Members Musicman717 Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 Hey , I know this has been delt with time and time again and is probably a age old question. but i bought a compressor (alesis 3632) last weekend and tinkered with it some and think i am going to like it, now my question is this , what is some of ya'lls compression settings for vocals and kick, i know its a set to your own taste thing but i just want it to be effective in the ways it should be. but relax some of you , i know i have had a discussion on the whole parallel and serial thing. i am going to hook it up in serial. i just wanted to make sure before i use it that i wasn't over compressing anything. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueGreene Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 There's about a million variables for 'compression setings'. Read the DBX white paper if you haven't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mutha Goose Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 I have a gas pedal. Any recommendation on how far to depress it for the highway? What about back roads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiroVette Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 I have to be honest, compression, limiting, and gating CONFUSES the living hell out of me. So, first, THANK YOU, BlueGreene for posting that link. I read through it once already, and I am going to study it. I have NEVER used compression/limiting/gating before so this is all new to me. Next, a question: I have been hearing absolutely AMAZING things about the RNC units. Any thoughts? Insights? Tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flogger59 Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 I have an RNC and really like it. I use Really Nice mode on acoustic guitars and vocals, but the regular mode on drums and bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twostone Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 Look in the goober guide sticky there's a comp chart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 HC used to have excellent primers on processors, but they all disappeared after MF bought HC and ruined it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiroVette Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 Look in the goober guide sticky there's a comp chart Awesome thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HotP90's Posted August 25, 2013 Members Share Posted August 25, 2013 Ahh... Compression. If there's one topic in all of audio land that brings out the "holier than thou" anonymous cyber bully it is... Compression! (just watch the replies to this post) When some poor slob goes to an online forum to ask the simple question: "what are some basic compressor settings?" every irate yard stick wielding Mother Superior from the St.Threshold School of the Blessed Unity Gain come flying out of their offices to whack your knuckles... "FOOL! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BASIC COMPRESSOR SETTINGS! But, post a chart, a graph, a jpeg showing compressor setting suggestions and be prepared for your "come-upance" You will be led down the hall by your ear lobe to the janitors closet for a tutorial. It seems there is no "starting point" for settings but there is a whole boat load of way's NOT TO SET your compressor. Go figure! Will the way you set your compressor change according to the content you put in? OF COURSE! But there are "basic settings" and judging by the amount of query this topic generates it's obvious that newbies are looking for a place to tee off. SO... if you've got a DBX266XL or something similar (as most of them are) and you're looking for a place to start i.e.: BASIC ALL PURPOSE COMPRESSION disregard the naysayer's (get ready) and start here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomm Williams Posted August 25, 2013 Members Share Posted August 25, 2013 HotP90's wrote: Ahh... Compression. If there's one topic in all of audio land that brings out the "holier than thou" anonymous cyber bully it is... Compression! (just watch the replies to this post) When some poor slob goes to an online forum to ask the simple question: "what are some basic compressor settings?" every irate yard stick wielding Mother Superior from the St.Threshold School of the Blessed Unity Gain come flying out of their offices to whack your knuckles... "FOOL! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BASIC COMPRESSOR SETTINGS! But, post a chart, a graph, a jpeg showing compressor setting suggestions and be prepared for your "come-upance" You will be led down the hall by your ear lobe to the janitors closet for a tutorial. It seems there is no "starting point" for settings but there is a whole boat load of way's NOT TO SET your compressor. Go figure! Will the way you set your compressor change according to the content you put in? OF COURSE! But there are "basic settings" and judging by the amount of query this topic generates it's obvious that newbies are looking for a place to tee off. SO... if you've got a DBX266XL or something similar (as most of them are) and you're looking for a place to start i.e.: BASIC ALL PURPOSE COMPRESSION disregard the naysayer's (get ready) and start here: That is an interesting way to introduce yourself with your first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pro Sound Guy Posted August 25, 2013 Members Share Posted August 25, 2013 Even more interesting is "serial and parallel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted August 25, 2013 Members Share Posted August 25, 2013 Presonus isn't shy on giving compression settings advice. Page 83-84 of the StudioLive manual give many examples and explain what the settings do. Just understand the threshold setting assumes your gain structure is correct. For instance, if you're threshold is at -6 dB and you are peaking at -8 dB then you're never going to be compressing anything (with a hard knee anyway).BTW, the manual also has a EQ, microphone placement and other tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pro Sound Guy Posted August 26, 2013 Members Share Posted August 26, 2013 Keep this mind with compression usage.By limiting dynamics of the signal, and "squeezing" the signal, and then increasing the gain can cause overheating of voice coils much easier then if you did not use any compression.In other words it is more easy to smoke a loudspeaker with compression then without at higher output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 27, 2013 Members Share Posted August 27, 2013 Regarding risk to speakers, if amps are sized at continuous speaker rating, the chances for thermal failure are much lower. If the amps are sized at 2x the continuous you would begin to trade off mechanical damage for thermal damage. It's part of the tradeoffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sibyrnes Posted August 27, 2013 Members Share Posted August 27, 2013 "In other words it is more easy to smoke a loudspeaker with compression then without at higher output." I don't think that is necessarily true. Proper use of compression can prevent damaging peaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 27, 2013 Members Share Posted August 27, 2013 The transition from mechanical damage to thermal damage does not occur with moderate use of compression. The thermal model is affected by large amounts if AVERAGE compression rather than compressing the peaks. In fact, because the mechanical limits dominate, moderate compression significantly reduces mechanical stresses while insignificantly increasing any thermal issues in a system that is reasonably powered and managed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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