Help! Cheap hardware compressor or expensive software compressor?

[jerberson12]

Hi guys.
I dont want to waste my money getting a compressor.
Which one should I get?

Cheap hardware compressor (ex. DBX 1066, DBX 160x)
or
Expensive software compressor (ex. UAD-Solo, Waves Plugins, Drawmer Dynamics)

If you can tell me the major difference between the two?
Most of my studio time, I worked with software plugins, so I can determine the difference between a cheap software and an expensive software.

I havent work with any hardware compressors yet,
Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[GONZO-X]

an external compressor, lets you change the sound before it is converted to 0's and 1's.

a software compressor only allows you to change the sound AFTER it's already been captured.

the real question is, how do you want to use a compressor?

the ideal is, of course, to have both.

do you have a way to patch an external compressor into your recording system, to use it for mixdown?

 

[Bristol Posse]

This is just opinion of course but from owning and using both hardware low to mid price and software free to high price compressors I think the real difference comes when you hit them hard (like more than 6 dB of gain reduction) on tracking/ track level compressors
I find there to be a noticeable difference in this scenario and hardware compressors (at least the ones I have and use) just do it better with less unpleasant artifacts (and more pleasant ones) even on the cheap end like Art Pro VLA or FMR RNC than even a top of the line UAD model of a top of the line compressor can do.
For light compression duties though, I'd be hard pressed to be able to tell the difference, so I reserve my track compressors for the heavy lifting.

As far as bus compression goes I haven't yet found any single plugin by anyone that can replace even my $300 second hand chameleon labs 7720 but that is again just subjective personal preference and probably an unhealthy amount of expectation bias too.

But as mentioned you have to have a way to patch the hardware compressor in to you your recording or mixing chain, with software this is obviously not a concern in the mix, but you can't use software when recording in a pre analog to digital conversion stage

 

[rocksure]

Hi guys.
I dont want to waste my money getting a compressor.
Which one should I get?

Cheap hardware compressor (ex. DBX 1066, DBX 160x)
or
Expensive software compressor (ex. UAD-Solo, Waves Plugins, Drawmer Dynamics)

If you can tell me the major difference between the two?
Most of my studio time, I worked with software plugins, so I can determine the difference between a cheap software and an expensive software.

I havent work with any hardware compressors yet,
Any advice will be appreciated.

I use a mix of hardware and software compressors. As far as hardware compressors go, the dBX160 is a bit of a one trick pony. It is great on some things, but not suitable for other things. Software compressors such as the URS compressors are more verstile. If I was to have only one hardware comp, it would be hard to go past the ART Pro VLA...unless you have lots of money for an 1176 or 1178.