Overview

Experience a new age of compressor plugins

The Three-Body Technology Cenozoix Compressor is named after the Cenozoic era, a time of massive mammalian progress, after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Packed with innovations and features, this mixing and mastering plugin is leading the charge into a new age of compressors.

Get the sound of 12 classic compressors

Cenozoix features compression algorithms for all essential elements of production including “Drum,” “Vocal,” “Bus,” and “Mastering,” but also algorithms that recreate the sound of vintage compressors, like “Black FET,” “Blue FET,” “Vintage Opto,” “Virtual-Mu,” and more, delivering the perfect balance of utility and versatility. This compressor plugin can handle all your compression needs, from tight and modern sounds to hefty vintage charm.

Apply distortion-free compression to your mixes

Ultra-fast attack and release times can lead to unwanted distortion when using existing compressors. The Cenozoix Compressor utilizes a warp mechanism to avoid these distortion effects, making it a top choice for peak and sidechain compression. Use it to tame harsh snare transients or create basslines that pump alongside your kick.

Reduce aliasing with low CPU load using ADAA

Traditional anti-aliasing methods, which aim to prevent high-frequency distortion, rely on CPU-intensive oversampling. Anti-derivative antialiasing (ADAA) is an audio processing technique developed by Native Instruments, originally used for waveshapers. Instead of depending on oversampling, it leverages advanced mathematics to reduce aliasing without the heavy CPU load. The Cenozoix Compressor is the first compressor plugin to incorporate ADAA.

Ensure natural and responsive peak compression

Many compressors use a static release time, catering to short or long transients but not both. The Cenozoix Compressor’s peak crest function dynamically adjusts the release time based on the nature of the input signal’s transients, ensuring natural and responsive control over dynamic peaks. This makes it a great fit for complex signals running through your vocal, guitar, drum, and stereo bus.

Gain nuanced control over your compression envelope

The Cenozoix Compressor plugin features a peak detector for quick transient response and an RMS detector for smooth compression. Using these detectors in parallel blends their strengths, providing both an immediate response and consistent compression suitable for complex audio material. You also have the option to leverage pure peak or RMS-based detection, best suited for individual track elements.

Features

  • 12 compression algorithms that recreate the sound of classic compressors
  • 12 compression algorithms for common use cases
  • Distortion-free compression
  • Anti-derivative antialiasing (ADAA)
  • Dual peak and RMS detection
  • Release time that adjusts dynamically
  • Odd and even harmonic generation

Audio Examples

Industry Reviews

  • Rafael Pirela

    Rafael Pirela

    Producer and artist (ARPA winner, 7x Latin Grammy nominee)

    The Cenozoix Compressor is a Swiss Army knife in the world of dynamic audio processing. Its exceptional versatility emulating the characteristics of every hardware compressor imaginable makes it a… Read More

  • Brian Malouf

    Brian Malouf

    Producer and Mixer (Michael Jackson, Queen, Madonna, Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder)

    There's now a single compressor that replicates them all and it (practically) defies the laws of physics. A FET compressor but without the distortion, ridiculous amounts of Pumping without the… Read More

  • Dustin Phillips

    Dustin Phillips

    Creator, producer, musician (The Ataris, The Von Tramps, Odds of an Afterthought)

    At first pass on the Cenozoix, I immediately fell in love with the interface - showing how the signal/transients are affected in real time with the scrolling waveform. The presets offer a great… Read More

  • Paul

    Paul "Willie Green" Womack

    Wiz Khalifa, Donnie McClurkin, The Roots

    I’ve had a little more time with it, but I’ve used it on drums, background vocals and a full mix and it’s amazing everywhere. The parametric side chain section is great and really effective.… Read More

  • Javar Rockamore

    Javar Rockamore

    Songwriter, Producer (The Loopholes, MoneyBagg Yo, Wiz Khalifa)

    Cenozoix got added to my mix bus and hasn’t left. It’s truly a special compressor that gives you a multitude of control and can be super transparent or harmonically colored. My favorite… Read More

Customer Reviews

  • Brilliant compressor!

    ★★★★★
    by Shramm Storm
    Brilliant compressor. At first I wanted to write a feature suggestion letter asking to add a clipper and/or limiter at the end of the chain, but after figuring out how the CLAMP and DE-CLICK… Read More
  • Best compressor I've used

    ★★★★★
    by Heat Delivery
    If you can bundle this compressor with others in their catalogue and get a 50%+ discount on this, it's a blind buy. Even I (a frugal broke producer) would buy this full price. After using… Read More
  • Simply Amazing

    ★★★★★
    by Jeff92k7
    Where has this been all my life? I actually stumbled across this new compressor yesterday while refreshing myself on some of the more advanced features of the Kirchoff EQ (which I also own and… Read More
  • The best glue compressor from all glue compressors

    ★★★★★
    by BluelagoonStudios
    As I lately do only master projects, this one is on my buses, just select the FET glue compressor preset and go from there. You can't go wrong, you can throw everything at it, and it will do its job.… Read More
  • My new absolute fantastic first choice compressor

    ★★★★★
    by Daniël J. Manuputtij
    I do not care that it emulates all these historical legends of compressor machines, it just sounds fantastic! If you say that it is because of ADAA, I will believe you. But whatever it is, it is… Read More

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 15 down to macOS 12
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel, or Apple Silicon

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

ChangeLog

Cenozoix Compressor

Three Body Technology Cenozoix Compressor - Changelog

Version 1.1.0 (Apr 19, 2024)
- Implemented "Drive" modelling: Extra harmonic distortions for each of 24 vintage and modern compressor styles with adjustable drive levels. Enables you to mix and match a compressor style with a different drive style
- Implemented "Post-Makeup Dry Mix" that allows to mix dry and wet signals after makeup processing.
- Implemented compact mode with hidden waveform and threshold panels

Version 1.0.1 (Feb 21, 2024)
Bug Fixes
- Oversampling now works correctly. Fixed the issue that some internal DSP codes remain at the original sample rate instead of being initialized to a higher sample rate when oversampling is enabled, which may cause the missing low end.
- Fixed an issue with latency compensation which causes phase issues when mixing dry and wet signals.
- Undo in Logic now works correctly.
- Fixed the incorrect display of Hold parameter when reopening the GUI.
- Now knob fine tuning with Shift works correctly on macOS.
Optimizations
- New oversampling IR kernel that improves the sound quality while slightly increasing the latency.
- Now supports the gain reduction meter display in Studio One.

Version 1.0.0 (Feb 6, 2024)
- Initial Release