Alesis 3630 - Revisited

[Rich Smith]

The Alesis 3630 Compressor gets wildly mixed reviews on this forum.
Everything from raves.... to hate mail.... and most things in between.

Newbies tend to like anything they can keep from buzzing. And the "You Get What You Pay For" crowd always tends to scorn anything low cost. But that obviously isn't the whole story of the 3630. Some very knowlegable and experienced people have also expressed opinions on both sides of the question.

I've been given a 3630 for my old school Recording Rack:
- Is it worth learning to use the 3630.... or not?
- Is it better than nothing during analog mixdown.... or not?

Please set aside the fact that other rackmount units may be better.

Rich Smith

[RRuskin]

Originally Posted by Rich Smith

The Alesis 3630 Compressor gets wildly mixed reviews on this forum.
Everything from raves.... to hate mail.... and most things in between.

Newbies tend to like anything they can keep from buzzing. And the "You Get What You Pay For" crowd always tends to scorn anything low cost. But that obviously isn't the whole story of the 3630. Some very knowlegable and experienced people have also expressed opinions on both sides of the question.

I've been given a 3630 for my old school Recording Rack:
- Is it worth learning to use the 3630.... or not?
- Is it better than nothing during analog mixdown.... or not?

Please set aside the fact that other rackmount units may be better.

Rich Smith

It's a sonic tinker toy. You might find a use for it on a few things but stuffing a mix through it probably isn't going to be one of them.

[Rich Smith]

Rick,

Thanks. I guess that closes the book on the 3630.

Rich Smith

[mattr]

Its good enough to teach yourself about compression with.
I don't mind using them on lesser-critical channels when doing live sound, but I wouldn't use one in a studio.

[Beck]

One of the reasons for the mixed reviews is that they upgraded a few components since it was first introduced. So there are really different 3630's out there. The early models with the DBX 2252 level detector IC and the DBX 2150 VCAs don't perform as well.

Look inside your 3630 by taking the back off. To do this you remove the two screws on each side holding the rack ears in place and two screws in the middle (top and bottom). You also have to unscrew the six plastic nuts on the input/outputs. If you see the 2252’s are made by THAT Corporation, then you have the better 3630.

There are also a lot of mods available for the 3630 that make it function and sound pretty darn good. Google Black Lion mods for the 3630.

[chazba]

A few years ago I ran across an article describinig the upgrades possible on the 3630. Being handy with a soldering pen, I undertook the project, which went without a hitch. The results were amazing. This unit sounds beautiful when handled properly. I use it for submixing brass or BGVox with great results. Of course, there are guys who wouldnt be able to get these results due to lack of experience or " bad ears" or whatever. It's too easy to dis some gear without good info but-hey- that's what the i-net is all about...no???

[Simman]

Originally Posted by chazba

A few years ago I ran across an article describinig the upgrades possible on the 3630. Being handy with a soldering pen, I undertook the project, which went without a hitch. The results were amazing. This unit sounds beautiful when handled properly. I use it for submixing brass or BGVox with great results. Of course, there are guys who wouldnt be able to get these results due to lack of experience or " bad ears" or whatever. It's too easy to dis some gear without good info but-hey- that's what the i-net is all about...no???

The article was in Tape-OP and basicly (going from memory now ) by-passes (i.e., removes) the gate circuit.