ART Pro VLA vs Blockfish?

[sucram]

i'm finally getting a patchbay setup and with that in mind, want to pick up a hardware compressor. most of my work is on the computer, but i bus things out to external stuff and have a couple hardware synths i record.

i'd like a colored one, one that can get agressive sounding. i really like the Blockfish compressor/saturation plug in from Digitalfishphones a lot. if i could get that in hardware for cheap, i'd be pretty happy. can anyone tell me if the ART Pro VLA will get me in the ballpark? my only concern is that i may want more control of the envelopes, which may eliminate most if not all optical compressors. are there budget VCA style ones which have versatile coloring? i'm not looking for an RNC. i can do clean compression in software.

thanks in advance,
marcus

[JazzMang]

I dont think the VLA will get you what you want. It is slightly colored, but not in the aggressive manner you require. I would describe its nature as textured with a slight smearing that may or may not help you get the sound you are after.

Plus, it lacks control, such as attack and release times that are infinitely variable.

I like it, but wish it had more flexibility.

If its aggressive in-your-face compression you want, there's only one way to go.... up! Up in price, I mean. A distressor will definitely get you what you want. There are other high-end options (although the distressors start at a relatively decent price point) that may suit your needs.

[MOFO Pro]

Not exactly sure why you want a hardware compressor if you track and mix in the box and have already found a plugin that you love...

Seems like an unwise purchase to get the same sound that you already achieved, with additional routing and expense.

You're money is better spent adding to your pallet... not trying to duplicate it...

[sucram]

thanks for the replies.

jazzmang: yeah, a distressor would be nice but is far out of the pricerange. that's probably the first i'd look at if i were ready to commit to a serious unit. but i'm looking for gems in the budget category, which i know is a tricky endeavor. i'm also thinking about joemeek stuff, but i'd need stereo so that limits it a bit, and i don't know the joemeek character at all, so i don't know if i'll like it. maybe the ART isn't right though if it can't get terribly aggressive.

mofo pro: it's a bit redundant, but don't you like to use different tools for different jobs? i'd like to have more flavors than just the blockfish plug, though i do find it extremely versatile for a freebee. and i'd like to compress on the way in for some things, like for synths or when sampling. in the end, i'd like a somewhat diverse project studio, and i know i'll need a hardware compressor for that setup, even if i stick to mixing in the box. also, i can apply a hardware compressor within a chain of outboard effects which a plug in can't do. i could compress before or after in the box, but i still want the flexibility of putting it anywhere in the outboard chain. not to mention that i'm quite suspect of the quality of my plugs, as they're all freeware or the included effects from my sonic foundry/sony software.

i have been considering purchasing the UAD1 card, and perhaps my $ would be better spent there since I'd rather work in the box to avoid conversions and keep things together, and you get multiple instances.

how about joemeek? any thoughts on their flavor? i keep reading about the color of their stuff, but i still don't know if it's what i'm after. anyone know how comparable it is to the blockfish plug?

thanks,
marcus

[CCS]

Originally Posted by sucram

i'm finally getting a patchbay setup and with that in mind, want to pick up a hardware compressor. most of my work is on the computer, but i bus things out to external stuff and have a couple hardware synths i record.

i'd like a colored one, one that can get agressive sounding. i really like the Blockfish compressor/saturation plug in from Digitalfishphones a lot. if i could get that in hardware for cheap, i'd be pretty happy. can anyone tell me if the ART Pro VLA will get me in the ballpark? my only concern is that i may want more control of the envelopes, which may eliminate most if not all optical compressors. are there budget VCA style ones which have versatile coloring? i'm not looking for an RNC. i can do clean compression in software.

thanks in advance,
marcus

I don't consider the PRO VLA to be agressively sounding or too colored, but rather transparent with just a hint of darkness. Keep in mind that there aren't any transformers on this box, which tend to color the source.