Can I hook up a compressor with my current set up

R

raywon

Studio 1784
Here's my studio set-up:

• ASUS Lap top X200CA - 6 gig Ram
• External Hard drive- 3 TB
• Sound card- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface
• Mic- AKG Perception 420, Mic Stand, pop filter
• Mixer- Mackie 1202 VL24 12 channel
• Music Software- Sonar X1 producer, Sound Forge 10, Cubase 6, Ableton Live 9
• Monitors- Fostex 8” 3 way
• Headphones- Semheiser HD Pro closed back
• VoiceTone Harmony- G-XT

1. Lap top usb Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface input 1&2 Voice Tone Harmony- G-XT XLR cords to main out and mic input.
2. Headphones sound card
3. External Hard drive usb Lab top


I record Rap and R&B using mp3 tracks or instrumentals tracks produced by local artists. I have a dbx 1074 QuadGate compressor I would like to add this to my set-up but I don't know how connect it with what I already have can someone help me with this thanks.

https://www.reverbnation.com/studio1784?profile_view_source=header_icon_nav
 
Sure you can. It would have to be between the harmony thing and the interface.

It also helps if you think about the setup in the direction that the signal flows, from the mic to the computer, instead of from the computer to the mic. That way the ins and outs make sense.

Out of the mic, into the harmony thing, out of the harmony thing into the interface, out of the I terrace into the computer.

You have to put the compressor after a mic preamp, which the harmony thing must have. If you weren't using the harmony thing, you would have to plug the mic I to the mixer and plug the mixer into the compressor and the compressor into the interface.
 
I agree with everything Farview said, especially the suggestion to think in terms of signal flow, and I would also say that using the channel insert on the mixer is another option.

But I have to question a couple aspects the your methods. First of all use wave files that have never been compressed. MP3 is a delivery format, not a production format. Second, anything that compressor can do the DAW can do better. Unless you have some sort of multi-thousand-dollar compressor it's probably best to leave it out. In some cases it might be worth recording with the harmony pedal, but I'd still look for a way to do that in the computer if possible.
 
Hi Fairview I no longer have the Mackie mixer this is my current set up

• ASUS Lap top X200CA - 6 gig Ram
• External Hard drive- 3 TB
• Sound card- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface
• Mic- AKG Perception 420
• Music Software- Sonar X1 producer, Sound Forge 10, Cubase 6, Ableton Live 9
• Monitors- Fostex 8” 3 way
• Headphones- Semheiser HD Pro closed back
• VoiceTone Harmony- G-XT


1. Lap top usb Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface input 1&2 Voice Tone Harmony- G-XT XLR cords to main out and mic input
2. Headphones sound card
3. External Hard driveusb Lab top
 
Hi bouldersoundguy,

I do use wave files but after I record I do a mix down and convert the wave file to mp3 file after I mix and master.
 
Last edited:
raywon said:
Lap top usb Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface input 1&2 Voice Tone Harmony- G-XT XLR cords to main out and mic input
Click to expand...

I guess you've decided to disregard the suggestion from both of us to think in terms of signal flow. That would be: mic -> XLR -> harmony pedal -> interface -> computer.

I'm not sure how much more effort it's worth putting into this, but I'll say that if the TC Helicon pedal doesn't have line level output you really can't use the compressor properly. Even if the harmony pedal does have line level output there's just no advantage to using a run of the mill analog compressor like that.
 
Ummm, my initial suggestion was without the mixer. It's the same as bouldersoundguy's.
 
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