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Help/Pressure/Presets

Presets

Pressure ships with 34 factory presets spanning all five engines. Each preset defines a “home” position at PRESSURE 50% - the sweet spot the preset was tuned for. Moving PRESSURE above or below 50% scales all parameters proportionally using the preset's custom curve.

How Presets Work

Each preset stores a home parameter set (threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee) and a scaling range for each parameter. When you move the PRESSURE knob:

  • • P = 50% = home position (preset sweet spot)
  • • P < 50% = gentler (lower ratio, slower attack, higher threshold)
  • • P > 50% = more aggressive (higher ratio, faster attack, lower threshold)

The scaling uses a signed-p² curve centered at 0.5, so changes feel smooth and musical. See PRESSURE Control for the math.

A/B Comparison

Use the A/B button to store two independent parameter states. Toggle between them to compare settings instantly. Both states persist when you save a preset.

Undo / Redo

All parameter changes are tracked in an undo history. Use your DAW's standard undo/redo commands to step back through changes.

User Presets

Save your own presets from the preset menu. User presets store all parameter values including A/B states and advanced settings.

User presets are saved to your system's standard preset location and are available across all DAWs on the same machine.

All 34 Factory Presets

The values each preset loads with — exactly what you get when you select it. Engine determines the compression topology. See Engine Modes for engine character descriptions.

Mix & Glue (VCA Engine)

Heavy Squeeze

Threshold
-12 dB
Ratio
8.0:1
Attack
5 ms
Release
80 ms
Knee
4 dB

Parallel Crush

Threshold
-8 dB
Ratio
10.0:1
Attack
3 ms
Release
50 ms
Knee
2 dB

Pumping Effect

Threshold
-6 dB
Ratio
12.0:1
Attack
1000 µs
Release
200 ms
Knee
2 dB

Cloud Nine

Threshold
-22 dB
Ratio
3.0:1
Attack
20 ms
Release
200 ms
Knee
12 dB

Gentle Glue

Threshold
-20 dB
Ratio
4.0:1
Attack
10 ms
Release
100 ms
Knee
6 dB

Transparent Control

Threshold
-24 dB
Ratio
2.5:1
Attack
20 ms
Release
150 ms
Knee
12 dB

Instrument (FET Engine)

Pressure Cooker

Threshold
-8 dB
Ratio
12.0:1
Attack
100 µs
Release
80 ms
Knee
6 dB

Thunderdome

Threshold
-6 dB
Ratio
20.0:1
Attack
100 µs
Release
50 ms
Knee
6 dB

Acoustic Guitar

Threshold
-20 dB
Ratio
3.5:1
Attack
18 ms
Release
200 ms
Knee
10 dB

Bass Control

Threshold
-16 dB
Ratio
5.0:1
Attack
8 ms
Release
120 ms
Knee
6 dB

Electric Guitar

Threshold
-18 dB
Ratio
4.0:1
Attack
8 ms
Release
150 ms
Knee
6 dB

Instrument Sustain

Threshold
-22 dB
Ratio
4.5:1
Attack
12 ms
Release
250 ms
Knee
10 dB

Piano Control

Threshold
-22 dB
Ratio
2.5:1
Attack
22 ms
Release
250 ms
Knee
12 dB

Vocal & Voice (Opto Engine)

Honey Drip

Threshold
-24 dB
Ratio
3.0:1
Knee
6 dB
Limit Mode
No

Vocal Presence

Threshold
-18 dB
Ratio
3.5:1
Knee
8 dB
Limit Mode
No

Vocal Smooth

Threshold
-20 dB
Ratio
3.0:1
Knee
10 dB
Limit Mode
No

Broadcast Dialog

Threshold
-20 dB
Ratio
3.0:1
Knee
10 dB
Limit Mode
Yes

Narration

Threshold
-22 dB
Ratio
3.0:1
Knee
12 dB
Limit Mode
No

Podcast Host

Threshold
-18 dB
Ratio
4.0:1
Knee
8 dB
Limit Mode
Yes

Podcast Interview

Threshold
-16 dB
Ratio
5.0:1
Knee
6 dB
Limit Mode
Yes

Streaming Live

Threshold
-16 dB
Ratio
4.5:1
Knee
5 dB
Limit Mode
Yes

Voice Over

Threshold
-17 dB
Ratio
4.0:1
Knee
6 dB
Limit Mode
No

Drums & Percussion (Dynamics Engine)

Drum Bus Glue

Threshold
-18 dB
Ratio
2.5:1
Attack
15 ms
Release
200 ms
Knee
8 dB

Drum Punch

Threshold
-15 dB
Ratio
3.0:1
Attack
8 ms
Release
180 ms
Knee
6 dB

Drum Room

Threshold
-14 dB
Ratio
6.0:1
Attack
25 ms
Release
80 ms
Knee
4 dB

Overhead Shimmer

Threshold
-20 dB
Ratio
2.5:1
Attack
20 ms
Release
200 ms
Knee
10 dB

NY Compression

Threshold
-10 dB
Ratio
8.0:1
Attack
5 ms
Release
100 ms
Knee
4 dB

Iron Fist

Threshold
-10 dB
Ratio
10.0:1
Attack
3 ms
Release
60 ms
Knee
2 dB

Mastering & Character (VariMu Engine)

Tape Saturation

Threshold
-14 dB
Ratio
5.0:1
Attack
500 µs
Release
800 ms
Knee
8 dB

Vintage Character

Threshold
-14 dB
Ratio
4.0:1
Attack
12 ms
Release
150 ms
Knee
8 dB

Velvet Fog

Threshold
-18 dB
Ratio
3.0:1
Attack
2 ms
Release
1000 ms
Knee
12 dB

Master Bus

Threshold
-22 dB
Ratio
2.0:1
Attack
25 ms
Release
180 ms
Knee
12 dB

Orchestral Bed

Threshold
-24 dB
Ratio
2.0:1
Attack
2 ms
Release
1000 ms
Knee
12 dB

Stereo Bus Warmth

Threshold
-20 dB
Ratio
3.0:1
Attack
1000 µs
Release
1000 ms
Knee
10 dB