quote:

Originally posted by Pappa Whats a good Hardware Compressor? I was looking at some of the Behringer one's. But noticed there pretty cheap? Am I getting what I pay for, cheap hardware? or decent enuf?

Stay away from Behringer compressors. Really, I know a lot of people say Behringer is crap. Usually it is not really super, but the price/quality ratio is great. The compressors, no. Stay away.

If you can find them, the RNC (Really Nice Compressor, don't be fooled by the stupid name) from FMR audio is one of the best buys you can make. They are not really expensive (170$ I believe). Honestly I can say it's the only sub 500$ compressor that is worth buying. But it's hard to find...

quote:

Originally posted by Dj Thy Stay away from Behringer compressors. Really, I know a lot of people say Behringer is crap. Usually it is not really super, but the price/quality ratio is great. The compressors, no. Stay away. If you can find them, the RNC (Really Nice Compressor, don't be fooled by the stupid name) from FMR audio is one of the best buys you can make. They are not really expensive (170$ I believe). Honestly I can say it's the only sub 500$ compressor that is worth buying. But it's hard to find...

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.as...udio_Processors
Are there any price/performance tube compressors out there... something which would desirably color the sound? Or would running it through a tube preamp be a better idea (I thought I read that SOMEWHERE ).

es

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Last edited by Vert on May-13-2004 at 18:36

quote:

Originally posted by Vert http://www.8thstreet.com/product.as...udio_Processors Are there any price/performance tube compressors out there... something which would desirably color the sound? Or would running it through a tube preamp be a better idea (I thought I read that SOMEWHERE ). es

I've got a nice valve amp that my computer feeds into, makes it sound really nice however I can't master through it, I'd like to try and modify the circuitry so I can master through it, however a working amp for listerning through is a bit higher up in my list of priorities, anyway.

I'd suggest a nice valve preamp rather then a processor with valves built in, and use it last in the mastering chain just to set final levels, always just ads a little bit of sparkle, unless you can afford a mixing desk with inbuilt valves.

Hardware compressor..

The most awesome i ever tried is
TL Audio 5052 IVORY, a friend of mine (alx odden / flipside) got it.. It's expensive, but you get a "in your face" sound back

about the price.. hmmm, around 2300$ here in norway :P

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Drawmer compressors are really good too, especially the higher end models. Do you like William Orbit's sound? He uses a Drawmer...but it's like the really really expensive one.

What is it that actually pushes the price to those enormous levels on audio hardware? Is it just very sophisticated technology (can the components be compared to the ones in the average computer when it comes to sophistication, are the audio hardware's internal components expensive by themselves etc.), or is it because of the not so broad customer amount? Just curious, when some audio hardware might equal to the sum of a new car (you get the point)

erm
the knobs and materials are not for free..
The prices are more then reasonable.
I wouldn't know a "normal" piece of audio hardware (not talking about these huge mixing boards) that comes even close to the price of a decent new car.

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Why couldn't one say the same about TVs? For sure the parts there are not free as well, but the prices are in average lower than those of an average analogue synth, I would say. I've seen Drawmer compressors being sold for well over 3000$ (don't recall what model). When I browse through the long list of hardware ads in computer music magazines, you see stuff that is priced over 5000£, which is around what I spent for my -00 car with double airbags, 5-doors, air-conditiong, CD-player etc. etc. No hesitation where I would spend my money...

Another type of technology that is hugely overpriced today is most of the digital cameras.

Last edited by BetaFactory on May-21-2004 at 14:37

quote:

Originally posted by Vert http://www.8thstreet.com/product.as...udio_Processors Are there any price/performance tube compressors out there... something which would desirably color the sound? Or would running it through a tube preamp be a better idea (I thought I read that SOMEWHERE ). es

Well, sadly the "you get what you pay" rule applies even more here. Most "cheap" models (and even the cheaper models of the so called pro expensive stuff) use some kind of valve emulation. It's not because you see a tube that they use it (usually it's there for the show).

But I'd say, for a decent price, you could try the cheaper TL audio Ivory 2 series, like the 5021 or 5060 (the latter one being a preset based compressor). Both units can be found under $800.

If you ever find a Fairchild 670, know that this is THE tube compressor most sound engineers drool about. They are very hard to find, and if you are lucky enough to find one, they cost a shitload of money. But god do they sound great...

I know I wouldn't pay thousands for a compressor. I mean, there's plenty people who've had tunes signed using mostly software packages, so they can't be too bad...

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Yeah, there are loads of crap tunes that were released on big labels too, so why make quality music alltogether?

I guess it all depends on who listens to it. I know people that can't tell a clean 24/96 recording apart from a 128 kbps mp3... If the aim of making music is just to score a label and make millions, why bother?
Music is an art, but it can be very technical at times. As with all art : different people, different taste. Usually those very expensive devices are either very clean sounding, or they color the sound in a good way (usually the coloring of the sound with cheaper gear is just what you don't want).

Of course there's a lot of showing off going on (hey look, I used an Urei 1176 on my track... Yes I can afford that...), but you must understand that some of the gear like the Urei 1176, Teletronix LA2A, Fairchild 670 and consorts are so loved (and pretty much a standard in every big studio). They just have such a distinct character that can add just that little more to your track.