compressors
- Thread starter rll882000
- Start date
An ART VLA Pro. Mentioned a couple times in threads previously. It's pretty decent for what you pay for it. Not top of the line, but not garbage either. It gave a good sound to some tracks I lay down a few months back, so this comes from my own ears. It's on my list of gear to get down the road.
If money weren't an object, I'd just take a Cranesong Trakker.
If budget is a concern, then obviously you're going to be looking at the RNC. That one just kinda' goes without saying. If you like going the Ebay route -- and I'm speaking as an Ebay junkie -- I'd look long and hard at anything from Aphex. The Compellor, expressor, and dominator all do something a little different. It's mostly functional, transparent, unexciting blue-collar stuff ... but that's why it's so undervalued. If styles and tastes change any time in the near future, and transparent is suddenly "in," then I imagine the compellors will sell for twice than what they're going for now.
If budget is a concern, then obviously you're going to be looking at the RNC. That one just kinda' goes without saying. If you like going the Ebay route -- and I'm speaking as an Ebay junkie -- I'd look long and hard at anything from Aphex. The Compellor, expressor, and dominator all do something a little different. It's mostly functional, transparent, unexciting blue-collar stuff ... but that's why it's so undervalued. If styles and tastes change any time in the near future, and transparent is suddenly "in," then I imagine the compellors will sell for twice than what they're going for now.
everyone is going crazy over the RNC,
but i'm buying DBX 166XL's
their price is dropping every few months, and they work well,
its a budget comp but better than lots of shit i used
167 dollars NEW
god
can't go wrong with that
dual channel, stereo link, gate, compressor, release, attack,
blabla, all the buttons, sidechain input, ehm
and balanced
i wish that the RNC came out in Dual channel and Balanced !!!!!
i'd buy me five !!
but i'm buying DBX 166XL's
their price is dropping every few months, and they work well,
its a budget comp but better than lots of shit i used
167 dollars NEW
god
can't go wrong with that
dual channel, stereo link, gate, compressor, release, attack,
blabla, all the buttons, sidechain input, ehm
and balanced
i wish that the RNC came out in Dual channel and Balanced !!!!!
i'd buy me five !!
SonicAlbert
Super-Sonic "Herb" Albert
As the owner of four Aphex Expressors, a Compellor and a Dominator, I obviously like their gear! Of those, the Expressor is the true compressor, while the others are a little different. The Compellor is a leveler and the Dominator is a limiter. If you are looking for a standard compression type unit, the Expressor has the typical controls of threshold, ratio, attack, release. Expressors are great, and if you are buying used you can look for the older unit, the 651, and know you are getting something as good as the newer model, which is 661. Either is going to be fine.
The PRO VLA is also a good budget choice, although I think the Expressor is a finer unit. I also own a PRO VLA and enjoy using it. I'm sure you would find uses for it as well.
As far as DBX, I have a bunch of those as well, but I don't care for the budget DBX units very much. If you must go for their budget line, don't go below the 166A in my opinion. Better still is to find a used 160X or 160XT. The 160A is the current version of that unit. also, There is an older version of the 166 series that is considered by many to be the best. It is simply called the "166".
The PRO VLA is also a good budget choice, although I think the Expressor is a finer unit. I also own a PRO VLA and enjoy using it. I'm sure you would find uses for it as well.
As far as DBX, I have a bunch of those as well, but I don't care for the budget DBX units very much. If you must go for their budget line, don't go below the 166A in my opinion. Better still is to find a used 160X or 160XT. The 160A is the current version of that unit. also, There is an older version of the 166 series that is considered by many to be the best. It is simply called the "166".
junplugged
Taking the slow road
older dbx 160 units I see going for a lot used. I have a nanocompressor but had a hard time getting the right adjustments, so going up to the art pro vla was a huge difference.
160a, x, and xt are the more affordable of the 160 line. If you are looking at a 160 VU, 162, or 165 it is going to cost quite a bit more. You can tell really quickly by their size. The cheaper ones are all 1 rack space. The vintage ones are very sought after, more expensive, and are all two rack spaces high.
