compressing before the mixer??

Spider

New member
hi there all , just a quick question.. Ive read somewhere its always best to have the signal entering your compressor quite strong.
So would it work if i put the compressor before the mixer for a snare drum and kick drum.. Im just wondering if there will be enough gain so that i wont have to bump up the out put and end up with heaps of noise??
The reason is because i have a dbx compressor (well getting one tonight)and it has xlr ins and out , i dont have any aux sends or channels left to route back through.. So will this setup work???
thanks all!!

Spider
 
one of the problems with doing that is that the signal may never reach the threshhold.
right? so then, there would never be any compression applied.
you dont have channel inserts?
 
yes i do have channel inserts but how would i get it back to the desk from the compressor?? Actually ive never used inserts and im a little unsure as to how they can be utilized.. I dont have any spare channels left so thats why i wanted to run this compressor in sequence... could u explain a way of using the inserts (if possible) for this type of problem!!! thanks heaps for that
spider...
 
on my kick and snare im getting about +4-+5db with only very minimal gain (hardly any) ....does that sound right!!! I was just wondering if that would be enough to get over the threshhold if i compress before the mixer.. If not would i need some type of pre amp before the compressor (eg. a small mixer) Does anyone know of any very cheap two channel pres or mixers ??? Anyway thanks ..
Spider
 
Imagine opening your mixer and finding the cable that the signal travels down.
If you cut that cable off, then you can put one end of the cable into the input of the compressor, and the other you put at the output of the compressor. Now, suddently, the compressor is a part of the signal chain in the mixer. It's basically like you have inserted the compressor into your mixer!
Now, opening the mixer, cutting and soldering cables is not very practical, so therefore you have the insert jack, that allows you to "insert" effects into the mixer like this.

The insert jack uses stereo-plugs, which have three connectins. Tip, Ring and Sleeve(?). These are connected to In, Out and Ground. (although I'm not sure on the order, consult your mixers manual).
So when you insert a plug into the jack, the normal signal path of the mixer is cut off, and teh signal is sent to the Out connection of the insert jack. You then send this to the compressor (or whatever) and reroute the output from the compressor to the In connection of the insert jack again.

Did this make sense?

[This message has been edited by regebro (edited 07-11-2000).]
 
that was perfect regebro , cleared it up totally .. I actually went and bought a second hand dbx copressor and i started talking to the guy.. He mentioned how he was using inserts as well , and his description was exactly the same as yours regebro..cheers.. just one thing , u both metioned the inserts being labelled tip , ring and sleeve...im using a behringer 2642A and the inserts say tip and ring only ! should be ok though .?? i checked the manual (for once) and it basicly says the same thing , so i think thats the perfect lot of answers ... thanks for that regebro..
cheers!!!
Spider
 
Well, the sleeve is always connected to ground, so thats probably why they don't mention it, I guess.
 
hey regebro , u dont seem to game to say 'yeah thats all cool , just hook her up man'.... i wouldnt either ... but should be ok though ithink .. anyway cheers for that regebro....

spider
 
inserts

Hey, my channel inserts are post trim. How does this play into the equation dealing with compressors?
Mixer: Mackie 1604 Compressor: dbx 266
 
Good rave regebro
inserts are always post trim - what you should do is bypass the compressor and set your level so you get a proper reading on the console output (Output fader set to unity gain) - now your trim level is set you can insert the compressor and adjust the threshold until you get the required amount of compression - then you adjust the compressor output level (makeup gain) so you read zero again at the output of the console.
cheers
 
John, Regebro - two questions. I use outboard compression bypassing the mixer completely - mics > preamps > compressor > hard disk. I set the level with the pres and the software level meter. Why use it if it ain't necessary is my philosophy. Any comments?

None of my cables are TRS, so when I do use my mixer inserts, it's just TS. It seems to work fine. Any comments?
 
I agree Dobro - the more electronics you can avoid the better. But I've done sessions with 46 mikes so what do you do there?? The TRS business is fine as you are at home with cable runs of a few feet - in a TV studio or large recording complex your cable runs can be 1/2 mile or so - that's where Balanced TRS are really required.
 
r the runs really that long ?? thats huge ..and i thought i had some cables to deal with .. So in home use how important is it .. i mean if i can hear any fuzz through an effects unit , could i blame that on poor cables , or power interference?? also , how about power conditioners??
cheers all
spider
 
My question;
How can 1 hook up the compressor in channel 9/10 for stereo
signals (ex.keyboards)? When connecting the left input of the compressor to the insert on channel 9/10 where would the left output of the compressor be hooked up to and what about the right channel.Or should I be using the "SideChain"
configuration into a particular channel strip and if so using a dedicated "Y" cable what is the hook-up.
For the time being I have the compressor into Aux 3/4 ret/sends and adjust the amount of compression by adjusting the aux levels.
I now own 4 compressors and would like to hook them up into channel strips for drum machine,bass,keyboards and gits.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Thx,
 
I'm a bit confused about your setup misterQcue - normally you would just put the left channel of your compressor across channel 9 and the right across channel 10 using each channel's insert/send. I don't know what console you have but you could put your 4 compressors across groups 1 - 4, the aux send/ret sounds a bit sus to me!!
 
ive heard of a lot of people using the groups for things like effects , comp. that sort of thing.. I currently use mine for (1+2) to monitors and (3+4) to the headphone amp.. Should i be utiizing these groups better ?? i have a control room out plug... although that may pose some problems for me ... Im using an 8 in 4 out soundcard. So what i normally do is record track while having the signal come out of outputs 1+2 in one of four (A,B,C,D) stereo channels, then route this to busses 1+2 for monitoring. When i go to record another track over i direct that recorded track to outputs 3+4 which enters at input C , i direct this to the headphone amp so musos can hear what they previously played... the signal they are recording right now does the same as the first signal did , it goes in at A for me to monitor through busses 1+2.. Is there a better way to do this so i can use my busses for effects and compression??
Hey MisterQue, cant you just hook them up inline.. Cos that keyboards line level , right ? So cant u just go from the keyboard , comp. , then into the input of your mixer..
By the way john , im currently using one of my compressors via an aux send (this is the best way i can use it on every channel easily) , it seems fine , but is there a problem that i may come across with this?? Also , whats the deal with stereo compatibility with groups 1-4 ..?? can i use each one of them separetly??
 
Hello John!
Prior to purchasing my other 2 compressors recently,I used
my Multicom in a stereo config. I have the Alesis s32(ok,no
jokes please!) My keys are plugged in channel 9-10;
my l/r sends into compressors l/r ins then comp's l/r outs into aux rets ins. I adjust amount of compression using aux controls.Or is it better,just to use the channel strips inserts using a dedicated "Y" send/rec cord and just hook up the left channel. Sorry to sound so stoopid! Thx 4 your assistance.
 
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