MusicTechHelpGuy breaks down Logic Pro's modeled compressor circuits using a soloed kick drum, since its sharp transient makes gain reduction easy to hear and understand.
Platinum Digital is the clean, surgical option with no hardware modeling behind it. Vintage Opto emulates the LA-2A, using tubes and optical cells for smooth, slow-reacting compression that suits vocals and bass.
Studio FET and Vintage FET are based on the 1176 blackface and blue stripe. Solid state and fast reacting, they excel at taming peak transients on individual drum tracks, though they color the tone more than opto circuits.
The three VCA modes (modeled on the Focusrite Red 3, dbx 160, and SSL bus compressor) stay transparent while reacting faster than opto, making them a go-to for bus compression on stereo tracks or full drum kits.