FAC Maxima vs Sidechain Compressor Plugin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FAC Maxima
This audio effect provides automatic gain control to keep audio levels consistent and prevent clipping. It offers both transparent signal boosting and significant level maximization with creative colorization. The app is versatile for mastering, individual tracks, and broadcasting applications.
- Automatic gain control
- Level maximization
- Transparent signal boost
- Creative colorization
- Mastering tool
- Individual track processing
- Real-time multi-waveform graph
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FAC Maxima is an audio effect designed to provide automatic gain control of your audio materials to ensure that the levels stay consistent and never exceed 0dB. It's a clever combination of dynamic processors that can be set to provide a gentle transparent signal boost respecting the initial dynamic or significant colorised level maximisation. Thanks to a unique signal path, algorithms and a small set of parameters, FAC Maxima makes a complicated task easy. In addition to the classic final stage application, FAC Maxima excels on individual tracks too. With a few changes it's easy to go from the common gain deviation compensation, e.g. for vocals, to drastical audio changes that will bring your audio material to new territories: boost reverb tails, flattenize drums… The applications are various and the possibilities are limitless. • Get the final touch! FAC Maxima definitely makes audio louder and that makes it an effective tool in many mastering engineers’ arsenals. • Be creative! Emphasis subtitle details, sometimes floor contains treasure, you will have a completely new listen to your old tracks! The audio background may indeed contain noise, but sometimes also "pearls" that may be revealed. • Go further! Tired by the advertisement boost, or important speech level variation in broadcasting? Use FAC Maxima to maintain the level constant. DJ's may also benefit from the effects to normalise in real time the level of the mixed tracks. As with all FAC products the interface has a unique sober look and provides a great user experience. FAC Maxima also brings a real-time multi-waveform graph having a 6s buffer of the audio material before and after operations, this will help on setting the right parameters and have a visual feedback.
Sidechain Compressor Plugin
This audio plugin enables side-chain compression for music production, creating rhythmic pumping effects. It offers true side-chaining in compatible DAWs and a unique sudo side-chain method for broader compatibility.
- Standard compressor features
- Real calibrated VU and reduction meters
- Real-time visual graphing
- True sidechain in AUM
- Sudo sidechain with MASTER/SLAVE
- 3 available busses
- Mono/Stereo modes
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This is an AUv3 compatible stereo compressor plugin which is intended for use inside your favourite DAW/HOST such as AUM, Cubasis, Auria, Meteor, AUM or GarageBand etc. So lets start by answering the question what is side chaining? Side chaining is a technique used in a lot of modern dance music which involves using the volume level of one sound source to control another. You can hear plenty of examples of this in modern Trance/Dubstep music where sound engineers use the impact of a bass drum to duck a sustained string sound, creating space in the mix. This can be heard as a rythmic pumping sound which gives your music drive and energy. This compressor is quite unique since it was designed to get around the limitations of AUv3 plugins on iOS and the lack of multi-audio routing inside DAW apps. Until recently it wasn't possible to do true side chaining using AUv3, but now AUM has recently integrated support for multiple inputs and outputs per AUv3 plugin, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. This is great for AUM users, but this still leaves users of other DAW's in the dark. This is where this app has you covered as it provides a method of sudo side-chaining by allowing you to attach two instances of this plugin to multiple sources and route audio between them to achieve a sudo sidechain. This works by ensuring two instances of the plugin are loaded as insert effects, one being the MASTER and the other a SLAVE. The slave sends audio to the master by means of one of 3 available busses. True side chaining can be achieved in AUM. Simple set the SideChain Mode to 'Normal' and install an instance of the plugin on the channel you want to control. Then using the new 'Multiple Audio Unit Instances' option in AUM you can add a redirection of the controlling source to send to the same bus the plugin is listening to. It's that simple. In this case you need to set both instances to either Bus 2 or 3, since Bus 1 is the original audio. Features: ○ Standard Compressor features. ○ Real calibrated VU and reduction meters ○ Real-time visual graphing of parameters. ○ Real sidechain in AUM. ○ Sudo side chain using MASTER and SLAVE for others. ○ 3 available busses. ○ Mono / Stereo modes. ○ Integrated help.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: FAC Maxima at 4.9 against Sidechain Compressor Plugin's 3.8. FAC Maxima also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 67 months) and review sentiment (84% vs 63%). Sidechain Compressor Plugin's advantage is price ($5.99 vs $9.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
FAC Maxima costs $9.99 and Sidechain Compressor Plugin $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
FAC Maxima holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FAC Maxima has 67 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of FAC Maxima's written reviews are positive against 63% of Sidechain Compressor Plugin's.
FAC Maxima ships an update every 2 months, Sidechain Compressor Plugin every 67 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FAC Maxima | Sidechain Compressor Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $5.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (67 ratings) — better | 3.8 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 84.4% of reviews — better | 62.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 67 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 67 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Frederic Corvest | 4Pockets.com |
Customer experience
FAC Maxima
Sidechain Compressor Plugin
In-app purchases
FAC Maxima
No in-app purchases
Sidechain Compressor Plugin
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FAC Maxima free?
Is Sidechain Compressor Plugin free?
Which has better reviews, FAC Maxima or Sidechain Compressor Plugin?
Do FAC Maxima or Sidechain Compressor Plugin have ads?
Which is updated more often, FAC Maxima or Sidechain Compressor Plugin?
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