Focusrite Compressor

[Da Arsun]

I just bought my Penta and it seems like it made everything worse. Basically, I got it so my vocals could be compressed once it hits the mic. But instead at any level I speak into my mic it peeks regardless if its soft or hard spoken. Please help me!!!

[tubedude]

Before it hits the mic? Explain? More details.

[Da Arsun]

So once it hits the mic it is already compressed when it enters into my pro-tools, and from my pro-tools I could even add a little more compression just so it sounds extra nice. But thats not the case when I speak into the mic it comes out distorted.

[Middleman]

Turn off the compression and lower the input gain until you get a very clean signal. Also make sure the tube sound knob is at 0 or better just turn it off. Ignore the presets on the compressor for vocal. Compression on vocals is subjective and it may be too much for what you are doing.

If you need to compress going into Protools I would suggest just lightly doing so. Attack set to fast, release set to medium. Ratio as high as it goes, turn off the soft knee. Compression maybe -2 or -3. Less if is sounds like too much.

Let me know how it goes.

[Da Arsun]

Hey MIDDLEMAN!! I just wanted to say thank you cause it actually turned out nice with the settings you suggested I applied. But still for some reason my vocals were still peaking on my pro-tools, cause vertically my wave files were huge. But I think I have come to the conclusion that I'm going to return my Penta and settle for a 266xl or 166xl DBX. Oh by the way do you have a Penta?

[Middleman]

Could be you need a limiter or a compressor with higher ratios than the penta.

No, I don't own that model but have experience with other platinum models. I just checked their website to see what settings that model had.

The compression on focusrites tends to be better for instruments than vocals. However the pres in the penta are fairly good.

[cominginsecond]

Do the output levels run at the same input level of your recorder? Make sure, if your soundcard is set to run at -10 that you switch the Penta to run at -10.