This week’s free plugin is XTMax from Kiive Audio. An aggressive compressor well suited to drums with a couple of features which might tempt you away from your regular drum bus plugin.
What Is XTMax?
XTMax is touted as the little sibling to a distressor style Kiive plugin available via Plugin Alliance. The input and output controls being next to each other feel more like an 1176 in use but apparently it owes more to a Distressor. Regardless of which hardware inspired it, it feels very 1176-like because of the fixed threshold, input up/output down operation but refreshingly this features an auto gain setting so as input goes up output goes down making mouse-only operation much easier.
A side chain filter, mix control, variable knee and fast, medium and slow settings for attack and release make this compressor flexible enough for most sources while keeping operation swift and effective. After trying it I can confirm it sounds good too! Give it a spin…
How Do I Get XTMax?
Click the button above to go the the Kiive Audio website and log into or create an account to complete a $0 purchase and download the installers.
XTMax is available for windows and macOS as a VST, AU and AAX plugin, Apple Silicon compatible
Julian Rodgers is Editor of Production Expert. He has a background in live sound and has been a Pro Tools user since 2001. He lives by the sea in West Cornwall where he plays piano, bass and guitar equally badly and is an avid collector of microphones and opinions about all things audio.