help with choosing a compressor

shortness

shortness

scott swatzell
hello all. i'm new to the forum and to 'home recording'. i am beginning to put together my parts to the puzzle (ie equipment). i have been doing a lot of reading. it appears that having a compressor/limiter is a crucial part of getting a good recording. can you guys give me some advice on brands models, etc. i am working with a limited budget here. another side note is that i'm a drummer, so first and foremost i would like to get a product that is conducive to helping get a good drum sound, but would also like for it to be good for vocals, etc. any help would be appreciated.
 
:D Yo close to the Ground:

I'm not a drummer; however, I do use a drum machine and have worked for years with live drums.

A good buy, reasonable price, you can't hardly beat the RNC compressor.

I have compression on my SIAB; but, I use the RNC almost all of the time; it is especially good for vocals.

As far as drums, you'd have to get that view from a drummer or someone who does drums using the RNC or any other compressor.

Happy Spring
Green Hornet :cool:
 
If you're recording to a computer, all common s/w packages come with compression & limiting plug ins.
Try those first before buying any outboard gear
 
I'll put my vote in for DBX 166XL. I've always had good results with them on kick and snare, and most anything else i've thrown at it.
 
green hornet...thanks for the tidbit...is there a certain rnc model? not familiar with that brand. atterion, i've seen that model...however, thru reading on different forum, etc. the dbx seems to get slammed quite a bit? i am not looking the mac daddy compressor (ie, i've got a budget), just looking for something that is useful (ie, something that will make a noticable difference). bulls hit, i've considered that also, but i do want the flexibility to use live if i want.
 
The company name is FMR, the model is the RNC, which stands for Really Nice Compressor. Just search for FMR RNC. There's usually a handful on ebay, brand new with free shipping and maybe a cable or two thrown in.

Oh, and you mentioned something about a budget. These babies are $175. I'll be getting one very soon. Yeah, seriously they're $175.
 
Unless you want to spend close to $1000, spend $180 on the RNC. There's only one model. You can buy it direct (www.fmraudio.com) or from Mercenary Audio (www.mercenary.com). The FMR website even has a very honest list of drawbacks of their on unit. Good stuff...

It's one of the few total slam dunks in the gear world.

I have a nice old dbx 166 and an RNC. The dbx gets pulled out for special occasions, but the RNC is the workhorse.
 
I have a pair of RNC's and tried them on the overheads (Josephson C42MP) in SuperNice mode just tonight. They sound fabiola!
 
I've heard nothing but good things about the RNC, even from some VERY hardcore "power users" who's opinions I hold enormous regard for.

But, I didn't see anything about what kind of system you're going to be recording to...

If you're going to be recording to a computer and mixing using software, I'd add my vote along with whoever it was that said try some plugin stuff first. The built-in stuff that comes with most software will probably suck, but there's most likely some good free or cheap stuff. If the software supports VST effects (such as cubase, or another number of stuff... even the free program Kristal), there's a TON of free and cheap options, with some plugins that are actually seriously quite good for free. Totally the route to go until you find you want something before the sound gets into the computer for some reason (and there are such reasons, why this would be good but it might not be an issue for you... it isn't for me).


If you're not recording on a computer, or need a hardware compressor for some other reason, I'd go with the RNC if I had to choose. I have no personal experience with it, but I'd go with it without hesitation based on the opinions of people who's opinion I trust.
 
thanks for all the input...another question

ok guys, yall have got me convinced that the rnc is the real deal. you gotta love a company that can have fun with their product. one of the apps they give on their website follows :D :

PAPERWEIGHT
The RNC is also great for holding down papers on your desk. It's 1/3 rackspace size means it fits next to your blotter without wasting space. 1. Set the controls to positions you find aesthetically pleasing.
2. Disconnect the RNC and remove it from your rack.
3. Place the RNC on top of your loose papers.

got another question...i am new to compression (totally new). where does this fit into my setup. ie, can a compression unit be used similar to an effects unit (ie, thru aux send/receive)? i'm sure there are different ways to apply. would be great if you all could give some app approaches.

btw, to answer a few question. i am recording digitally. i think i stated earlier that i really wanted to lean to buying a unit (vs software) for compression so that i'm not limited to a recording application (ie, could use live, etc.).

also, thanks for all the input! have really enjoyed and learned alot here in a short period of time.
 
Shortness,

While there are some interesting applications using compression as an effect (i.e., you feed only a portion of the track's signal to the compression and feed that into the main mix), typically uses see compression as an in-line effect. This means the whole signal is subject to compression and the compressor sets the ratios, thresholds, attacks and releases, in other words, the amount of compression.

Because compression is used primarily to control dynamics, it is very often used when tracking an instrument, to ensure dynamic variability is controlled. That said, some amount of compression during mixdown may also be helpful in achieving particular sounds. Over compression cannot be undone, but it can be a cool sound, e.g., the piano on Let it Be, distorted drums on Radiohead's OK Computer, etc...

Get the RNC and start playing!
 
toddzilla...

thanks for the help. ok, i think i understand you..basically this means that the compressor would be between the mic and the board? i am a drummer...from what i understand from reading here and talking w/folks, typically the snare and kick are the two 'drums' that tend to gain a lot from dynamically processing their sound. this being said, i assume it would be a good idea to have 2 rnc's so that you would have control over the kick and snare during a session?
 
Shortie,

Your assumption about Mic->Comp->Board is close, but not quite right. You need a preamplified mic signal before the compressor. Typically you would configure the compressor as an "insert" to the mic's signal. That is, you plug the mic into the board, you plug the compressor into the insert of that channel, the signal goes into the board's preamp, then immediately into the compressor and then back into the signal path of the board.

Even though the RNC is a stereo unit, you would want to get a pair for kick and snare, since, hmmm.... how to explain... a stereo compressor compresses both channels based on the dynamics of either input. So, you would use a stereo linked compressor (like the RNC) on a pair of overhead mics, but you would want a pair of decoupled compression channels for kick and snare, since they're not really related in stereo.

Make sense?

P.S. if you're a drummer, check out recorderman's simple micing procedure for drums. It really works!!!
 
ok...i think i am following you...i'll check my board, etc. out when i get home..hey does recorderman have a url? thanks.
 
The other thing I'd add here, is in response to the guy who suggested that if you are recording into a computer, then go with a plugin.

Oftentimes compression is most needed is on a analog signal (in other words, when using for dynamics control to avoid clipping/distortion rather than as an effect). Plugins work in the digital realm, by which time the signal has passed the analog stage where compression was needed.

That said, there are those who believe that compression on the recorded anbalog signal is not needed when recording in 24 bits. So maybe this would not be a concern for you.

FWIW, I have 2 RNCs, and I like them.

My $0.02.
 
zilla....ok i'm following you regarding the channel insert approach, call me dumb (or whatever...maybe extremely 'green', when it comes to compression and how to do it!!), but how does that work in conjunction w/ the compressor when it has an input and output...my board only has one plug per channer for the insert? does this make sense? :confused:
 
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