RNC compressor

  • Thread starter Thread starter jmorris
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no. what was said is can you compress a sine wave. which the answer is no, in effect, because a sine wave lacks any sense of dynamic. think of setting a compressor to "tame the peaks" of a vocalist. this could not be done with a sine wave because there are no peaks, it is simply a constant volume. so you could set the threshhold below that constant volume and so the sine wave would be acted on, but the action of the compressor would simply be to lower the volume, because the input volume is constant the amount of attentuation would be constant.

Trust me, the distortion that I hear from the RNC is not from "before" the RNC. It is from the compressing action. It is so obvious; it is clear as day.

It does have one obvious advantage over other compressors in its price range. Other pieces will impart a sonic degradation as soon as you insert them into the chain. This will not happen with the RNC ; because of the design, in 1:1 it will pass signal like a wire. You have to actually kick in the action to hear the degradation.
 
Big Kenny said:
I have a pair, no distortion from mine
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Every compressor on this green earth will impart SOME KIND of distortion. its just a fact. compression by its very nature IS a distortion.
 
in my opinion u can compress a sine wave,
compression is not taming peaks,
compression is lowering volume,
so if u give 6db compression on a sine wave its just gonna be less loud,
thats what a comp does, no?
i think that you are talking about the difference between a peak compressor and an rms compressor?
killing peaks or just lowering volume...its the same to me
 
earworm said:
in my opinion u can compress a sine wave,
compression is not taming peaks,
compression is lowering volume,
so if u give 6db compression on a sine wave its just gonna be less loud,
thats what a comp does, no?
i think that you are talking about the difference between a peak compressor and an rms compressor?
killing peaks or just lowering volume...its the same to me
Click to expand...

if all you wanted to do is lower the volume just turn down the volume. There, I just saved you $175. yes, compressors attentuate. but the amount of attentuation is variable dependent on the input volume, settings, and characteristics of the compressor. in those factors, the input volume is the only one that is constantly variable. it is this variable that makes a compressor useful, and without it, you are not compressing. you are just attentuating.
 
Let's not confuse the designed application of a compressor with an acceptable practice for measuring performance.

Introducing a sine wave to the input of the unit under test should achieve accurate results... unless the distortion is a result of the fluctuating amplitude suppression. I don't think that's the case
 
why would you NOT think this is the case? we are finally getting to the point!!!
 
I have one. I am an amateur, but I would recommend them to someone if I was asked for my opinion. I plan to buy another when funds allow.

Does anyone who owns RNCs have them mounted in an NCC-1701? I'm thinking of getting one, but wondering if it's really worth $50. http://store.yahoo.com/humbucker/funlogncract.html
 
FALKEN said:
why would you NOT think this is the case? we are finally getting to the point!!!
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You may have something there... or then again... you might not ;)

I don't know how you would accurately measure distortion against a wide band dynamic source.

Anyone with more than just an opinion care to jump in?
 
pointfive said:
I have one. I am an amateur, but I would recommend them to someone if I was asked for my opinion. I plan to buy another when funds allow.

Does anyone who owns RNCs have them mounted in an NCC-1701? I'm thinking of getting one, but wondering if it's really worth $50. http://store.yahoo.com/humbucker/funlogncract.html
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Those trays are indeed cool, but you can get a tray without the front panel for $25 or so. I couldn't quite bring myself to spend the extra $25 for decorative value. But then I'm cheap. YMMV.
 
FALKEN said:
WHAT DO YOU MEAN "Nah............"!!!!???

what do YOU call it when you re-shape a waveform?????
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By that logic, anything that modifies the signal in any way could be called distortion.
 
fraserhutch said:
By that logic, anything that modifies the signal in any way could be called distortion.
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That actually is one definition of distortion. Any change between the input and output signal. That's the definition they use when they measure things like Total Harmonic Distortion.

Talking to FALKEN is much like the old joke about punching yourself in the nuts. It feels better when you stop. And he has a particular hatred of the RNC.
 
pointfive said:
I have one. I am an amateur, but I would recommend them to someone if I was asked for my opinion. I plan to buy another when funds allow.

Does anyone who owns RNCs have them mounted in an NCC-1701? I'm thinking of getting one, but wondering if it's really worth $50. http://store.yahoo.com/humbucker/funlogncract.html
Click to expand...


I've got two RNCs mounted in a rack (we call it the Starship Enterprise, because NCC-1701 was also the number that appeared on the original Star Trek ship :cool: Geek factor points... ;) ). Considering the value, It was well worth it for me to lock them down in the rack.

The RNC delivers great compression for a killer price point. We've thrown a lot of things through it here in our lil' studio, including bass DI, kick drums, etc. - as well as entire mixes; and it does it's job very well.

I think the original point of this thread was to mention a simple fact - the RNC is being used by some engineers who really like it and it's definitely something to consider when comparing compressors for your own needs.

That's just the way I C it.
 
boingoman said:
That actually is one definition of distortion. Any change between the input and output signal. That's the definition they use when they measure things like Total Harmonic Distortion.

Talking to FALKEN is much like the old joke about punching yourself in the nuts. It feels better when you stop. And he has a particular hatred of the RNC.
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Thanks for backing me up, and then insulting me. I appreciate that. I don't hate the RNC. I am just baffled as to why there are so many random threads praising it, that's all.
 
FALKEN said:
I am just baffled as to why there are so many random threads praising it, that's all.
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Going out on a limb here, I'm gonna guess that it's because a lot of people like it and it's cheap. It ain't rocket surgery.
 
MOFO Pro said:
You may have something there... or then again... you might not ;)

I don't know how you would accurately measure distortion against a wide band dynamic source.

Anyone with more than just an opinion care to jump in?
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Ok, so this is still not more than an opinion. But why the side trip about 'any change' being distortion? (not aimed at MOFO Pro...
Set the release time so it isn't constantly varying the output, compress some clean full bandwidth meterial. Does it sound distorted?
Wayne
 
FALKEN said:
Thanks for backing me up, and then insulting me. I appreciate that. I don't hate the RNC. I am just baffled as to why there are so many random threads praising it, that's all.
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OK. Post up some samples, or at least describe the distortion you hear. I use my RNC a lot, in pretty brutal situations. I haven't heard anything I would describe as distortion, which in this situation (to me) would mean audible crunching or something like clipping as the gain reduction takes place, or maybe excessive HF rolloff.

What does your RNC distortion mean to you? What does it sound like?

I don't care if you don't like the RNC. But when talking about distortion, please be specific.
 
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