scrubs
Not of sound mind
So, my RNLA arrived yesterday after a brief fit of gearlust to buy yet another thing that I really can't afford. My other compressors are the RNC and a dbx-6 mini-comp, so I can't offer comparisons to expensive compressors/levelling amps. Here are my initial thoughts, though.
Appearances - As others have mentioned, it's just as ugly as the RNC, maybe uglier. Black box, with a silver face and red knobs. Layout is exactly the same as the RNC faceplate, with the "Log Rel" button replacing the "Supernice" mode of the RNC. It seems very simple, but well put together. The wall-wart doesn't bother me at all because most of my inexpensive gear has wall-warts and I don't have any of my stuff in a rack.
Setup - I connected this to the insert point of my Tascam US-122 and ran everything through the GT Brick pre/di into the line-in of the Tascam. I did a trial with bass guitar & electric guitar di'd, and some vocals using the Rode NT-1.
Bass - The RNLA definitely gives a different sound than my other compressors on bass (though I haven't set up an A/B test yet). With the attack at 2-3 (on a dial of 11), the release at 8 (of 11) & the Log Rel button engaged (alters the release time curve), the bass had a nice pop and growl. Switching back and forth between bypass mode and compression, I was smiling, as I hadn't quite ever gotten this sound with the RNC or the dbx. However, when soloed, there was a subtle distortion on the bass as the note decayed. In the context of the mix, this was not noticeable. I'll have to play around more with the release settings to see if I can eliminate this. With the Log/Rel button off, I wasn't as impressed with the sound, but again, more experimentation is necessary.
Guitar - Again, I did the attack at 3 to allow the initial attack through. I'm not quite sure how that Log Rel works, but it does something nice. Thick tone with plenty of snap on a clean telecaster sound.
Vocal - I am tracking a vocal for a friend's song of contemporary pop/rock, which really calls for a powerful, shiny vocal to cut through the dense mix. The NT-1 + Brick got me most of the way there. However, the RNLA added an aggressive quality to the vocal that seemed perfect for this type of music (would probably work great for hard rock and some hip-hop, too). I can honestly say that my voice has never sounded quite like that. Again, I was smiling.
Overall -- Although I really dig the RNC for it's ability to work without being all that noticeable (great for acoustic ballads), I definitely think the RNLA will find a big place in my recording chain. Compression tends to be a subtle flavor, but I like this flavor, indeed. Until I can afford a distressor, this will probably do the trick for me in terms of slightly harder music. I still want to try it out on acoustics, distorted guitars, keyboards, drums, and across the mix. I'll post back when I've done these things.
Appearances - As others have mentioned, it's just as ugly as the RNC, maybe uglier. Black box, with a silver face and red knobs. Layout is exactly the same as the RNC faceplate, with the "Log Rel" button replacing the "Supernice" mode of the RNC. It seems very simple, but well put together. The wall-wart doesn't bother me at all because most of my inexpensive gear has wall-warts and I don't have any of my stuff in a rack.
Setup - I connected this to the insert point of my Tascam US-122 and ran everything through the GT Brick pre/di into the line-in of the Tascam. I did a trial with bass guitar & electric guitar di'd, and some vocals using the Rode NT-1.
Bass - The RNLA definitely gives a different sound than my other compressors on bass (though I haven't set up an A/B test yet). With the attack at 2-3 (on a dial of 11), the release at 8 (of 11) & the Log Rel button engaged (alters the release time curve), the bass had a nice pop and growl. Switching back and forth between bypass mode and compression, I was smiling, as I hadn't quite ever gotten this sound with the RNC or the dbx. However, when soloed, there was a subtle distortion on the bass as the note decayed. In the context of the mix, this was not noticeable. I'll have to play around more with the release settings to see if I can eliminate this. With the Log/Rel button off, I wasn't as impressed with the sound, but again, more experimentation is necessary.
Guitar - Again, I did the attack at 3 to allow the initial attack through. I'm not quite sure how that Log Rel works, but it does something nice. Thick tone with plenty of snap on a clean telecaster sound.
Vocal - I am tracking a vocal for a friend's song of contemporary pop/rock, which really calls for a powerful, shiny vocal to cut through the dense mix. The NT-1 + Brick got me most of the way there. However, the RNLA added an aggressive quality to the vocal that seemed perfect for this type of music (would probably work great for hard rock and some hip-hop, too). I can honestly say that my voice has never sounded quite like that. Again, I was smiling.
Overall -- Although I really dig the RNC for it's ability to work without being all that noticeable (great for acoustic ballads), I definitely think the RNLA will find a big place in my recording chain. Compression tends to be a subtle flavor, but I like this flavor, indeed. Until I can afford a distressor, this will probably do the trick for me in terms of slightly harder music. I still want to try it out on acoustics, distorted guitars, keyboards, drums, and across the mix. I'll post back when I've done these things.
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Its still worth it at that price, actually- but I don't know what else you have in that price range that competes with it.