Do i really NEED a compressor?

T

thesobe

New member
Ok, I'm quite satisfied with the way my tracks turn out, but I understand the advantages of using a compressor, especially on rock vocals with varying dynamics, but can i justify spending 200 quid on and RNC? My dad would shit a BRICK if he knew i was spending that much on a box of electronics. However, i want one.

Also, what are the recomended cables for connecting all these wee boxes i have (pre-amps etc)?

Cheers
 
no, you don't need a compressor. if your tracks already come out nice why would you just 'want' one. and why an RNC of all things. and you have 'wee' boxes? do you keep those next to the bed?
 
Looking through some of your posts my friend, you seem like a bit of a cnut.

So, what i would be interested in (and what i was intending from my post) would be for someone to try and convince me to spend hard earned on a compressor. Any comments would be appreciated.

Cheers ;)
 
you could do alright with the Waves Ren bundle.....or something for 150...as long as it comes witht he Rvox and RCL your good! alot more bang for your buck then the RNC
 
no I think you were saying something else. you can fuck off asshole. take this marketing shit somewhere else.
 
Teacher...thanks for the reply, but i thought the point of an outboard compressor is to compress the sound coming from the pre before going into the soundcard, therefore avoiding distortion if the oridinal signal is too hot?

I can compress my tracks using cubase, but again, this is only compressing a signal that may have already distorted going into the card...

So, will i really benifit from spending the cash on this toy ie, will it just make my life easier when tracking, or will it greatly affect the way the final mix sounds?

Cheers
 
thesobe said:
Looking through some of your posts my friend, you seem like a bit of a cnut.
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Hey! If you're going to call someone a dirty name, at the very least you should spell it correctly.

Falken gave you a straight up answer with a bit of added humor. What's the problem with that? If you happen to be marketing something I must have missed it along the way. No loss on my part, dude.

You can compress on the way in if it's needed. What are you recording? Is it a soft ballad that all of a sudden goes way up in intensity volume wise? How the hell can you expect anyone to give a straight up answer such as "Oh sure, definitely use compression on the way in, or, no, you don't need to use it."

Dude, get a clue. It's up to you to determine whether or not you need to compress going in or after laying down the track. Sorry to be a blunt asshole, but that's what I am every now and then. :)

Oh darn! My shoe lace just came untied. What shall I do? Help me here.
 
I'm back. I googled and found out how to tie my shoe.

Let me tell you a story, tosobe.

A couple of months ago my daughter happened to be visiting here. She's a songwriter, guitarist, and singer.

She said, "Hey dad, I have a new tune to record".

I said, "Great. Let's do it!"

I quickly set up 3 mikes to record 2 on the guitar and one on the vocal (based on my experience of having recorded her before), set my levels and had her play for about 40 seconds or so into the song. Everything looked good so I said, "We're good to go."

A minute and a half into the song WHOA!!!! it was clipping bigtime.

I yelled "STOP!!!!"

She said, "WTF is the problem?"

I said, "No problem. I should have had you play the song all the way through. Let's do it again so I can determine how much compression I need to use going in before I hit record."

The moral of the story: I made the mistake of not listening to the entire song and make a decision based upon her entire performance.

Hopefully you will appreciate the story and come to the realization that the learning process is a long one.

Enjoy your mistakes *and* your successes. It's all part of the process.
 
How many posts do I need to have an avatar of my own choosing?

THAT is a major question! :)
 
thesobe,

I would not compress just to avoid digital clipping. if you want to avoid clipping, turn down the gain. compression is used to alter the sound, much like eq.

it sounds like you are marketing the RNC, because you ask the question "what cables do I need to hook up the wee boxes I have". joking aside, if you already have the boxes, you should know what cables to use. its common sense. so it seems like you are pretending to ask a question, when the reality is you have already stated the answer. which is you expect a bunch of responses that appear to advise a child to purchase an expensive product that they cannot afford. if it is marketing, it is despicible.
 
FALKEN said:
thesobe,

I would not compress just to avoid digital clipping. if you want to avoid clipping, turn down the gain. compression is used to alter the sound, much like eq.

it sounds like you are marketing the RNC, because you ask the question "what cables do I need to hook up the wee boxes I have". joking aside, if you already have the boxes, you should know what cables to use. its common sense. so it seems like you are pretending to ask a question, when the reality is you have already stated the answer.
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And we all know Falken doesn't like the RNC :) I happen to like mine.

Falken, he is asking a good question here.
Yes, a function of an outboard compressor is as a limiter in the sense that it can be used to avoid clipping coming from a pre.

But Flaken is correct in that digital clipping can and (and probably should) be avoided by turning down the gain.

That said, it is oftentimes desirable to smooth out a dynamic range via compression, and that may or may not entail altering the sound per se. Some compressors are known for the color the add, others are touted as clean.
 
60's guy said:
Hey! If you're going to call someone a dirty name, at the very least you should spell it correctly.
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Actually, that is intentional.
Dude, get a clue. It's up to you to determine whether or not you need to compress going in or after laying down the track. Sorry to be a blunt asshole, but that's what I am every now and then. :)
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And that is exactly what he is asking. He is asking if it justified.

Get a clue yerself.
 
"cnut"= probably a slang shorthand for "crazy nut".... certainly not a mispelled version of that word my wife hates so much... :eek:
 
are you tracking to digital? if its 24 bit digital then you're gonna be able to track at quieter levels and have a good quality level. use plugin compressors!
 
I use my RNC to take care of surprise spikes in remote recording and for taming percussive guitar chops in my home recordings. The RNC does it well and, to my ears, doesn't make itself obvious. I got it based mostly on what I read here. I don't have a lot of experience with compressors - just 2 remote and 2 home projects - but I've tried with and without and this RNC does exactly what I wanted it to do. Money well spent.

I can use 1/4" TRS cables for home recording but have only used TS for remote.
 
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why do you need to buy one if your happy with the way things are coming out? im sure youve read what they will do to you signal. if your getting tracks that shoot all over the place dynamically then one MAY help you. why dont you borrow one from a freind or whatnot and see if it helps you at all.

And that is exactly what he is asking. He is asking if it justified.

Get a clue yerself.

how the hell is anyone here suppsed to know if hes justified in buying one? weve never heard his stuff, we dont know if a rnc in particular could aid in his tracking. the question is arbitrary. if he said " is an rnc a good sounding comp" we could say yes, if he said " is an rnc a good deal for the cash" wed say yes, but if someone says " does my music need an rnc" and weve never heard the tracks.... well there not much we can say other than buy one and see for yourself. if you hate it sell it on ebay.

id say falkens reply while smart ass was in no way demanding of calling him anything.
 
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