2488 mk 11.... problem with compression

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noony

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I am using the 2488 mk 11 and having trouble understanding the compresion featcher.I am compleatly new to compression and have found some fantastic 'write ups' on the net explaing all the aspects to it such as 'threshold','ratio' etc... however all of them talk in terms of a numbering systum that the 2488 does'nt use, ie they say ...Ratio 2.1, 3.1 etc but the tascam reads from o to 100 and on theshold tascam say -40 to -0 .All of this is really driving me mad and i beg you ,someone please who knows tascam to explin the best settings for me to try the 'tascam way' I am a soprano /opera singer with vast dymanic range so i need a good setting

Many thanks for any help,noony
 
I don't own one of these but as best I can tell from reading the manual is that (assuming you are refering to the "Mic effects" compressor) the settings for ratio, attack, and release etc... are each provided as 100 presets (thus the 0-100). Unfortunately, Tascam does not specify what the settings for a given preset are. I can only assume that (for example on ratio) the lower the preset number the lower the setting (ratio), but I don't see any way to know what the exact setting is unless it is displayed when you load the preset.

They do specify the treshold for each preset so I guess to use the compressor, you would determine the threshold value you would want to use and then make the other settings assumng a higher preset number is a higher value for that parameter.

Sory I could not help more. Hopefully a 2488 user will chime in and set you straight.
 
All of the compression presets can be tweaked, and you can create your own presets using the unit's presets as a starting point. If you select a preset and press <ENTER>, then the parameters will be shown on the screen.

Unfortunately, the attack and release ratios are not shown in the normal convention as X:1 ratios - they are just presented as numerical values (from 1 - 100, I think), and I can't remember what the post gain value is keyed to. At any rate, you have to just play around with the settings to get a sense of what the compressor is doing.

Compression is available as either a mic effect (MIC X 4 or MIC X 8) or as part of the effects chain in the multi-effect.
 
The compression set up was one of the things that baffles me about the 2488.

Three different kinds of compression opportunities.

The Stereo compressor is set up with ratio's we're used to (2:1, 4:1, Etc)

The other 2 is where it gets hairy.

The channel compressor has the ratio from 1 to 100 with 1 being the least compression and 100 being the most.

The Multi-Effects compressor also displays the ratio from 1 to 100, but it's backwards, with 100 is the least compression and 1 is a lot of compression.

This may have changed or maybe could change with software upgrades...we'll see.

trig
 
Trigger, I think your description is accurate.

It's almost as if the mechanization for the compressors was designed by 3 different people, who weren't talking to each other. :confused:
 
Thanks Trigger.... can you help me some more ???

Thanks so much for resonding i was starting to feel very upset with this subject
If you familer with the layout....I am using the vocal comp... selected from the 'micx4' button which i assign to my channal by pressing select.Is this the best way ? Using this methord can you give me any suggested setting that may kill the loud top end .one setting I tryed that was kind of good was
33.6 thes
70 ratio etc.....
85
20
22

any help at all would be great
 
noony -

Yes, this is the best way for a vocal channel - use MICX4 or MICX8. You'll have to play with the numbers to see what works best.

The threshold dB determines the level above which the compressor begins limiting gain.

The ratio determines the amount of gain reduction that will be applied after a signal crosses the threshold. A 5:1 ratio means that for every 5dB increase in input signal, the compressor will limit the gain increase to 1dB. If I'm not mistaken, the TASCAM 2488's 1 - 100 range is equivalent to a ratio range of 1:1 - 1:20, but don't hold me to that.

The attack number represents the time that the compressor takes to control the signal after the signal crosses the threshold - from the overload point to some (unfortunately) arbitrary gain reduction number. Since detailed specs on the 2488 compressor is not available, the only way to know what this parameter gets you is to experiment. But generally, a fast attack time sounds more artifical than a slow one, although a fast attack time may well be necessary if you are doing really, really vocal dynamics with a lot of screaming.

The post-gain number is the time over which the gain control is released from the input signal.

Have fun playing around! :D
 
its driving me nuts now

i am starting to belive that my machine is not wired up correctly to conect the compression knobs to the channel knobs. No matter how much i turn the settings up there is no differance what so ever.I used my original 2488 every day with now problems compression on that was brill .this stupis machine is making me ill.Can someone PLEASE JUST GIVE ME A REDICULUSLY HIGH SETTING TO TRY IT AGAIN .Tascam themselfs are the most useless company in terms of after seles so don't tell me to contact them !!!!!!!! PLEASE HELP
 
So you're saying that when you are using the MICX4 compression on a given channel, changing the compression parameters doesn't actually do anything? Are you getting any compression at all from any of the presets?
 
noony,

Just to be sure, you are holding down the 'micx4' button, then pressing either the "input" or the "select" button for the channel you want to effect?

Don't get frustrated with this thang! Walk away for awhile...come back later.


Zaphod B,

I wish Tascam had called me before they messed around with the compression settings. I think you're right, 3 different guys in 3 different countries working on the compression engines with apparently no e-mail. :confused:

trig
 
trigger said:
Zaphod B,

I wish Tascam had called me before they messed around with the compression settings. I think you're right, 3 different guys in 3 different countries working on the compression engines with apparently no e-mail. :confused:

trig
Click to expand...
No joke. But if their approach to engineering is anything like their approach to customer support, it doesn't really surprise me. :p
 
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