The RNC, your thoughts

K

KaraokeKancer

New member
Does this compressor really sound as kickass as I'm hearing? Anyone who owns one or has used it, but has also worked with some better equipment to base that on? Basically, I have money I've been saving for a decent comp which is more than the price of the RNC. I don't wanna pick this up and find out it's not that nice. Is it wiser to spend this on something more expensive or be able to get a new mic or mic pre since I'll have the funds(yeah, I've allready spent the money numerous ways in my head).
 
Well, I'm certainly no expert on compressors, but I think the RNC is a great value product. In SuperNice mode, it is very clean and transparent, which is great for some things. If you want a compressor that will color your sound, this one is probably not it (though you can hear it working a little more in standard mode). The headroom is not great (tends to distort on bass easily and some voices are too much for it). What "more expensive" compressor(s) were you considering?
 
when I demo'd one in the store I didn't like it because i thought it was way to uncoloured. Then I got a great deal on one so I bought it and I love it. It really allows you to bring out the colour of a good room or piece of gear. I have even used it as a buss compressor on a project I did with some success, however it did soften the top end a little more than I'd have liked. To use the harmony central indicator... If it was lost or stolen would I buy another one? yup!
 
RNC...better than nice

no pro here either,

the DMP3/RNC combo was a great recommendation by the gang here.
a clear great starter setup....SPB1/DMP3/RNC good cheap setup. and yes better than alot of the crap out there that costs much more. very musical as they say.

the RNC had a terrific sound.
being analog it was user friendly, with knobs.
i noticed it was quiet too.
2 channels. it'd be great between audio units, copies etc...
just loved it.

liked it better than my 2488 Menu-compressors for ease of use,
better than my Alesis 3630 for sound,
and equal to my current Joe Meek Ch.strip comp costing much more.

due to funds, space and choices,
i felt i had to sell the rnc... it sold in like 3days!!!

great tool all around.
 
Thanks for the replys

I was looking at Joe Meek SC2.2, Bellari RP583, and and four channel Presonus(can't remember the specific model). This will be my very first hardware compressor. I have $700 to blow/invest on reasons to ignore my girlfriend. Help me out. I don't have access to any of these models for testing. I would say that I definetly NEED for this to get a good electric bass sound. I'm playin jazz/speed metal/quazi-hip hop/techno/primus wannabe stuff.
 
I've heard the RNC isn't so hot on bass. I would get the blue max. phat on bass, about the same price.
 
Yeah, it works ok on bass for smooth, controlled stuff, but if you're an aggressive player at all (metal, funk), it probably isn't the one for you.
 
More gear, less quality Less gear, more quality

FALKEN said:
I've heard the RNC isn't so hot on bass. I would get the blue max. phat on bass, about the same price.
Click to expand...

Even though I'm open to all options, I'm really picky about the gear I buy now that I've sh*t more than $400 away on embarassing things you will never know about. Also I'm a crude individual, off topic.... What I'm looking for has to be less than $700 bucks after shipping. I'm not too concerned with user-friendly, i'm patient, not a genious, but if it's got a knob that does something then I'll figure that out. I'll kick out more cash for a better piece even if I don't think I can use it right away, that's just how I am. I will check out the Blue Max, though. Mercenary Audio said the RNC was cabable of things compressors 5 times it's price could achieve. That's not a direct quote, but I remember the 5 times its price. I was just thinking I'd get something of quality out of my range by buying this. And then my young mind wondered off into what to do with the estra cash since I quit smokin pot and all that.
 
I have had my RNC for a couple of years, it works pretty good for me. The only thing it seems like you really have to send a lot of gain into it, it seems like my threshold settings are allways below -5, mostly -10 just to get any gain reduction.
It is much better than the 3630 (pure shit) and the behringer composer pro that i had.
 
the only other thing I would mention is a DBX *because* they have built in limiters which can sound really nice on bass. The RNC sounds a lot like a plugin, IMO. actually, from what I understand, the compression algorithm is digital, although the signal path is pristine analog. I'll go ahead and post a thread on limiters anyway...
 
The only major knock I've ever heard on the RNC is regarding bass. So if that's your main use for it, you might want to find some way to try it out first before buying if at all possible.

I think the Meek SC 2.2 is actually pretty good on bass, but it has a very distinctive sound and is maybe not the best all-arounder. So the tone will either work for you or not. Kind of a risky thing if you can't try out the unit in advance, but it definitely should be on your list.

Some of the older DBX gear sounds good on bass in my opinion, like the 160X. Those go for around $200 on eBay. I have a DBX 162 (from around 1978) that I think sounds incredible on bass, but those go for a lot more.

Another unit I'm a big fan of is the Aphex Expressor 651. Well within your budget if you buy used.
 
