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Compressors

Discussion in 'Recording Gear and Equipment [BG]' started by Larzito, Jan 11, 2001.


  1. Jan 11, 2001 #1
    Larzito

    Larzito

    Aug 1, 2000
    Dallas, Texas
    I have been trying to figure out how to effectively use compression to smooth out my sound without taking too much of the punch out of the low end. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am using an older Ashly unit. Soundwise it is very transparent (doesn't have the coloration you find in stomp box units), but I can't seem to find the right balance between a little compression to sweaten vs a lot of compression that squishes the lower notes too much.
     
  5. Jan 11, 2001 #2
    brewer9

    brewer9

    Jul 5, 2000
    Uh oh! Watch out! You may have stirred the wrath of the anti-compressor nazis.
     
  10. Jan 11, 2001 #3
    JMX

    JMX Vorsprung durch Technik

    Sep 4, 2000
    Cologne, Germany
    Sssshhh, not so loud!
    They're already stirring! :D
     
  14. Jan 11, 2001 #4
    Rockinjc

    Rockinjc

    Dec 17, 1999
    Michigan
    Wouldn't that be a Decompressor?
    jc
     
  18. Jan 11, 2001 #5
    dave64o

    dave64o Talkbass Top 10 all time lowest talent/gear ratio! Gold Supporting Member

    Jun 15, 2000
    Southern NJ
    Here are links to two really good articles on compressing/limiting.

    This one does a great job of covering the basics. He's posted a lot of examples of his work on Homerecording.com and they sound fantastic.
    http://www.echostarstudio.com/thecompressor.html

    This one includes goes into more detail and also includes audio samples that explain the concepts in the text. That went a long way in helping me understand the concepts, at least after I listened and re-read quite a few times.
    http://www.geocities.com/shailat2000/


    Hope they help. These guys are far more knowledgable than me and do a much better job explaining the concepts than I can.

     
  22. Jan 12, 2001 #6
    Saint

    Saint

    Mar 2, 2000
    DC - USA
    Get the Really Nice Compressor from FMR Audio. I did tons of research and this got rave reviews across the board as the best compressor for under $1000.00. Let me put it this way, don't worry about the compressor nazis with the RNC, because they won't even realize you're using it!

    I bought mine direct from FMR and paid $180.00 plus $8.00 shipping by next day air. Here's the url:

    http://www.fmraudio.com

    Good Luck!


     
  26. Feb 14, 2001 #7
    voodster

    voodster

    Feb 14, 2001
    Singapore
    I play bass as hard as I'm gonna attack it and then I play normally and take note of the levels on the threshold for each level of playing. Then I take an average of the two. The sound ends up punchy and gets compressed when attacked hard. Overall the output level stays pretty much even.
     
  31. Feb 15, 2001 #8
    Larzito

    Larzito

    Aug 1, 2000
    Dallas, Texas
    Thanks for the input everyone! After much experimentation and contemplation, I have removed the compressor from my stage rig. The reason being, when I play harder, I WANT the sound level to go up! What I noticed was that passages in songs where the rest of the band got louder, I played harder too, but got buried in the mix. It takes a little more control when playing without a compressor to regulate the sound, but overall that is the point, controlling one's sound with hands and brain instead of devices. Actually, I have gone back to using the built in compressor on the Eden head, which really acts more like a limiter if my hands and brain get too carried away. It was a good exercise to learn about compressors, and I can see the need for them in some situations, but for live dynamics, I prefer to be as naked as possible.