jfrichards wrote:My four favorite for the noticeable change in the sound and tone are RE-2A, Softube FET, Selig Leveler, and Kuassa Kratos2 I can get stunning new levels of musical beauty with these. They add/highlight certain smooth harmonics and EQ that fit perfectly with my styles of music (guitar and overly rich synth/piano/bass stuff). For transparent, I'm fine with the MClass compressor and maximizer. I love Pulverizer also, esp. for drums.
I should say there are compressors that change tone by adding harmonics/saturation/distortion, such as the FET, and there are ways to intentionally distort a compressor with a fast release time.
Selig Leveler, as one example, is extremely transparent (in all senses of the word)
unless you use ridiculously fast Response times or don't use look-ahead. What you "hear" as tonal changes with the Leveler is actually it's ability to bring up stuff that was already present in the original. I will assert that we are simply not used to hearing that much level change from a typically compressor, and I always suggest using a blend setting of 50% or less for most applications, as a 100% "leveled" track is rarely what one actually wants once you hear it.
I would not necessarily call the MClass compressor "transparent" because I reserve that word to describe a compressor where you do not hear
any compression "artifacts", which can include distortion and
also artifacts such as pumping and breathing. But everyone describes things differently, which is why IMO it's best to ignore what others say and what you see on the display, and LISTEN for yourself!