Members Battlemode Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 I picked up an Alesis 3630 off of craigslist a few days ago without a power supply. I bought the unit for $20, and I don't plan on spending another $20 for one from Alesis. There's a used electronics store down the street that sells wall warts organized by volts and milliamps, but I don't know how many milliamps the Alesis wall wart provides. Can anyone help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unalaska Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 9V AC, I guess 200-500mw. Go to the local thrift store and look around. Prolly cost you $1.99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 $20 is a bit high for a wheel chuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 the drummer in my band had his power supply burn out on his D4. i was able to find a 3630 for free and gave him the power supply (the same supply) and tossed the 3630 without even bothering to turn it on. this is how much the 3630 is worth, nothing. the power supply is far more valuable than the 3630 as it can be used for other things actually worth powering, probably the reason yours didnt come with the power supply. sorry to be harsh but you should have asked before throwing your $20 away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 Now, now - no dissin' the "Dirty 30" . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soul-x Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 9V AC, I guess 200-500mw. Go to the local thrift store and look around. Prolly cost you $1.99 AC wall warts can be hard to come by. Alesis is kind of oddball in this respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 FYI the stock supply is 9VAC 830ma :http://www.alesis.com/content220341 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soul-x Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 Looks like Parts Express has a 200ma 9VAC wall wart on closeout for 88 cents. Maybe that would work? Edit: looking at RR's post, it looks a little too light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Battlemode Posted January 26, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 Thanks RoadRanger - the stock numbers are what I've been looking for. I should have searched their Alesis' more closely. As far as the 3630's reputation, I've read about it and was expecting the comments (and will maybe end up agreeing with them) but I think all of us can name gear that gets an undeserved bad rap or undeserved praise and I'd rather hear it for myself than blindly go by internet hearsay. Also, most of the reviews I've read on HC had to do with using the 3630 for recording; this is just going into a basic PA that needs a compressor, so for $20 why not give it a shot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gordon Sound Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 Go rummage @ a Goodwill, etc. I have found 10/9vac powersupplies. For $20 cool although the 3630 might possibly be the worst comp ever made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 Go rummage @ a Goodwill, etc. I have found 10/9vac powersupplies. For $20 cool although the 3630 might possibly be the worst comp ever made. yep. it sounds best pulled from the system. i love ratty, old, obsolete, weird gear and can find a use for almost anything, but the 3630 is so bad sounding it is unusable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Busbee Posted January 26, 2010 Members Share Posted January 26, 2010 hands down the biggest turd of a comp I ever used...I had four in my rack and could never really tell if they worked or not. I'll get flamed for this, but the Behringer Composer Pro kills it...no ACP 88, but way better and cheaper too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gordon Sound Posted January 27, 2010 Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 Not like the acp88 is any prize either. Used multicoms are like $50 Get one of those. Hell you can find old Symetrix and Yami comps for $50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 27, 2010 CMS Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Thanks RoadRanger - the stock numbers are what I've been looking for. I should have searched their Alesis' more closely. As far as the 3630's reputation, I've read about it and was expecting the comments (and will maybe end up agreeing with them) but I think all of us can name gear that gets an undeserved bad rap or undeserved praise and I'd rather hear it for myself than blindly go by internet hearsay. Also, most of the reviews I've read on HC had to do with using the 3630 for recording; this is just going into a basic PA that needs a compressor, so for $20 why not give it a shot? So it's going to be used on the main mix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Barisaxman2000 Posted January 27, 2010 Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 So it's going to be used on the main mix? Seems like there's been a rash of post lately of people wanting to compress the main mix...I don't get it. Why squash everything so bad that it sounds like another overdone CD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 27, 2010 CMS Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Seems like there's been a rash of post lately of people wanting to compress the main mix...I don't get it. Why squash everything so bad that it sounds like another overdone CD. Ignorance, and I mean that literally...a lot of muso's simply don't understand compression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Battlemode Posted January 27, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 Yes, on the main mix. I'd actually like some advice on this, as this setup is my first move out of mixer plugged straight into power amp territory. My main goal with using a compressor is to smooth out vocals and make up for bad mic technique - no squashing. Also, this PA is mainly going to be used for DIY shows in art galleries, basements, smaller venues, etc. so 90% of the time I'm just going to be running vocals, except for the odd acoustic instrument and keyboard. So looking at it as a purely vocal PA, does it make sense to compress the main mix? My plan is to use it on the main mix when I'm only doing vocals and when I run instruments to only use it on the vocal channels (like the previous poster, I'm not a big fan of compressing the hell out of everything). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unalaska Posted January 27, 2010 Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 Used it as an insert of a specific channel only. And sparingly too, the most you'll want to squash is about 3-6dB at whatever ratio. You may not find it useful at all though, many agree the 3630 sounds best in bypass mode. I had 3 or 4 of them in the late 90's, I didn't hate them as much as most did. I ended up buying the behringer 4ch comps since they were cheap and easy to use. I still have a few but mostly use DBX or prefer to use an 01V with all of it built into the board. The last behring 4ch comp I bought was like 50 bucks or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Battlemode Posted January 27, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 Heh, yeah. If it sounds better bypassed I have no qualms about using it to keep a trailer from rolling down a hill/smashing it against a brick wall/flipping it on craigslist. I was mainly planning on using it lightly (in the 3 - 6 db range) - nothing major, just compensating for singers without good technique and maybe smoothing things out a hair. So is that a no to doing the main mix when the main mix is just vocals? Also, When I do get the chance to upgrade, dbx is definitely a brand I'm going to look into; I'm just giving the 3630 a chance for the present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted January 27, 2010 Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 Heh, yeah. If it sounds better bypassed I have no qualms about using it to keep a trailer from rolling down a hill/smashing it against a brick wall/flipping it on craigslist. I was mainly planning on using it lightly (in the 3 - 6 db range) - nothing major, just compensating for singers without good technique and maybe smoothing things out a hair. So is that a no to doing the main mix when the main mix is just vocals? Also, When I do get the chance to upgrade, dbx is definitely a brand I'm going to look into; I'm just giving the 3630 a chance for the present. not heavy enough. its basically useless, it wont even keep a door open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 27, 2010 CMS Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 If the goal is vocal smoothing, use it inserted in the two worst-offender vocal channels. The way a compressor works: it "hears" the entire signal and any part of the signal that exceeds the threshold will engage it...of course on the entire mix if that's where it's located. So if the bassist (or the vocal mic that's facing the bass amp...they "hear" everything too) is loud and crosses the threshold, then it will compress based on the bass signal...squashing everything else. If something rhythmic is engaging the comp, like the kick or snare, then the compressor cuts in and out in what's commonly described as "pumping" or "breathing". Not good. Just put the comp on the vocal channels, and adjust the threshold so that only the loudest part has any effect. Be aware of stage volume that could engage it...it'll act like a ducker if the snare is engaging it...and apply maybe 3dB. Note that if you use makeup gain to compensate for the amount of compression, you're increasing the average power of any signal that's compressed, and this will increase the chance of feedback. Also keep in mind that you really don't want compression in the monitors. It'll cause feedbacks problems as mentioned, and it'll virtually guarantee your singer will blow out his voice since he won't hear how loud he really is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Battlemode Posted January 27, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 Very helpful - exactly the type of answer I was looking for. Thanks a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DBR Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 I'm looking into a compressor/gate for drum, percussion and to even out the vocals just a touch. I really don't want to squash anything at all but if I have to what's recommended and how can I avoid compression and gating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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