Can a 3630 "Compressor" be modified to be usable?

Not Totally Useless

I love my 3630. It's so much more colorful than a standard 1U rack spacer. (Important Note: For Lively & Entertaining Display, route audio to the input, but Never, I repeat Never, route the output to any active buss.

I've had mine for at least 15 years, and I don't think it's ever made it into a mix yet.

And Scooter... Aside from all the kidding around, we might actually come up with some mods that will tame this beast!

And Dragonworks... Don't you mean side chain them together?

Steve
 
Mofo,

I do enjoy sarcasm I even strarted the thread on "needing help to get a bad recording"
just to see how many people would look and coment. Check it out. There were some entertaining ideas. I suppose running everything through a 3630 would be a guaranteed trip Bad Recordings Inc.

How can they keep selling these things? My latest Musicians Friend catalogue advertised it as attaining the highest selling model (numbers wise) of any effect/processer EVER in the world. While Alesis does make some decent stuff I think this was designed by tabaco lawyers whom I would like to squash to infinity or at least at a 20/1 ratio hard knee.

If we can come up with an affordable upgrade they are evidentally alot of other suckers out there in need of a remedy. Thank God it can not infect other gear like a computer virus.
 
I think the 3630 is like a beautiful blonde, dancing in the front row of a club, looking straight through you the entire time you're on stag. You can't believe your luck when she's waiting for you outside the club after the gig... that is until you get her home and you find out she's psycho and you hide all the kitchen knives before you dare fall asleep... Nah maybe not....
 
:cool:

I have a lot of compressors both rack and built in to my DAWs and I still use the 3630 today.

You can make it work if you try. Especially on horn and less percussive instruments.
It seems that a dedicated hate forum is here for the 3630. Cute.
 
I have no problems with the 3630. Just because people here slag them off does not mean that your lack of results are not down to your inexperience. You could spend loads on a new compressor and still not get good results because your not using it right. Stick it out a while, I say.

While we're on the subject, what does anyone think of the Drawmer LX20?
 
Well Toad and Ears,

I have to give you some credit for willing to state your views in the face of overwhelming opposition to your opinions. You two and Longwave are the only ones fessing up to finding a use for these. I don't believe there is a dedicated
hate group
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for the 3630 but alot of very disapointed people who could have used there hard earned dollars for something much better.

As for as being usefull for "less percusive instruments" and "inexperience"... My recordings for a decent sketch pad of song ideas involve primararily bass guitar (still a universal thumbs down for 3630's) which is my primary instrument and I have tried every imaginable setting for my bass tracks. Otherwise I use electric and accoustic guitar, drum machines and vocals.

From my readings "less percusive instruments" such as brass should rarely need compressing if the proper miking placement and proper dynamic control is used by the musicians. You all can slam me if I'm wrong but this sounds like saying a particular model of car is usefull if you never need to drive it anywhere! I dont need any home studio lawn ornaments.

My intent on starting this thread was to look for a way to modify it for a more musically pleasing result. I do not have an interest in promoting hate group gripe sessions...just trying to do some collective creative problem solving. Just my 2 cents from this particular thread starter.

Scooter B :cool:
 
Whoa man...
I was joking about the hate thing. . It does'nt bother me if you do or don't like the 3630.
Secondly, brass is extremely dynamic if you have ever recorded it.

Sensitive....sheesh.

No slamming....and ....now I'm going to cry
:o
 
Ears,


No offense meant or taken. It was just the
Cute
Click to expand...
coment sounded a just a little patronizing. I'm not the one sugesting to to use them for boat anchors or for tire traction (both of which I enjoyed for comic relief) and I'm not singing their praises either (although the noise gate has been usefull for my "semi-pro" unbalanced set up). It is just out of all the responses so far, only one person has responded seriously to the original question proposed on modifying them to be usefull for my needs.

I suppose I am a little too focussed on getting a serious response for what I wanted because I find myself irritated and laughing at the same time about the abusive sugestions and then there is the other group which has found somethings they like to use them on but none of which are usefull to me. Forgive me everyone; I get tunnel vision sometimes. So I will just chill out and wait till I can scrape up enough $$$ to get back on my medications or the RNC that every one likes so well.

Scooter B,

P. S. The kleenex is on me, I think I can afford a box or two for the ones I offended. :p
 
It's ok Scoot'

The RNC is great for the money.

I'm sorry but I can't give an answer....other than......have you tried using the 3630 in line (series.) a little on the first, a little on the second (channel)?

Or use an eq in the sidechain so as only to compress the mid and high freq while not squashing the low hz.

I do that on many occasion.
 
Thanks Ears,

I have tried using the two chains in series experimentally for unusual effects like complete exccess ...with everything cranked to one extreme or another... like a low comression with high out put going in to a more high comression setting at unity (or less) gain.

