What can I benefit from using 2 fmr RNC compressors at once

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Popvideo

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Hey guys

I guess I have several questions for you guys. Firstly;
I recently came into a funk logic tray with two rnc compressors for a really nice price. Being new to hardware compressors I'm curious as to how I would use both together. anyone with good and bad experience, please tell me what my options are here.

Here's a list of what my studio setup includes. Any help figuring out a multi functional signal path would be so awesome.

I'm currently working with an alesis midiverb, roland sre-555 chorus echo, roland sde - multi effects, an old tube preamp with eq which I split signal in and use in parallel to add some
nice coloring, the two rnc compressors. I'm planning on getting a roland seq 331 graphic eq and a patch bay so I can try more some different routings without having to go behind my rack. Currently I have everything running into my tascam 234 and it's all pretty much hard wired. I just fixed up a tascam 246 porta studio and am hoping to use this to replace the 234.

Can someone help me with patchbay tips? Should I run paralel or half normal?

Also for the record I'm using a linn 9000 as my work station if that makes any difference. I'm trying to completely steer clear of computers until the absolute last stage. I want all recording, mixing and mastering done on the 246 if possible.


Any and all tips are SO greatly appreciated.

I'm really sorry if my post is scatterbrained
 
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I have the same setup, I sometimes run each RNC as a mono single channel compressor, sometimes I run one as a stereo (left right) compressor or both, depends what you are doing.

Alan.
 
How do I use it as a mono compressor? I thought you could only compress in stereo. I don't have a manual for the rnc, I guess I should try find one of those.

Can you tell me how exactly you route them together? Stereo out into stereo in of the other? Or do you use side chaining?
 
Manual here, Link, If you want to use as a mono compressor just plug mono signal into the left side In, and the mono out into the left side Output. And don't plug anything into the Right in or out.

I don't use the two RNC's together on the same signal, so they are not connected together, I may use one on the vocals and one on the bass for example.

Alan.
 
a couple years ago i saw a NAMM video with craig anderton demonstrating studio one software. one of his tips was about chaining compressors.

here's the premise; the higher the compression ratio, the more audible the artifacts of the process, like the dreaded "pumping and breathing" sound of a compressor grabbing and releasing a signal alternately.

craig said that by setting a gentle ratio on a compressor, then sending that slightly compressed signal to a second compressor (also set to a gentle ratio) you end up with a much smoother sounding effect. any peaks that get past the 1st comp get smoothed by the 2nd comp.

of course, crushing a track is an effect unto itself. rock bass tracks are typically heavily compressed, as are distorted electric guitars, drum bus sidechains etc. vocals are a good place to experiment with this comp chaining technique though.
 
Tom Hicks said:
a couple years ago i saw a NAMM video with craig anderton demonstrating studio one software. one of his tips was about chaining compressors.

here's the premise; the higher the compression ratio, the more audible the artifacts of the process, like the dreaded "pumping and breathing" sound of a compressor grabbing and releasing a signal alternately.

craig said that by setting a gentle ratio on a compressor, then sending that slightly compressed signal to a second compressor (also set to a gentle ratio) you end up with a much smoother sounding effect. any peaks that get past the 1st comp get smoothed by the 2nd comp.

of course, crushing a track is an effect unto itself. rock bass tracks are typically heavily compressed, as are distorted electric guitars, drum bus sidechains etc. vocals are a good place to experiment with this comp chaining technique though.
Click to expand...

Also note that the "super nice" mode on the RNC chains together 3 compression stages to achieve this exact effect. If you set a 6:1 ratio, for example, it actually sends it through 3 internal compressors each with a 2:1 ratio to achieve very transparent compression.
 
So since there are two, should I try a gentle ration linking both on supernice mode? Would six stages of subtle compression be overdoing it?
 
Popvideo said:
So since there are two, should I try a gentle ration linking both on supernice mode? Would six stages of subtle compression be overdoing it?
Click to expand...

What actually are you putting through the RNC? Mix, Voice, Guitar, Bass, Drums? I wouldn't think you need to go through 2 RNC's to get the sound but having said that, I always say to people try it and see if it works for you.

Alan.
 
The output signal are the left and right of a linn 9000. I have two keyboards running into it's ext in and it's all mixed on the linn and then sent in paralel through various processors. Sre-555 Chorus echo, alesis midiverb, some old tube pre amp and eq. I usually have stereo compression at the end of all that and then into a tascam 234
 
Popvideo said:
The output signal are the left and right of a linn 9000. I have two keyboards running into it's ext in and it's all mixed on the linn and then sent in paralel through various processors. Sre-555 Chorus echo, alesis midiverb, some old tube pre amp and eq. I usually have stereo compression at the end of all that and then into a tascam 234
Click to expand...

I would start by using one RNC on the stereo out, the other one could be used for something else, like if you wanted to compress one of the keyboards before it goes into the Linn?

Sounds like an interesting setup.

Alan.
 
That's a good idea. I had planned on starting there. I was curious if anyone had any suggestions regarding using them together in sequence or side chaining one to the other.

Regarding my setup. I know it's pretty strange. I'm actually new to analog recording, and pretty novice/intermediate with a daw. I just happen to luck out with finding most of this stuff or inheriting it.

I've had this setup to myself for about 2 months and have found some really neat signal paths that sound really pleasing to me, however since I know I'm not a professional, i assume there are tons of errors in my methods and that I have so much to learn.
 
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Popvideo said:
So since there are two, should I try a gentle ration linking both on supernice mode? Would six stages of subtle compression be overdoing it?
Click to expand...
Although the two intents may in some cases cross over (i.e simply 'tasteful control) I don't think you should look at the RNC's 'three detection and processing' stages (layers' or whatever they're actually doing in there) as the same as some of the typical intents of two different comps in series.
Sometimes you may want to have a combination of two compressors- very fast and averaging for example with completely independent setups and thresholds.
'SuperMice is not quite that. For a given attack/release setup it is smoother and slower (at least in it's release phase)
 
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