Why get a compressor?

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The Garage

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I have a motu 828, a titanium g4, and cubase VST. Why would I want to buy a compressor verses just using the plugins I have for cubase? What are the reasons why someone would use an external compressor over a software compressor? Thanks.
 
Personally, I don't like to track with compression unless I have to. For instance, if I were tracking a bass player that wasn't very consistant with his dynamics, I might set up a limiter as to help prevent or at least slow down overs. Same with drums. If done properly you can record a bit hotter thereby improving your signal to noise ratio. The down side to that is, if you don't have it dialed in correctly and the compressor is pumping and breathing and it was a one of a kind, killer take, it's hosed and not usable and you have to sheepishly (down Voxvender, down boy) tell the bass player, "Ah....little problem here....ah....can we take it from the top???". Not good.
 
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Well think of it like this; why would someone buy a Gibson Les Paul instaed of settling for the Epiphone?

Generally speaking you get what you pay for. With some compressors you'll find they add noise, others inaccurate etc.
 
The only reason anyone would want to use a comp. while tracking is because they understand their gear extemely well, they know their voices and/or instruments, and feel that they can get a good, solid take right off the bat that won't need any further processing while mixing.

That's kind of the idea behind the vocal strip. Get the voice perfectly the way you want it (or as close as possible) on the way in. Then leave it alone during mixing . . . other than a little verb or whatnot. The idea is that many just prefer the sound of outboard compression and/or EQ to what the plugins have to offer. This is the "all plugin effects suck" school of thought.

Get the signal to sound the way you want it to sound during the initial tracking. It's pretty trickey to master this method, and I don't know of too many people who are able to do it with a lot of success.

Then there's the idea that using more than one compressor in your signal chain provides for greater transparency. Use just a touch of it on the way in, and a touch more during mixdown. That's kind of the idea that FMR Audio says is behind their RNC.
 
He didnt even ask about tracking with compression.


A good hardware f/x or compression unit is usually still better than the plug in counterpart. If you have the routing flexibility to use them then it's just another weopon in the arsenal.
 
TexRoadkill said:
He didnt even ask about tracking with compression.


A good hardware f/x or compression unit is usually still better than the plug in counterpart. If you have the routing flexibility to use them then it's just another weopon in the arsenal.
Click to expand...

Emphasis: a GOOD hardware compressor.

A cheap $100 Alesis compressor is a waste of money. A stout FatBoy is an enhancement to your rig. Even if only for its specific color.
 
And then you've got Joe meeks's compression units; very unique sounding; you either love 'em or hate 'em.
 
hey folks...

if I may add a question here... and forgive me if this sounds like a silly one!! If I don't use a compressor when I record my vocals, and I am recording to my computer, could I then use a hardware compressor afterwards? Or would that be dumb???

* jeannie *
 
Not at all. As I said, I don't like tracking with compression but prefere to use it afterwards. Just my humble opinion. YMMV.
 
Indeed - the only reason to use comp when tracking a vocal is if the vocalist has an extreme dynamic range and you're concerned about clipping. Ideally you want a completely transparent comp in this situation.
 
ok.. i think i see.. it's best to track my songs without compression... but then after that i'm still better off sending it back out through that converter again to, say, a nice hardware compressor rather than keeping it in my computer and using a compressor plugin??? (boy do I sound like a geek now or what!)
thanks...

* jeannie *
 
Jeannie,

The reason many people don't like to compress while traking is that you have altered the track and you're stuck with whatever you've done to it. If you compress after tracking, you can "try before you buy" and if you don't like it go back to the original. It's all about preserving your flexibility and options.
 
Jeannie- You got the idea. The hard part is telling if the hardware compressor is really better than your plug ins. Chances are the Meeks or RNC will be better than the standard plugins. But there are some pretty nice 3rd party plug ins you can buy also.

It's just a matter of what will work best for your projects and your budget.

And althought the rule is never track with effects or compression once you have enough experience to really know what you are doing you can be a little more lax about the rules. The rules are there for protection but sometimes you have to say "what the fuck" ;)
 
I may be a little late here, but there are a couple of arguments for doing the compression at the recording stage when recording on a PC.

1. Avoiding multiple A/D conversions. Even if you have great converters, it is generally preferable to avoid jumping back and forth between analog and digital. Otherwise, you are gradually degrading your sound quality.

2. Increasing bit depth. By compressing a signal before A/D conversion, you can record a hotter signal and thus use more bits of information.

The second point has been debated based on the fact that the number of available bits is more than enough, especially when recording at 24 bits. However, this is debatable.

Thus, if you have a good software compressor, use it. If not, use the hardware, but keep in mind you should use it when recording. If you are not confident with your skills on the compressor, use it on the recorded signal, but attempt to become proficient enough to use it when recording.


Matt
 
Ok, just noticed you don't have a hardware compressor. Therefore, you should probably use good plug ins. While this does not increase your bit depth, it more importantly avoids mutiple A/D conversions.


Matt
 
hi matt! thanks for the suggestions!!

hey, while we're at it -- what's a REAL GOOD software compressor (IYO)?

* jeannie *
 
I've got a joemeek vc1q with a compressor on it. it sounds great and though i'll have to do extra conversions i'm not that worried about the fidelity being completely perfect. as for good plugins, i've tried the waves compressor which is good, but eats up a lot of cpu. the cubase compressor is pretty good at light levels, but at extreme settings it sounds kinda whack. any others?
 
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