Turtlerock Forum

I've been looking for affordable compressors to use with a Mackie Onyx 1640i (which connects via firewire to Pro Tools), and since I think now I'm confident enough to track with dynamics processing I'd like to know what nice (for a pretty budget-conscious studio) compressors/gates would be good to start with. I mean, not to learn their parameters, but to control levels going to "tape" and to get my hands off the computer and plugins as much as I can (but not going back to 30 years ago). My mixes are usually ITB anyway, so if "we've gotta start somewhere" I think the recording stage would be the best place to start breaking up with my mouse.

Some of the options I have in mind are (but not limited to):

> Drawmer DL241XLR (2ch gate/comp/limiter)
> Drawmer MX40 (4ch gate)
> dbx 160A (1ch comp/limiter)
> dbx 1046 (4ch comp/limiter)
> dbx 1066 (2ch gate/comp/limiter)
> Presonus ACP-88 (8ch gate/comp)
> ART Pro-VLA II (2ch comp)

... and that's sort of the range of gear I could afford right now actually (not all of them together). So I'd have up to 16 inputs on the Mackie and, as I'm pretty low on $$ (aiming around US$2k-2.5k), I'm trying to sort out which (and if these) compressors would provide me a good level/tone control without compromising the sound quality.

So I'd greatly appreciate if someone could suggest any combination of those options, other gear or setup, another approach or even suggest a career change. :lol:

Cheers

I have a 160A and use it primarily for tracking into tools on bass or of late slide guitar....I love the comp it works really well. Im half looking for another to link so I can have a stereo compressor over my Neve 8816 master bus.

Of all the bits of gear you have listed it is the only single channel too...so maybe thats something to think about too? Bang for buck in regards to channel count?

just a thought

Hi there,

The ART PRo VLA seems to get lots of love over @ Gearslutz...I, myself, have
not used one !

Cheers
N
Y
M
O

The RNC by FMR audio is a very good option and used in many studios that are well stocked with the more expensive comps. Also worth having is their leveling amp, the RNLA7239. Both these options won't degrade a good signal like some other cheap options.





http://www.fmraudio.com/reviewspage.htm

+1 on the RNC. The Brauer hype has died off on these at last and they are starting to go cheaper on fleabay. You could track through it then use it on your buss for mixdown. The 'supernice' mode is pretty cool on a mix..

FMR stuff is pretty cool with a big "for the money". Maybe go second hand so you could afford something of a higher calibre? One of those old Joe Meek compressors or something maybe, they seem to have a bit of mojo and they come up on the 'Bay from time to time pretty cheap. I like the DBX160A for bass, sometimes vocals, even clean guitars... I think it is a good option if you can afford it. I think if you can get something stereo though, it is always a good thing...

Sorry that didn't really give you a conclusive answer of any kind, but no one can guess what you like the sound of :)

Nick.

Another one to throw into the mix could be a Bellari, the RP583 is the stereo version....... ?

Hey Tiago,
Welcome to the forum. All good sugestions so far, have you considered geting a lunchbox style thing. Then you can bang in 500 series smash and grab type compressors for around $800 to $1200. Could be good but you would need to build it up. Also congrats on having the coolest name on the forum.

I may sound like a broken record, but the Langevin (Manley) Dual Vocal Combo is around $2.5k, is two channel (so you can use it in stereo), has a pre with some EQ, and a pair of great opto-compressors. the compressors are perfect for tracking, as the only controls are 'gain' and 'reduction' so there's not much to stuff up.

and I can guarantee that it will smoke all that 'b' grade crap that you've listed there ;-0

seriously though, if you buy any of that stuff and continue doing recording in the future, you'll outgrow it and lose out selling and upgrading.

Chris

I didn't actually notice you had around $2.5K. You could get a secondhand Portico dual comp/limiter for under that too.
Chris makes a good point, if you have that much to spend you should get something better rather than something cheap now that you'll sell later when you outgrow it and lose money on it.

I didn't notice your budget either, I'd not have made those suggestions if I had... serves me right for not reading the opening post properly. You could get something pretty nice for that budget, I'd aim higher than most of the things on your list there :)

Linear wrote:seriously though, if you buy any of that stuff and continue doing recording in the future, you'll outgrow it and lose out selling and upgrading.

Chris

I agree. Save your pennies a little bit longer and buy something you'll want to keep for life.

:)

You could probably get a brand new api2500 for 500 or 600 more.

Ben Moore wrote:

Linear wrote:seriously though, if you buy any of that stuff and continue doing recording in the future, you'll outgrow it and lose out selling and upgrading.

Chris

I agree. Save your pennies a little bit longer and buy something you'll want to keep for life.

:)

Nah..... stuff it. Buy a few cheapie but goodie's instead of all your cash on one unit..........must admit i was thinking the Langevin might be a good option though.....he was originally after comps for tracking.

Alright, thanks a lot for the replies, guys!

Well, looks like the suggestions are more for changing my approach... What I had in mind was actually having an "average" setup would be better than having 1-2 really good pieces, you know? Like, if I had to choose between girlfriends (or boyfriends, depending on who's reading):
1) one that's flexible and can perform various tasks decently (from cooking to... horse riding) with her (his) several devices;
2) one that's really good at making... popcorn. And orange juice. And it would be hard to use her (his) devices for other things.

