 to 1/1 – straight, dotted, triplet. Still attached to milliseconds? One click.

Beat-grid GR

Gain reduction scrolls across one bar with a line on every quarter. You see the groove before you hear it.

Color · harmonics

Saturation with 2× or 4× oversampling: Opto warm and tubey, VCA almost clinical – or pick H2 or H3.

Learn

Click, hit play, grab a coffee. Muso-comp listens for two bars and sets the threshold to your target.

Mix · Auto Gain

Parallel compression without phase issues, output ±12 dB, auto gain and stereo link 0–100%.

Sidechain HPF

20–300 Hz, 6 to 24 dB/oct, internal or external. So the kick doesn't run the whole bus.

Changelog

1.0 November 2026

  • Now a VST3 for Windows (64-bit): installer or ZIP for manual install. Works in any DAW with VST3 support.
  • Out of beta.

1.0 beta November 2026

  • Focused on the two most-used types: Opto and VCA. They sound identical to Muso-comp Pro at default settings.
  • Harmonics modelled on the hardware: Opto like a tube stage (H2 leads), VCA very clean with a trace of H3. Switch between type, H2 and H3.
  • Opto is now the default type.
  • Learn: listens for two bars and sets the threshold to your target (1–12 dB of gain reduction).
  • Soft clip at the output: linear up to −3 dBFS, never above 0 dBFS.
  • A touch of analog: minimal drift, left/right tolerances, quiet noise. Same project, same render.
  • Nine presets: Drum Bus Punch, Mix Bus Glue, Bass, Parallel Drums, Snare / Kick, Vocal, Bass (DI), Acoustic Guitar, Keys / Piano.
  • Fix: Color above 0 no longer affects the release of Opto and VCA.

0.9 beta November 2026

  • First public test version, JSFX for REAPER.
  • Attack and release in note values (straight, dotted, triplet) or milliseconds, following tempo changes.
  • Color with 2× or 4× oversampling, Mix, Auto Gain, Output ±12 dB, Stereo Link.
  • Sidechain HPF 20–300 Hz, 6–24 dB/oct, internal or external.
  • Gain reduction on the beat grid. Zero latency.