FabFilter Pro-C 3 Review: The Compressor That Does It All

FabFilter Pro-C 3 is the latest iteration of one of the most respected compressors in the plugin world, and it arrives with serious upgrades that make it a genuine contender for the top spot in any producer’s arsenal.

Overview

FabFilter is genuinely my go-to workhorse plugin suite (see our previous Fabfilter Pro-R 2 review). My first port of call for EQ and limiting are the Pro-Q 4 and the L2 respectively. I use them more than any other plugins, on every single project.

So when I was sent Pro-C 3, I was very curious to know if the same thing would happen with my compressor choice, and if this one would become the number one in the stable.

This review explores what’s new in FabFilter Pro-C 3 and whether it took the compressor ‘top-of-the-pile’.

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What’s New in Pro-C 3?

FabFilter have taken the careful expansion route with the Pro-C that they took with their EQ. At this stage in the game, it could be quite easy to overcook a good plugin and give it messy feature bloat. Thankfully, that isn’t the case. The original, clean GUI is still very present — but they’ve added a ton of really useful elements.

New Compression Styles

This is the biggest change. Pro-C 3 adds six new compression styles, bringing the total to 14, subdivided into three categories: Modern, Vintage, and Utility.

They cover a lot of ground that can benefit from compression. The different models all respond to audio differently, from the more standard FET, Opto, and Bus models, to the more modern TTM, and the lovely addition of a Vari-Mu model.

This already gives the FabFilter Pro-C 3 a lot more versatility than its previous iteration, and most other plugins out there. I haven’t spent much time comparing vintage emulations with other plugin manufacturers, but from using the different styles on tracks, they felt like they were doing an exceptional job in the manner I expected.

Colour, Colour, and More Colour

On top of the new models, there’s a new Drive section. Pro-C’s only real issue for me was that it was extremely clean. I rarely wanted clean compression, and gravitated towards the more coloured, saturated sound. With the Drive section, you can now add different flavours of saturation — tube, diode, and ‘bright’, whatever that is.

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So if you want a really grimey, spongey, slow compressor, the Vari-Mu model with a ton of tube just fits the bill with a couple of clicks.

I really liked how I could set the compression ratios, attack, release, etc., and then quickly flick through all the different models to experiment with the sound characteristics of each — super quick.

Expanded Sidechain Control

FabFilter have taken the already powerful sidechain section and pushed it further. You now get more detailed sidechain EQ control — the filters from Pro-Q 4 have been integrated, giving you up to six bands of control on the sidechain signal. This gives you much better precision over what triggers the compression.

The visual feedback is nicely hidden away, but is much better when you open it up by clicking the button at the bottom of the GUI.

The ‘extra precision’ moniker is probably a good one for this version of the Pro-C. If you feel the need, it’s very easy to dive very deep on all the facets of compression and get very granular.

Immersive Audio Support

I actually love this. Surround and immersive audio support isn’t that standard yet, especially in the emulated vintage compressor world. So to be able to run a FET compressor in 9.1.2 is pretty freaking awesome.

Upward Compression and Advanced Controls

One of my favourite additions is upward compression. To be fair, this is something I’m still very much learning — but the addition of upward compression allows you to bring up quieter parts of a signal rather than just reducing peaks.

The upward compression model and the TTM model both cater to this. You can very quickly overuse this combination, as it is very immediate and exciting. Stick it on a vocal and the detail just blossoms. Stick it on drums and it explodes. It gets tiring on the ears pretty quick — but subtle use can really dramatically change the sound you’re working with.

The Instance Window

This always felt like a bit of a gimmick to me, but with EQ, compression, de-essing, and gating all now using it, this is getting very interesting. It’s a button at the bottom of the GUI that opens up all the FabFilter instances of the above-named processes in the plugin you’re in.

You can then move around within this window and figure out the relationships between all the plugins, how they’re affecting one another, and access tools for quick fixes. I used to use it with EQ to see which instruments were resonating in the same ranges, so I could get them out of the way of each other. But with all these tools added — and more plugins being added in the future — I can see this kind of modular channel strip window becoming extremely useful.

Should You Upgrade to Pro-C 3?

This is a faintly ridiculous question. I’ll explain.

I’ve been listening to the TapeNotes podcast a lot recently — an excellent show where artists and their producers are interviewed by the host. The one main takeaway for me so far is that the majority of artists interviewed use very, very few plugins. Often, they only use the built-in plugins on the DAW they work in. They’re much more concerned with speed and flow, and don’t want plugins to get in the way of their creative process.

So, if you actually want an answer: pick and choose the least amount of plugins you can, and learn them better than you know the back of your hand. Because no one really knows the back of their hand.

In that sense, if you haven’t already latched onto a particular compression plugin, I would heartily recommend this one. FabFilter Pro-C 3 is an excellent compressor — simple to use and learn, with incredible visual feedback as you’re learning. Once you’ve got the hang of compression basics, you can branch out into all the different flavours and styles, while still knowing all the ins and outs of the plugin.

Ok. Hopping off my soapbox now.

Pricing and Availability

FabFilter Pro-C 3 is priced at $179 / €179 for new users, with upgrade discounts available for existing Pro-C 2 customers. It is available directly from FabFilter’s website as a download for macOS and Windows, supporting VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.