Help with hardware compressor and aardvark q10

[TravisK]

I am trying to run a presonus comp16 through the aardvark q10 and i am not getting good results. Sounds are compressed, but too compressed and they are peaked.

the software stage is fine, and i have gotten some great sounds with software compressors...but for vocals (i do a lot of hardcore and punk rock bands along with some loud indie singers), i really need a compressor/limiter to sit in front of the DAW...otherwise the singers can't hear themselves because i am recording them at such a low level.

I am using Sonar 4 (a generous present from my fiancee) and loving it. Anyways, with the compressor going into the trs insert, i can get it to read and compress the signal--i know this because the recorded audio never maxes past about -6 dB. i would like to get it closer to -2 or -1, but that's not the main problem. it sounds as if the preamp is clipping something terrible. I will work with it more, but I was wondering if it was a problem with the q10.

What I was thinking about doing to alleviate my problems was purchasing a small 2-4 channel mixer with phantom power and placing it in front of the q10 with the compressor between the two. Unfortunately that pretty much eliminates the point of the q10 (short signal chain...).

If I turn the gain down on the q10's mixer, how do i raise the level of the signal hitting the software? Would i simply increase the output of the compressor? I don't recall that working, but I have also learned quite a bit about compression since then.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[TravisK]

ok, i tried lowering the gain today on the mixer (aardvark's) and playing with the input and output of the comp16...

it worked pretty well with a bass lined out of the amp to the 1/4" in on the q10 (fender american p-bass with an ampeg head). but when the vocals came (m-audio luna for the mic), clipped, clipped, clipped.

I ended up using a plugin compressor that worked really well (bluecompressor), but damnit...i want my comp16 to work.

if i can't get it to go, i might have a comp16 for sale!

 

[Phyl]

You haven't mentioned whether you are driving the Q10 input with a line level or mic level signal.

From what I can tell your input level is probably too hot and is clipping the output stage of whatever is feeding the Q10. Bypass the compressor and monitor the Q10 input signal using the Q10 software meters to see if the signal is too hot coming into the Q10. If it's already clipped when it reaches the Q10, the compressor will compress it, but it will still be distorted.

Less likely, but it may also be that the signal is being clipped inside the Q10. I don't have a Q10 schematic, but I suspect any signal coming into channels 1 through 4 of the Q10 goes through some circuitry before being sent out the insert jack on the back. It may be getting clipped before it reaches the fx insert jack.

It could also be that the compressor is distorting the signal. If you hit a compressor hard enough, and don't have the attack and release controls set properly, the compressor may not be able to react quickly enough and the signal will distort. You will get a compressed signal at the output, but the fidelity will leave much to be desired.

One last thought - tell us more about what is feeding the Q10 input and what type of cable you are using. If you use a 1/4 inch connector, the Q10 assumes a line level signal and removes the mic preamp from the signal path, when it sees a xlr connector the mic preamp is used. This is an unlikely scenario, but feeding a line level signal into the Q10 using a xlr connector could cause too much gain to be applied, and it might also connect the Q10 phantom power to whatever device is feeding the Q10.

 

[TravisK]

i am using an xlr cable with an m-audio luna for vocals. The compressor works fine with line level stuff...it's only xlr.


the gain has been turned all the way down and i still get the same results (even with me switching it to line level).


oh well--maybe i should borrow another compressor and see if it's just the comp16!

thanks for the help so far