I have not done the series with with subtle settings or used the side chain with EQ but I have read about that application for various things. Also I am going to try recording the bass more dry and using an active crossover to modify the highs and lows seperately. Trace elliot has a dual mode compressor built in to some of their high end preamps and some of the bi-amped bass rigs will send effect loops to the highs only to keep the bottom tight. In the past I have tracked with the compressor already on so it was hard to hear subtle differences while I was trying to set a good level and expereiment. The other 3630 I have had between my 4 track and MD player (for bouncing tracks) to for the noise gate and sometimes compressing the whole sub mix I am bouncing.

One question though regaurding the input/output switch; I know in theory there is a diference in compressing the input signal verses the output signal but I cannot hear any difference when
selecting between these two settings. I also can not hear a difference on these units between hard knee and soft knee settings. I know the difference technically but cant hear it on this unit. Any ideas on getting the most out of it regaurding those two issues.
 
Hi Scooter,

The in out button switches the metering for output or input to monitor what's going on.
It doesn't compress the output. The hard versus soft knee is used for different sources. More attack or percussive versus vocals, bass etc respectively. You can hear the difference but only at certain levels of adjustment. At least I can. I would'nt change your pure signal though. If you cna't get what you want sell the 3630's and get a better unit.

I use a Mindprint Envoice for tracking. It has a filter circuit on the compressor that leaves the bass alone. The compressor is inaudible. The sound is incredible.
I know that it's pricey. It is worth it though if you can save up for it.

Of course when I had my 4 track about 13 years ago, I used and old Yamaha hard knee only unit.
The 3630 was an incredible jump in quality. If you get $100.00 ea, you can get an RNC unit. Just a suggestion. I would'nt monkey with your clean bass signal to help out the 3630. 2 cents
 
Many Thanks again Ears,

Thanks for the suggestions and input/output clarification. What I meant by the "clean signal" is that I recorded previously with the bass already compressed (3630) and spent hours trying to get a good sound then would end up settling on something I was not happy with, out of shear frustration and impatience about moving on.

If I decide to try to use the 3630 again on some non-bass tracks I will not put it to tape untill I mix. That way I can spend alot of time experimenting with all the settings without committing the setting to tape. Of course this is the obvious choice when you have lots of channels and busses; but as you know with a 4 track and only two effect busses you have to commit more processing to tape early.

Scooter B
 
Another trick that I found out and maybe not so related but, what I used to do with the 4 track was do a stereo mix instead of bounces to a 2 track deck, then if the speed can be equaled on both decks, transfer the tape out of the 2 track and into the 4 track.
then add more tracks. And build. Not sure if you tried this yet. Sorry everyone....... off topic
 
Actually that is the only way I have "bounced" was to an outside source stereo tape deck. I know you can do it internally but my drum machine pans in stereo so I use all four tracks quickly and send it now to a digital mini disc recorder and bring back the stereo mix wich leaves me two more tracks to add before I have to do again if nessessary. This way I always have a back up digital copy of each stage in the building process if I want to start over from a certain point. This is also how I use the noise gate from the 3060 to cut or limit tape hiss as it goes to the MD before I bring it back in...but now we are really getting off subject.:D
 
I'm sure that no one 'minds. Good that you know. I did'nt see the post with the MD.
Cool. What about limiting? That is a good use of the 3630. To top off your MD. Most head room. 0db ....
 
Frederic,

You still out there? I was curious if you had any luck tracking down the 3630 schematics?

I posted a request to the Alesis website directly but I didn't really expect to get a response and so for I have not been peasantly suprised.

I remember reading some stuff in this Alesis Forum from a guy who used to work for Alesis before the crunch/buy out. He might be of some help but I have never corresponded with him and forget his name.

Let me know Scooter B
 
I can´t really agree with you guys out there that doesnt like the 3630.
I use both the behringer composer pro and the 3630 and I have loved it from start.
You have to learn how to use the effect and give it more then 5 min in the manual before you throw it away.
There is nothing that I cant use together with the 3630 and as I said before, give it some time and listen very hardly to what happens when you change the puts.
The worst thing you can do, and I beleive a lot of you guys do, is to have some neutral sound installed and just forget about the outcome of the sound and try to optimize it.

Dont give up, and you´ll see that this effect really is good.
 
gezzegas said:
...you´ll see that this effect really is good.
Click to expand...
er, no....

As I've mentioned before - harsh artifacts as the compressor kicks in, even at mild settings. Chaotic circuits, especially at the higher gain structure, and overall coloring of the sound - just by having the unit in the signal chain - are all characteristics of this "really good effect", as you put it.

You CAN make it work, but there is much better - for the same price you can pick yourself up an RNC (which, in case you're not aware, is a $2K compressor packed into a $200 package - no, not hype!)

Bruce
 
Thanks Bruce for your reply.


But don´t forget what we are talking about here.
The poor sod Scooter B is broke and doesn´t have the money to buy new equipment.


Of course there are better machines out there. But Scooter doesn´t want to invest new money here, I still say that the 3630 works and you can live with it.


Best regards
Lars.
 
Well, if it works for ya, great....

BUT... do me a favour... try out a real compressor sometime and you'll immediately see the difference - I guarantee you will no longer find the 3630 "acceptable".

Bruce
 
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