rack compressors

[mactac]

i have a dbx106x if you're interested...

 

[avast_bass]

What if I can get a used DBX for under $50? What would you say to that?

What I would say to that is, what kind of DBX is it?

160's are reasonable, 266's arent as good.

I'd recommend the FMR Audio RNC over anything else though, as joker suggested. They can be had for around $200 and are wonderful for the price.

 

[mactac]

ya, the rnc is good, but not on bass. they even admit it themselves that it doesn't work well on bass.

the rnc is perrfect for full mixes.

 

[cowsgomoo]

who plays with a compressor, rack or otherwise? which one, and how much was it/is it?

I do, rack, Alesis 3630, free from a friend

 

[EricF]

I have a dbx 160a waiting to be installed in my rack - scored used on eBay. I do like the dual band concept of the Rane DC24. Having seperate compression for high and low frequencies offers a lot of control.

 

[avast_bass]

ya, the rnc is good, but not on bass. they even admit it themselves that it doesn't work well on bass.

the rnc is perrfect for full mixes.

i disagree, used tastefully it does a great job for the money on bass. Far superior to any behringer/samson type.

By full mixes do you mean stereo mixes?

 

[mactac]

yes, i mean stereo mixes... that's what it was designed for.

 

[thebeatcatcher]

i use a dbx 266xl and it works great. not as nice as the 160, but not as expensive either, under $150 i think, probably less used.

it's nice to use one side for your onstage amp signal and the other side as a DI to the PA.

 

[avast_bass]

yes, i mean stereo mixes... that's what it was designed for.

I have to disagree. If it were designed for compression of stereo mixes, then why is it a mono compressor? Surely if this was its intended purpose, it would be a stereo compressor?

Or do you run your left channel into 1 unit and right channel into a completely seperate one?

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Rane makes nice stuff. When Ihad a rack, I used a Rane DC24 as a dual band compressor. It was fantastic. I just saw one one eBay for about $160 used. New they are like $450.

+1, $160.00 is a great deal on one.
I use a Rane DC24 and I feel it does a great job.

 

[mactac]

are we talking about the same compressor? or do you even have one ...? I hope you're not providing opinions on something you don't even have

it's stereo. it has left & right inputs.... and i quote :

"The Really Nice Compressor (RNC) is a compact, affordable stereo compressor with a hi-fi audio path and compression scheme. "

I have to disagree. If it were designed for compression of stereo mixes, then why is it a mono compressor? Surely if this was its intended purpose, it would be a stereo compressor?

Or do you run your left channel into 1 unit and right channel into a completely seperate one?

 

[avast_bass]

are we talking about the same compressor? or do you even have one ...? I hope you're not providing opinions on something you don't even have

it's stereo. it has left & right inputs.... and i quote :

"The Really Nice Compressor (RNC) is a compact, affordable stereo compressor with a hi-fi audio path and compression scheme. "

....

so i withdraw my claims that it is not a stereo compressor. Pardon me...

I stand by the fact that it is a good compressor for bass in a recording environment, IMO, for the $200 price tag however.

My apoligies again.

EDIT - i feel an extra edit is necessary here to admit defeat and explain i feel sufficiently stupid.




...damn

 

[bongomania]

You're not getting off THAT easy, buddy...

 

[avast_bass]

hahahaha.... oh dear.

*cough* i hate when that happens....

I hereby declare that my first post should read - the RNC is a great compressor in a studio environment, for bass guitar included. The release time of the unit means it has some shortfalls when playing bass directly through it live, but it IS a great unit for $200-ish. It recently slipped from my mind that the rear panel infact includes both L + R inputs and so can be used very effectively on stereo sources.


What I SHOULD say however is.... sorry, dont listen to me, i r idjot.

 

[Simone Bastardi]

My studio has an ART Pro VLA. It's pretty schmancy stuff, with VU meters and a tube output section (I think).
It's very subtle, which could be a pro or a con, depending on what you're looking for.

Also, it's probably a bit fragile to be going on the road with. And it's fairly heavy, and takes up 2RU of space.

Definitely a nice tool for the studio though.

 

[Pako]

Used to have a T.C. Electronics Triple C multiband compressor. It was awesome to compress different frequencies at varying degrees. Sold it to a fellow TB'er since my new IP rig already has DSP compression built into it.

 

[mactac]

"I stand by the fact that it is a good compressor for bass in a recording environment, "


how can you say that when you don't even own one? I used to have one (got rid of it becuase it was no good for bass) - I'm going by experience...what are you basing your opinion on?

 

[avast_bass]

im basing my experience on using it as a mono compressor for 4 weeks of album tracking using it to compress a mic'd bass track. I have also used them with vocals, guitars and drums and whilst they dont offer the quality of say an 1176, for $200 they ARE great units. I don't own one but have used one for what i'd call a reasonable enough length of time to form an opinion on it. Pardon me if i didnt remove the unit from its rack and study the rear panel at the time, i admitted I was wrong about its stereo compression capabilities.

 

[James Hart]

who plays with a compressor, rack or otherwise? which one, and how much was it/is it?

im in the market for one and id like to get a dbx 160a but its like $300 and im not suer its necessary

Ashly CL50E for me (early 90s mono model). It does what it does without coloring up the chain. Built like a tank.

Generally run about $100 on eBay.... if you watch and wait, the bargans show up. My current one was $21 plus shipping

 

[bassguppy]

+1 for the Ashly. great for bass.