Another one to consider is the stereo compressor from Chameleon Labs.
It's modeled on the SSL Mix Buss compressor, which has been used to
make records "punchy" for the last 25 years. It's affordable and has
gotten great reviews from Tape Op and others.
http://www.chameleonlabs.com/product5.htmlIt's also hard to go wrong with the DBX, the 166 has been around
forever.
On Dec 3, 2008, at 3:44 PM, Richard Brewster wrote:
> Thanks for the additional tips. Everyone seems to have good things to
> say about the FMR RNC. I think I'm going to get one of those. It will
> patch right into the inserts on my Mackie 802-VLZ3 mixer. I'll look
> into the Aphex Dominator too. Another funny name for my wife to kid me
> about. About the FMC, "Yeah, and it really has a button that says
> "Super Nice". I think she's hoping I'll get that kind of button.
>
> Richard
>
> jneilnyc wrote:
> > --- In motm@yahoogroups.com, Richard Brewster <pugix@...> wrote:
> >
> >> I've read all the replies and thanks to everyone who responded. I
> >> wasn't clear in my original post about what I want the
> >> compressor/limiter to do. I think I was enticed by the idea of
> "sonic
> >> maximizer", but really I don't want another sound enhancer, so I've
> >> ruled out the BBE MaxCom. What I really want is a limiter that will
> >>
> > let
> >
> >> me use all the headroom of the recorder without having to worry
> about
> >> clipping. The sort of material I make includes unpredictable
> peaks. I
> >> will look at the FMR RNC. Nobody commented about the DBX 166XL. I'm
> >> still considering that and maybe the 266XL.
> >>
> >
> > I have the Pro VLA, and it's a nice cheap box that adds a little
> > warmth but also seems to make the track a little softer and more
> > textured. Sometimes this is exactly what you want, other times not.
> >
> > The RNC on the other hand is very transparent, and if you set it up
> > right it can serve to flatten out unwanted transients without
> > significantly changing the perceived tone.
> >
> > Even if you do get a compressor like one of those, you might want to
> > keep a lookout for a used Aphex Dominator. It's a limiter that I
> used
> > a lot in tracking for the reasons you suggest, to be able to keep
> > levels up without having to worry about a spike getting through and
> > ruining a track with digital distortion. These weren't cheap, but
> > there are a dozen of them on ebay right now, and they appear to be
> > selling in the $250-$500 range.
> >
> > http://www.aphex.com/720_722.htm
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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