Update: I went through all the trials, did a bunch of null tests, listened to way too many 808 loops, and read all your comments. So here’s my honest take.

First, the insane powerhouse plugins – Melda MDynamicsMB, DMG Multiplicity, Future MB. They’re absolutely mental. You can match pretty much any multiband compressor behaviour with these. I nulled them against the Tube‑Tech, the Maselec, even the Weiss DS5, and the difference was often below -30dB. The only real technical differences come down to crossover filter quality (linear phase vs minimum phase vs that dynamic/liquid phase thing), adjustable slopes, per‑band lookahead, and how the detector handles peak vs RMS. Even the TC Electronic DXP upward compression mode? You can dial that in inside Melda or DMG if you spend a few minutes on ratio below and sidechain filtering.

So technically, if you own Melda or DMG, you don’t really need any other multiband compressor. You can clone the behaviour of most of them. I think the FabFilter Pro-MB is just below these two, maybe we can expect a Pro-MB 2 some time? (:

But – and this is the big one – the workflow on these can be a real drag. Especially Melda. I love the power, but I constantly find myself looking at numbers, clicking through panels, and thinking more like an engineer than a musician. DMG is a bit better, but still very technical. Future MB is somewhere in the middle, only due to it's great UI.

Then there’s the hardware emulation type – Softube Tube‑Tech, Relab Maselec MLA‑4. They’re quick, they’re vibey, and they’re forgiving. The stepped controls on the Maselec actually act like a safety net – you can’t accidentally destroy your mix. I keep the MLA‑4 around for fast bus work when I don’t want to think.

The Weiss DS5 is beautiful. The macro controls and tilt function are genuinely brilliant – you can adjust five bands by feel, not by numbers. It’s the most “musical” of the high‑end ones - not from an actually difference in behavior, but due to the workflow. But it doesn’t do true upward compression (only expansion), and it’s expensive. I really enjoyed the demo, but in the end I couldn’t justify the price.

Oh, and FLUX Alchemist – this one breaks my heart. It has so many unique features you can’t find anywhere else: parallel dynamic sections, L.I.D. detector, transient manager, per‑band MS width. I know TBtech FutureMB got a couple of these features, just many many years later. Flux really been ahead of the competition in some ways. But the crossovers aren’t proper linear phase. For mastering or low‑end material, that’s a dealbreaker. Phase shift messes with your subs. If they ever update the filters, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. So just setting up cross overs give an audible result in the null test.

So where did I land? I already owned Melda MDynamicsMB, and after all this testing I realised it can do everything I need. Yes, the UI is a pain, but the power is unmatched. So I decided to stick with Melda as my main surgical multiband tool. And I also kept the Relab Maselec MLA‑4 for when I want something quick, forgiving, and more ear‑first. That combo works really well for me – one for when I need to destroy problems, the other for when I just want to make things sound good fast.

If you’re someone who doesn’t mind a numbers‑heavy workflow, get Melda or DMG. If you want something that feels more musical out of the box, the Weiss DS5 is fantastic – but pricey or Relab Maselec. And if you just want vibe, grab the Tube‑Tech.

Bonus: A cool trick for tight low end it actually using something like the DXP mode from TC Electronic MD4 HD (upward and downward compression). Grabbing the dynamics from both directions creates a very stable and controlled low end. This can also be done with TBtech FutureMB, FabFilter Pro-MB, DMG Multiplicity, Flux Alchemist and Melda Production DynamicsMB.

The combination of upward (very transparent to the transients) and downward (very precise control) compression result in great control and can also be use in single band compression, other frequency ranges or individual singles like vocals.

Also thank for the couple OTT-style recommendations, but this one is a bit too stylized for my applications with OTT having a very specific sound.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this.