Ok, maybe that wasn't the best analogy...

Racing cars!
1) a decently restored VW Beetle, fully functional;
2) an old VW Beetle with a space rocket engine.

So my fear was that by buying a great single-channel compressor I would end up "stuck" with a great single-channel compressor for a long time until I could buy a great stereo compressor and so on, whilst I could have a modest, but reliable setup, right from the start. I agree with the idea of having something really good at hand that would last forever, but as a starting point... don't know, still thinking about it.

The RNC by FMR audio is a very good option and used in many studios that are well stocked with the more expensive comps. Also worth having is their leveling amp, the RNLA7239. Both these options won't degrade a good signal like some other cheap options.

Chris, the FMR stuff was a very interesting suggestion, do you have any experience with it? Ever heard the RNC and the RNLA?

All good sugestions so far, have you considered geting a lunchbox style thing. Then you can bang in 500 series smash and grab type compressors for around $800 to $1200.

Yeah Mat, I'm considering those lunchboxes too, they're my second option though, let's see.

Worked with the RNC but not the RNLA. The RNC is a unit that's great in controlling the dynamics without changing the tone of your original sound. From what i know about how it operates in really nice mode it has more than one gain reduction element and in this mode these are "daisy chained" so a lot of compression is achieved without audible artifacts resulting in achieving the sort of sit in the mix results, say on vox normally achievable from parallel compression. Using two on a stereo bus like drums or the mix, they are also up to it and using side chain mode is a handy option to have.

I've used an RNC on the main outs live in my PA. I could see it was doing stuff but couldn't hear it. I had an old Yamaha compressor which I tried on the mains, it sounded horrible.. (the guy who lent me the RNC assured me the Yamaha has a great gate and works well for bass but I've never tried it)

Yeah, I did read the descriptions of both (RNC and RNLA), though I'm still wondering if using them on stereo sources wouldn't mess up with the image because they'd work under dual-mono thresholds. I sent them and email about this as they claim to have tried both on stereo sources.

One thing that I really liked about FMR was the fact that they even discuss about the negative aspects of what they make (in the "What sucks" section), I think that's great from the customers' point of view! If you read reviews on magazines you never know who to trust and other companies usually claim that their products are the best. Period. So I find it great to see a company providing more honest information about what they make, that's a BIG + to me.

compression can suck.

I have had heaps of reports on the RNC's I may get one now.

Oh dear God, now I just realized how stupid I was thinking the RNC and RNLA had to be linked to work in stereo, I didn't look at the rear panel to see that it actually is a stereo unit... And I even wasted my time and their time sending an email asking about it. Damn...
Anyway, they seem promising, I might get a couple of those.

PM electrofetish, he's got a couple me might be selling. (RNC's)

i'm selling an RNC. i think it's fantastic for the price, just don't need it anymore. PM me if you want it.

oh and FWIW, i was testing some console mic amps the other day and had it inserted on the channel, ie as a tracking compressor..... hmmm, not bad, not bad at all. 'super nice' mode really is quite smooth.

Linear wrote:I may sound like a broken record, but the Langevin (Manley) Dual Vocal Combo is around $2.5k, is two channel (so you can use it in stereo), has a pre with some EQ, and a pair of great opto-compressors. the compressors are perfect for tracking, as the only controls are 'gain' and 'reduction' so there's not much to stuff up.

and I can guarantee that it will smoke all that 'b' grade crap that you've listed there ;-0



Chris

gee chris i thought is was me who keeps that broken record going
didnt i tell you about them ..?

nah, i haven't heard you mention it. you did tell me how great massive passives are, and i bought one of those ;-0

i remember wanting an opto compressor, looked at a manley, then checked out the langevin (same thing but solid state) then saw the DVC. I bought mine when the dollar wasn't as strong, and I still thought it was a bargain!!

Chris

hmm i reckon we had that conversation severals times wayback in the ten seventy three days, but the thing is nearly nobody goes for those things (langevin) , i used one on a record for months once - they are great but you tell people that and next time you see them they have a 737 or some UA piece of crap and they are still asking the same questions .

certainly one of the reasons i even started this forum was i got sick of people asking me by email what sounds about the same as a neve 1073 and a la 2a but only cost 2 k!
well nothing is the answer
but that langevin thing is a close contender - nobody seems to move on them though i dunno why

maybe its just too old now ..?
tell us is there anything bad to report about them other then the colour ?

damn.. these things are pretty cheap!
:-)

http://www.mercenary.com/landualvoccodemo.html

rick wrote:hmm i reckon we had that conversation severals times wayback in the ten seventy three days, but the thing is nearly nobody goes for those things (langevin) , i used one on a record for months once - they are great but you tell people that and next time you see them they have a 737 or some UA piece of crap and they are still asking the same questions .

certainly one of the reasons i even started this forum was i got sick of people asking me by email what sounds about the same as a neve 1073 and a la 2a but only cost 2 k!
well nothing is the answer
but that langevin thing is a close contender - nobody seems to move on them though i dunno why

maybe its just too old now ..?
tell us is there anything bad to report about them other then the colour ?

if audio engineers used there ears more for making records sound better than keeping their ear out for hype...you might stop hearing people ask what sounds like a neve :P

Im sure most ppl think Langevin = poor man's Manley.