Sidechain Compressor Plugin vs BitClip
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
BitClip
This audio effect plugin combines bit-crushing and soft-clipping for lo-fi distortion. It mimics vintage hardware sounds with adjustable bit-depth and gain, offering subtle degradation to gnarly distortion with low CPU usage.
- Bit-crushing effect
- Soft-clipping distortion
- Warm mode for vintage hardware sound
- Adjustable bit-depth (4-16 Bit)
- Variable gain for distortion
- Low CPU usage
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BitClip Bit Crusher / Soft Clipper Plugin (AUv3) BitClip is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic or GarageBand. Overview BitClip combines bit-crushing and soft-clipping to create lo-fi distortion effects. From subtle, retro degradation, to gnarly diode-emulated distortion, BitClip can deliver, with a very low CPU cost! In "Warm" mode, BitClip's DSP has been tuned to mimic the sound of actual hardware, instead of just performing a simple bit-crush calculation. As a result, some of the higher frequencies normally associated with the effect are attenuated. Both effects work well in tandem, especially when trying to bring the character of old hardware samplers and drum machines to sounds that would otherwise be too "pristine". Parameters Active - Set to Off for bypass / no processing. Warm mode adds a bit of vintage character to the processing, attenuating some high frequencies, although this is not a simple LPF. Bright mode essentially bypasses the Warm mode processing with no added tonal colouration. Out - Sets the output level. This can be used to attenuate the overall volume of the effect. For example, you can smash the Gain going into the clipper, then back-off the Out level so the track doesn't dominate your mix. At the maximum setting, no attenuation is applied. Crush - Toggles bit-crushing On or Off. Depth - Sets the desired bit-depth of the crushing from 16 Bit down to 4 Bit in 1 Bit intervals. In vintage hardware, devices would often be 8 or 12 Bit, whereas BitClip allows you to explore unusual values in-between. For example, 5 Bit provides much more clarity than 4 Bit, but can still sound satisfyingly crunchy! Clip - Toggles soft-clipping On or Off. Gain - Sets the gain applied to the signal going into the soft-clipper. Depending on the level of the incoming signal, lower settings may not sound obvious, but clipping will still occur, creating a subtle distortion effect and preventing any signal through that's over 0dB. With up to 48dB of gain on tap, BitClip can drive pretty much anything into nasty diode-like distortion! For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BitClip at 5.0 against Sidechain Compressor Plugin's 3.8. BitClip also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 67 months) and price ($1.99 vs $5.99). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Sidechain Compressor Plugin costs $5.99 and BitClip $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BitClip holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 4 respectively.
Sidechain Compressor Plugin ships an update every 67 months, BitClip every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidechain Compressor Plugin | BitClip |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 67 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 4Pockets.com | Rob Jackson |
Customer experience
Sidechain Compressor Plugin
BitClip
In-app purchases
Sidechain Compressor Plugin
No in-app purchases
BitClip
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sidechain Compressor Plugin free?
Is BitClip free?
Which has better reviews, Sidechain Compressor Plugin or BitClip?
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Which is updated more often, Sidechain Compressor Plugin or BitClip?
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