GRIP
7-style compressorA 7-style compressor spanning transparent VCA, vibey opto and upward compression, with character saturation and up to 16× oversampling. Surgical control with analog attitude.
- 7 styles — VCA, FET, Opto, Bus, Upward & more
- Up to 16× oversampling
- Character saturation + parallel mix
- Sidechain EQ, M/S & 6 channel modes
- Grip set the interaction grammar for the whole fleet — its undo, A/B and knob feel were copied into roughly twenty other plugins. If it feels right here, it feels right everywhere, so your read on how it handles is the highest-leverage note on this page.
- All 7 styles on the same drum bus, matched in level. Do they read as seven genuinely different compressors? Tell us your favourite and what you'd use it on.
- 16× oversampling on a busy session — let us know your machine and where the CPU lands, so we can publish honest numbers.
- Sidechain EQ on a kick-heavy bus. Does filtering the detector do what your ears expect?
Learn GRIP
QUICK-START · 7 MINDial a compressor style-first, set the threshold on the curve, and land clean, musical gain reduction.
- 01
Pick a STYLE
Choose the topology first: FET for aggression, Opto for vocals, VCA for control, Vari-Mu for glue, Modern for transparency, Upward to lift quiet detail, TTM for tracking. Each has its own character — style is the biggest sonic decision in the plugin.
- 02
Set THRESHOLD on the curve
Drag the TRANSFER CURVE down until the comet (the live operating point) rides the bend — that's your signal crossing threshold. Set RATIO around 3–4:1 for control, higher for limiting-style grab.
- 03
Time it
Set ATTACK slow enough to let transients through (10–30 ms on drums), fast to clamp them. Set RELEASE to breathe with the tempo — or flip on AUTO REL and AUTO ATK and let the program set the timing.
- 04
Filter the detector
Raise HP CUT in the Sidechain section to 80–150 Hz so kick and 808 energy stops triggering the compressor — this kills bass pumping. Use LISTEN to hear exactly what the detector reacts to.
- 05
Add CHARACTER
Switch CHARACTER to Tube, Diode or Bright and push DRIVE for harmonics and glue. DRIVE ROUTE Pre feeds the saturation into the detector; Post keeps it purely on the output.
- 06
Blend and verify
Pull MIX back for New York parallel compression. Enable AUTO GAIN so bypassing compares at matched loudness, and use DELTA to solo only what the compressor is removing.
- Press LEARN (with G/N/H intensity selected) and GRIP analyses the audio and sets the threshold for you — a fast honest starting point.
- Raise KNEE for transparent vocal work; a 0 dB hard knee is abrupt and audible, which is sometimes exactly the point on drums.
- Oversampling up to 32× cleans up aliasing on fast attack/release settings — spend the CPU on the 2-bus, not on 40 channel inserts.
- Use A/B to hold two complete settings and flip between them; double-click any knob to reset it.
Every control, its range, and what it actually does — the complete GRIP manual.
Download manual (PDF)All manualsActivation
iLok (PACE) — machine, iLok Cloud or iLok USBLicense lands on your iLok
Accepted testers get every Wave-1 plugin deposited to their iLok account — machine activation, iLok Cloud or iLok USB, your call.
Open the plugin
Insert GRIP in your DAW (AU · VST3 · AAX). First launch asks for activation via iLok License Manager.
You're in until August 30, 2026
Beta licenses run through the round. Your license codes and downloads live in the tester portal.
Not in the round yet? Applications are open — we accept in waves.
Apply for the closed beta