LazerBeakShiek
Rad Racing Team
$150 dollar VCA compressors. What would you direct a podcaster/performer/voice over/etc. to?
If a beginner home recordist was looking for a rack compressor, what would you recommend? People want maximum serviceability, and the ability to do the tricks. And do it without ruining the input signal (Alesis 3630 im looking at you, WTH).
I placed a hard limit of $150 dollars. Then came up with some common brands that have proliferated the market. Since compressors require no maintenance or service, I advise you to buy used.
ART Pro VLA, Attack specs at 1 ms ...its got tubes. Goes to infinity and beyond! er well infinity at least. Im not sold on ART. XLR TRS( non VCA)
FMR RNC 1773 Attack is .2ms, but its a slower more musical type of the device. It colors the sound in a positive way. It would be perfect for duty on a Keyboard's outputs. Use it on vintage type waveforms. Roland MSV1 JV04 SRX07 or the like, and probably leave it there till you are sick of it. .2 Msec is just enough to get the transients to pop on MAX setting. Low ratios arent great for limiting duty. Hard to beat on vintage applications. ***Star*** this one and put it in yer favorites. Nice Job FMR! TRS insert, unbalanced. stereo. 25:1 max ratio.
Alesis 3630....It does a speedy .1 MSec attack supposedly. But with a 40 ms release..This thing is garbage. It degrades the input in a nonmusical way. Useless. Destroy!
Behringer 2100/2200 ...It says 1 msec attack. infinity. Not exactly respectable specs. It was not exactly transparent, and had a dimming result. Id pass. XLR TRS
DBX 1066 , the 1066 is the best out of the 166-266-X66's. The DBX does not disappoint with specs or features. Great Attack .04 Msec. THATs what Im talkin about baby! Infinity. Expander gate. This is not the rich 160XT with a Jensen output transformer. This 1066 is a cheaper system and there is some loss through it. That kills it. Cause it has the numbers to be a champ. It doesnt sound like anything. The attack and release curves are not designed to add color. XLR TRS
Aphex 661/651 .. Has the specs and numbers of a champion. Aphex kicks out a .05 msec Attack and a .04Sec release..Holy Shit thats fast hardware! TUBES! Transparent! This can do all the compressor tricks. It can redefine the sound with the HFX Aphex exciter circuit. Because after hard compression the first thing you want back are the highs . This EQs them, adding highs back in. Oh, on the inside. Each part has a jumper to defeat the parameter. So the tube, or HFX part is completely removable from the circuit. Has complete input gain and output gain knobs, for saturation tricks. XLR TRS TS link. Mono. 50:1 max ratio
The Aphex 661 or 651 are probably the best deals going. The FMR RNC is a runner up, but cannot do the tricks the 661 can. What can you add to this list?
If a beginner home recordist was looking for a rack compressor, what would you recommend? People want maximum serviceability, and the ability to do the tricks. And do it without ruining the input signal (Alesis 3630 im looking at you, WTH).
I placed a hard limit of $150 dollars. Then came up with some common brands that have proliferated the market. Since compressors require no maintenance or service, I advise you to buy used.
ART Pro VLA, Attack specs at 1 ms ...its got tubes. Goes to infinity and beyond! er well infinity at least. Im not sold on ART. XLR TRS( non VCA)
FMR RNC 1773 Attack is .2ms, but its a slower more musical type of the device. It colors the sound in a positive way. It would be perfect for duty on a Keyboard's outputs. Use it on vintage type waveforms. Roland MSV1 JV04 SRX07 or the like, and probably leave it there till you are sick of it. .2 Msec is just enough to get the transients to pop on MAX setting. Low ratios arent great for limiting duty. Hard to beat on vintage applications. ***Star*** this one and put it in yer favorites. Nice Job FMR! TRS insert, unbalanced. stereo. 25:1 max ratio.
Alesis 3630....It does a speedy .1 MSec attack supposedly. But with a 40 ms release..This thing is garbage. It degrades the input in a nonmusical way. Useless. Destroy!
Behringer 2100/2200 ...It says 1 msec attack. infinity. Not exactly respectable specs. It was not exactly transparent, and had a dimming result. Id pass. XLR TRS
DBX 1066 , the 1066 is the best out of the 166-266-X66's. The DBX does not disappoint with specs or features. Great Attack .04 Msec. THATs what Im talkin about baby! Infinity. Expander gate. This is not the rich 160XT with a Jensen output transformer. This 1066 is a cheaper system and there is some loss through it. That kills it. Cause it has the numbers to be a champ. It doesnt sound like anything. The attack and release curves are not designed to add color. XLR TRS
Aphex 661/651 .. Has the specs and numbers of a champion. Aphex kicks out a .05 msec Attack and a .04Sec release..Holy Shit thats fast hardware! TUBES! Transparent! This can do all the compressor tricks. It can redefine the sound with the HFX Aphex exciter circuit. Because after hard compression the first thing you want back are the highs . This EQs them, adding highs back in. Oh, on the inside. Each part has a jumper to defeat the parameter. So the tube, or HFX part is completely removable from the circuit. Has complete input gain and output gain knobs, for saturation tricks. XLR TRS TS link. Mono. 50:1 max ratio
The Aphex 661 or 651 are probably the best deals going. The FMR RNC is a runner up, but cannot do the tricks the 661 can. What can you add to this list?
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