Do I need an Outboard Compressor?

[Chrisjob]

Hi there-

I've learned it's a good idea to have two kinds of gear- clean and 'coloring'. I certainly understand why both of these would come in handy, especially with Mic PreAmps. I currently am using a JoeMeek compressor, which adds its own coloration, as well as the Compressor Plug-in that came with CoolEdit 2.0(as well as BlueLines and a couple of other freewares). Do I need to purchase a 'clean' outboard compressor, like an RNC, that supposedly doesn't color the sound, or does the plug-in do the job?

It seems that a plug-in won't color the sound, which is what I'm going for. Why would I need to by a clean outboard compressor? I've read the RNC is very transparent, but with careful editing, couldn't I come up with the same results within CoolEdit, without adding extra noise?

Thanks
Chris

 

[chessrock]

You don't need one. Might want one. There's benefits and drawbacks to doing it either way.

Do you like what you currently have? Are you a believer in getting everything the way you want it during the tracking phase, or are you a tweaker?

If you like to do anything other than very minor EQ'ing during mixdown, then it might be a good idea to save the compression for later, as EQ will inevitably change the dynamics of the track. This might force you to compress and/or limit a second time.

However, if you're the type that likes to get everything right "at the source," during the tracking phase, then an outboard comp might be a good option for you. One thing worth considering is it allows you to use up more of your available headroom, which could possibly mean a slight improvement in fidelity and slightly better S/N ratio as the tracks ad up -- particularly if you record at 16 or 20 bit.

 

[Robert D]

Well, if you have a very dynamic source that you need to tame a bit to get good bit resolution without any overs, and you want it to be clean, then there you are.
Cheers, RD