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Can someone recommend me a good compressor for home PC recording?

B

bartman

Dec 18, 2004
97
0
Mississauga, ON, Canada
#1
Hey, could someone recommend me a good hardware compressor for home pc recording? I'm looking at the Tech 21 Bass Compactor ACtive EQ pedal maybe? How are the DBX ones?

Are compressors universal in terms of intruments? Or would you get a seperate compressor for say vocals, and drums and bass?

My price range is between 100-250 USD.

Any suggestions/advice welcome.

thanks guys

-bart
 
#3
Presonus BlueMax. It's less than $200. Alameda Digital Recording has units from dbx, Drawmer, Focusrite, and others, and we used this one over them until the LA-2A arrived. It's easy to use, very tweakable, very quiet, and pretty transparent, although you may not want that. Stereo operation, too, +4 or -10 db. Most bang-for-your-buck available, IME. The only time we don't use it is when we're using the LA-2A or going multiband for mastering. I also use it to compress my bass for live shows, the thing is pretty tiny.
 
#4
I picked up a DBX 226XL for my bass rig as a matter of fact... it's an awesome dual channel compresser. It has a few neat features even if you're unsure on how to use a compresser, like the OverEasy function which makes the gate more "musical" to grasp reverb trails or musical cut offs, rather than a mechanical gate closing. If you're at a total loss, it's also got an "Auto" feature which supposedly sets the controls to emulate a "classic DBX" sound. At $149 you can't beat it.
 
#6
to anyone else reading this - i'd recommend the RNC (Really Nice Compressor) by FMR Audio. I'm led to believe they are around $200 in the US and for that amount of money i've convinced there's nothing better you can buy! Not just for bass but for all round recording.
 
#8
relayer66 said:
I can also recommend the RNC. I have heard that it's not so great for bass, but I haven't used it on the bass. Not sure why that would be, it may or may not be true. Do a little research.
Click to expand...

Over on recording.org a few of the guys are complaining that they are getting distortion on the FMR RNC with bass instruments and that it's not necessarily the best for bass tracking. It is highly recommended for tracking voice and other instruments. Check out yourself, but just passing it along.

FMR also has a new Real Nice VLA comp which is a different circuit from the RNC. It is brand new on the market.

One that I have my eyes on is the ART Pro VLA optical stereo with tubes in the circuit. Very well regarded as a "budget" comp at under $300 most places.

I've also heard that the DBX 166 is a lot better than the 266 for only around $100 more. YMMV
 
#11
narcopolo said:
get a distressor.
best compressor being made.
Click to expand...


I'd respectfully have to disagree. Depending on application, the LA-2A reissue from UA is the best made in my opinion. The distressor would be a close second, though.


It's beside the point here, though, both are about 10x over the budget previously mentioned.
 

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