Slaps forehead!

Buy used! Why didn't I think of that! Seriously, I'm not being a jerk. Not at all. And that even gives me more time to research different products, reducing my chances of going, FUCK!!! I told you I wasn't a genious. If it helps one of the bass sounds I'm looking to achieve can be heard on The Promise Keeper by Tubring. They have an mp3 on their site. Give it a listen. I give you my word you will like it(directed towards anyone who can stand a bit of screaming). http://www.tubring.com/main.htm I love these guys. They are a great live show. The bass player river dances(not joking) while playing and the keyboard player is sometimes up on the keys jumping up and down like a monkey while dishing that stuff out.
 
I did like that song, the screamer parts made me laugh actually. In a good way.

Why don't you try to get in touch with the bass player in that band and see if he'll help you out a little bit. He might even tell you what gear he's using.

Have you considered a Line6 Bass PODXT? They have three different models of bass POD's.

http://www.line6.com/products/pods/

They have demos up of a few sounds. The bass sound on "The Promise Keeper" seemed pretty straight ahead to me, just a nice clean tone with a lot of low end.

The Bass PODxt Live looks pretty cool. I work with a guy who has the guitar version of that floorboard and he really likes it. Make sure you watch the demo movie of the Bass PODxt Live, as they demo a sound called "Sub Machine", which I think is probably pretty close to what you are looking for.
 
Are you tracking into a DAW or using all outboard gear? If your mixing on outboard stuff you might consider picking up a few compressors for that chunk of change.
I haven't used the RNC but if there good enough for Fletcher and Harvey and many others at that price, I would be inclined to think that they certainly don't suck.
The presonus Bluemax is pretty good for smashing bass/kick. I have one still in the rack that I like to attack Screaming vocals with. The presets aren't the best in the world but there is a manual mode that you can use and it works fine.
Another cheap used comp you might look into is the DBX 163x. I have a pair that I like to use while tracking Bass and anything else that might need general limiting.
You could probably pick up all of these and still weigh in under your initial budget.
 
RNC...better than nice

funny you mentioned the DBX163..i just saw one of these for $50.
it had Overeasy printed on it.
 
dr.colossus said:
... To use the harmony central indicator... If it was lost or stolen would I buy another one? yup!
Click to expand...
Right on there. It's clean, can do exactly what it's set for, including getting in trouble if set too fast on bass.
A stark contrast in my experience to the BlueMax, basically decent if you stay in the manual-mode.
Wayne
 
Wireneck said:
.. The presonus Bluemax is pretty good for smashing bass/kick. I have one still in the rack that I like to attack Screaming vocals with. The presets aren't the best in the world but there is a manual mode that you can use and it works fine.
Click to expand...
That was my beef. The presets box you in with heavey handed thresholds, even if you dump all the input gain.
Wayne
 
KaraokeKancer said:
Buy used! Why didn't I think of that! Seriously, I'm not being a jerk. Not at all. And that even gives me more time to research different products, reducing my chances of going, FUCK!!! I told you I wasn't a genious. If it helps one of the bass sounds I'm looking to achieve can be heard on The Promise Keeper by Tubring. They have an mp3 on their site. Give it a listen. I give you my word you will like it(directed towards anyone who can stand a bit of screaming). http://www.tubring.com/main.htm I love these guys. They are a great live show. The bass player river dances(not joking) while playing and the keyboard player is sometimes up on the keys jumping up and down like a monkey while dishing that stuff out.
Click to expand...


The RNC will not help you achieve that bass sound at all. Dont get me wrong, the RNC is invaluable in my studio. That type of bass sound is had using a great bass, player, brand new strings, and a great preamp that can be overdriven a tad. Assuming you have the bass and player covered, I would suggest a Great River MP1NV or Phoenix Audio DRS preamp. Not as inexpensive as an RNC.... but what is?
 
i love my RNC. very nice on vocals and acoustic guitar, and i like it on the mix bus plenty. not my cup of tea on drums (a lot of folks over at gearslutz seem to love it on snare, while my experiences with it there have been pretty "soggy" sounding)......and for bass, definitely not the sound i'm usually looking for. just seems to not respond so well to that lower octave. i dunno. i'd call it a "soft" sounding compressor--clean, transparent, and smooth.

i've got a symetrix 425 that i really dig on bass. much more aggressive sounding than the RNC, and aggressive is what i usually want on bass. also nice is the symetrix cl-150--that thing'll crush if you push it.


cheers,
wade
 
I "here" this compressor compares to other compressors two to three times it's price. I heard it's a great bang for it's buck, but that's only from what I hear. I may purchase one soon to see for myself. Karaoke what exactly are you compressing? Vocals? Guitars? Etc?
 
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