Plugins Free or Otherwise

Does anyone know any free compressor plugins that have all the basic controls? Threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee, look ahead etc. I see loads online with other weird controls or barely any controls at all but I'm basically just looking for something awesome that I can use easily across my mix. So far I've been using Ableton's compressor but I'm looking to upgrade to something a bit more powerful.

Ableton's is pretty good actually, especially if you know exactly what you need to do with it- I also like the native glue compressor for softer compression styles.

In terms of 3rd party stuff, I like Native Instruments' Supercharger, though it's $50 at this point in time (got it for free as part of a promotion). It's super nasty if you want it to be, but can gently squeeze things in a subtle way as well.

Otherwise, I'm not really sure. Like I said, Ableton's has been good for my uses for a long time, and the only other stuff I've used has been rather expensive/owned by a friend. Try shopping around a bit and see if you read any articles about great freeware- there are loads of "Best 10" type lists out there.

Good luck!

PS: A really great freeware plugin bundle that I love is BlueCat's bundle. No compressor there but some great basic tools to try out.

Thought I'd share this: http://sound-guru.com/software/mangle/

Interesting granular plugin. Not free, but not unaffordable.

Wow, thanks!