how much for a good compressor

  • Thread starter Thread starter RobbieD
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:o


:eek:


Oh SHIT



My god. I have it seems.. a whole lot if things I need to umm, redo
 
so how much is a decent compressor worth?
What's your budget -- What sort of compressor are you looking for -- How many channels do you need -- etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.

You can find decent compressors anywhere from around $200 up to and beyond $6000.00 and anywhere in between.
 
well whats the difference between a 200 dollar one, and a 6000 one, i just need 2 channels
 
well whats the difference between a 200 dollar one, and a 6000 one, i just need 2 channels
nobody can really answer that. It's gonna do with how they sound and that doesn't lend itself well to explaining it by typing.

A GOOD starting point would be the RNC which almost everyone likes for an entry level compressor and they're not too expensive.
 
Get the RNC for $175 it's a steal.

All of the other color comps are $2000+. I think a dbx 160 for around $500. 1176 for $2000, and La2a for $3000. That's about where I spit out my coffee and stopped looking at the prices. All good comps.

If you need two independent channels get two RNCs for $350 and have 4 channels total, and two sets of controls.
 
Or use a free VST plugin from blockfish...is that thing still around? I love that little plug.

Or the RNC. Can't go too wrong there.
 
ok heres my next question drum roll please, one person, with great recording skills but mediocre equipment make a professional sounding recording, as professional as one that spends millions
 
...with great recording skills but mediocre equipment make a professional sounding recording, as professional as one that spends millions

He'll probably make a better recording than someone without skills...and it would be better still if he had the money for the best gear and studio to do it in. :)

Really decent gear and studio spaces in the right hands can yield really decent recordings...but you can't just assume that the really high-end gear and studio spaces are insignificant, though most home-rec types often try too. I guess that comes from the the realization that we may never have the highest quality gear and studio spaces... :D ...so we console ourselves by thinking that we can simply ignore those things by increasing our ability.
Ability certainly is key...but so is key gear and studio space if you want that very high-end product.
 
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A professional is limited by his gear. A novice is limited by his experience.

I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but if you understand it, you'll understand the answer.
 
And a great room beats great equipment any day of the week...
 
Depends on what your standards are. If you're doing PopRock with massively distorted close-mic'd guitars tuned so low the strings are falling off and Drum samples and bone dry vocals, I've heard some amateurs get damned close to the hyper-compressed recordings coming out of major studios. I'm pretty sure the new Foo Fighters album was recorded in Dave Grohl's house. Granted, he has a much cooler house than most of us, but still....

I can get close enough (sometimes) where casual listeners are unable to tell the difference, but I sincerely doubt I'll ever capture a recording to match the quality of something by, say...Allison Krause. I do have gear limitations. I have hundreds of thousands of digital reverb options, and I have fallen in love with none of them, lol.

They say in audio that you spend 95% of your gear budget to get the last 5% of sound. I will always be at least 5% short. But I'll add something to what MassiveMastering said. While an amateur may be limited by his experience, he generally has all the time in the world, and that matters. I've recorded in studios, and the clock is a fucking factor that effects the final product.
 
ok another question i know imma drive people crazy... so an internal compressor like in cubase takes the track thats been recording and compresses it on its way out, so an external compressor, will compress it before it goes in and before its recorded correct? that way if i decide to sing a note with too many decibles the compress will compress it and the waves on cubase tracks wunt be stopping at zero db like they are doing now rtight?
 
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