Peak Limiter Settings for Behringer Composer Pro?

M

Mike B

New member
Hey Guys,

I'll be using my new Composer Pro on some drum track sessions for the first time soon, and was wandering about Peak Limiter settings. I'll be going from mic to Mackie 1402 to insert out to Composer Pro to Roland VS-880.

If I'm bypassing the noise gate, and compressor, what should I set the compressor output to? It goes from -20db to 20db. The peak limiter is dependent on this setting, and I'm not sure what I should have it set at for the cleanest signal. Should I leave it dead center at 0, and adjust the peak limiter based on this?

Any suggestions?
 
the output you select really wont affect the sound coming out other than the volume....'

of course you want a fast attck time with a high ratio and release time setting and threshold....the output is pretty much just used as a basic volume control for the signal leaving the unit and to compensate for any lost volume during processing.....
 
Sorry Gidge, you confused compression with his question about LIMITING.

Mike B, you will wind up setting your Composer Pro's Limiter to about +12 or maybe a bit higher if you are running +4 on the signal path. If you have a pretty stable sound source, and the only peaks are high frequency, then you might get away with +15. Adjust the Output control so that with the Limiter set at +12 or so that you every once in a while get some -2dB reductions and then you will be in the ballpark.

Good luck.

Ed
 
that's quite a long signal chain. cant you go straight to the roland? use the composer on mixdown, unless you REALLY need to use the composer on tracking.unless you know what yuo're doing, it is much safer to keep compression till mixdown. the limiting on the composer can be noticible sometimes, unless you set it up right.
 
I can't go straight to the Roland because it has no mic inputs. I use the Mackie as a preamp only, and usually go staight to the Roland from there. I thought It might be good to have some peak limiting for snare and kick at least to keep any digital distortion from popping up in unexpected places.
 
Hey Mike, that is a very good way to go about tracking kick and snare.

Don't be afraid to use just a tad of compression on vocals while tracking (no more than about 3dB!!!). The Composer is not my first box I grab for when tracking vocals (I have a ART Dual Levelar that works a little better as a leveling amplifier for vocal tracking....) but with unruly singers I whip it out in a hurry to tame some of those overly dynamics parts! :) The limiter may the only thing that actually saves a good take where you might have hit a bit hard while tracking.

Ed
 
I don't see the need for "another limiter" unless you can afford something Class A. The Peak Limiter on the Composer is better than any of the other limiters I have heard on units under $1k. As a final protection from digital overs, for the price, you can't beat it!!!

Ed
 
Thanks Ed. That's good to know. The Composer is all I can afford right now so that's what I'll use. I'll try your advice on vox too. Thanks.

Mike
 
i shouldn't have, but i was thinking in the pro enviroment for a minute.

the composer is affordable and good sounding, BUT, i wouldn't use it for tracking myself if I was doing it for commercial purposes.
 
I still don't know why! I have used it for "commercial purposes" many times with very good results.

But, aren't you the same guy that actually LIKES the 3630?:confused:

Ed
 
i think there are better choices for limiting if you're doing a serious record, ed, that's my opinion. i mean, why use a composer, when you could use a urei, or focusrite or whatever. im talking from my own perspective though which i shouldn't, but if you've got better compressors/limiters, then use them in my opinion, unless you're looking for a certain colour. especially at the tracking stage where you want a good signal.

with regards to the 3630, i dont love them, i dont like them THAT much, BUT i think everyone here seems to slag them off a little too much. one guy sees a post aobut a 3630 and slags them too, i bet some of the people here have never heard them, but still slag them off.

i went to a studio once to produce for a band, they had about 8 3630's and a drawmer which i kept for vocals. that was it. no other compressors. the mix that came out was fantastic though. i posted an mp3 a while ago, i might even post it up again, but even i was shocked myself.
 
I don't disagree with you at all about "preferring" a better limiter. Although, I have put the Composers Peak Limiter against a LA2A and a Manley, and found that it offered as good of Peak Limiting! Now, mind you I am using an old style Composer, which as I recall, Drawmer tried to sue Behringer for ripping of the whole design of a $1000 comp/limiter Drawmer was offering. The Composers started out selling for $800!!! Damn fine sounding unit, and I have had MANY excellent engineers, producers, and ultimately, CLIENTS who could not argue that they worked JUST FINE as a final Peak Limiter in the tracking stage.

In any case, few around here are going to shell out the bucks for any of the units you offered above. In reality, one really doesn't need to unless they can AFFORD that luxury.

Now instead of any that you listed, give me a Cranesong STC 8!!! THAT is a box that I would invest in for a comp for tracking! :)

I will not argue also about the relative quality of the 3630. But given a choice between it and a Drawmer MX30, or a Composer Pro, it is really a no brainer! I have knocked the 3630 here and there when people are seeking to buy ONE box for compression. If one can again afford the luxury of different colors, then putting a 3630 in the rack is not such a bad idea. I have a few recent posts where I have defended them. Most of the mixes I post have a 3630 on the Bass Guitar, Kick Drum sometimes, Snare Drum sometimes, Acoustic Guitar if it is a bit thin sounding (the 3630 really has a way of sort of "bloating out" the sound! Probably why analog guys like em sometimes!). I have used it on Triangles, Electric Guitars, and Keyboards. So I agree, it has a use. But as a main compressor when you can buy a Composer Pro for the same money, I just can't see the purchase!

Ed

Ed
 
So the new composer has a different circuit to the old composer? cus i have the new composers.

like i said before, i was speaking from my own perspective (which shouldn't have been the case) and cus I have some "luxury" units, i tend to use them more. the affordability section of my brain was knocked out. apologies.

ed, i dont tend to use the 3630 that much at all, but like you, i find myself using it now and again for it's own charachteristic. i would never suggest buying one as a main compressor, infact, for that price range, id say the composer or the RNC.

Romesh
 
From what I can tell, the Peak Limiter section is the same between the new and old style Composers. The COMPRESSION is different for sure! While the compression on the Pro is still very usable, I haven't found it to be as, I don't how to explain it, transparent maybe!

Yeah, when I am tracking at the other studio, we usually use a Oram MWS Pre/EQ, with a Drawmer 1960 Opto Tube compressor behind it. No need for limiting here! :) Just nice open vocals! :D

Ed
 
The Oram is better than a Focusrite Red! Warmer, smoother. The pre is Class A of course, and everything you would expect from a Class A pre. Accurate, detailed. No ringing BS from bad design.

The "EQ Magic" (that is what they call it!) is what makes the MWS ROCK!!! The Oram eq is excellent, colorful, and clean. I am able to track stuff the way I want it to sound to tape! I seldom do ANY eq to tracks that I record using the ORAM.

I have been running kicks, snares, vocals, bass sometimes through it. Try this:
for an example of all those things running through one (except bass in this case....) This is just a pre-production demo I tracked the drums for and mixed for the band. The tracking was done far too quickly for my tastes. :(

If you are looking for a great sounding pre with an excellent EQ on it, that is your box!!! It won't disappoint.

Ed
 
Concerning signal routing, I was talking to my drummer who does live sound, and he said he goes from the mic to the compressor, then to the mixer. He said this way, the mic preamps on the mixer are protected from distortion. This seems to make some sense, but I thought you should go mic-mixer-compressor-recorder for recording. Which way is preferred for recording? Is his way better for live?
 
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