Compressors

[AllenM]

I have very little knowledge on compressors. The only experience I've had is using a compression effect on my keyboard which makes the sound more "in your face". Last night I sang through a mic along w/ the recorded audio from my ms16 recording on my 3340. When I played back the tape on the 3340 my vocals didn't sound "in your face". Do you think a compressor would solve this problem? I also would like to use it on acoustic guitars and pretty much anything. I would like an overall good sound on my songs. They do sound good to me but im pretty sure they could be better. The only effects I am using at the moment is my Master room xl305 reverb on my vocals.

 

[briank]

A compressor is certainly a tool that can push the source forward in the mix if you want; keep in mind what a compressor actually does is reduce the dynamic range of the source (then you bring up the makeup gain and your source will seem louder and more up front). My favorite overall musical sounding, versatile, use it on anything compressor is the Empirical Labs Distressor...I have a stereo pair with all the options and love 'em...not so cheap though. A good lower budget compressor would be the FMR RNC, very clean sounding stereo compressor so you can use it on various sources and won't color the sound as much as some, beyond the inescapable artifacts of altering the dynamic range and compression characteristics of course; they can work well on vocals and acoustic guitar. DBX 160A can be cool there as well as on bass and drums, too...mono comp, not as clean sounding as the RNCs and not as much control over the shaping as there are no attack or release settings, though the flipside to that is simpler operation, and they can be had for good prices used. You can find a decent compressor at just about any budget, but they all sound and operate differently.