Rackmount compressor for drums and vocals

[wilkinsi]

I can't afford a pair of EL8 Distressors. I'm looking for cheap but effective solution. Apparently, the DBX units are supposed to be good. The idea is to keep the levels constant, no matter how hard I hit them. Thinking of maybe buying a DBX266 or pair of 160A's. Or perhaps a couple TC Electronic Triple C's? Suggestions please.

[Chad]

I'm using a dbx 166xs for vocals and bass and like it pretty well. If I were needing one for vocals only, I'd probably go with one of the older 160X or 160XT units. For drums, I'm not sure, but I'd think the 166xs would work well. Never used a 266, but the reviews aren't good.

[markD]

I am using a pair of these right now:

http://www.warmaudio.com/products/wa76-discrete-compressor

and I have a row of these in a 500 module:

http://www.lindellaudio.se/index.php/7x-500/

they are very nice and smooth

[wilkinsi]

I am using a pair of these right now:

http://www.warmaudio.com/products/wa76-discrete-compressor

and I have a row of these in a 500 module:

http://www.lindellaudio.se/index.php/7x-500/

they are very nice and smooth

A local dealer suggested I get a pair of WA76's. Never got to demo them, none in stock.

[AdRock]

the DBX 266's will work just fine for the drums. I used a couple of the new 266xs comp/gate units and they work just fine.

[wilkinsi]

the DBX 266's will work just fine for the drums. I used a couple of the new 266xs comp/gate units and they work just fine.

Are those the XL or XS version? What's the difference between these? I require gates on my compressors to filter low level noise.

[markD]

dude - don't gate if it is at all possible. you will be sorry. figure out where the noise is and eliminate it at the source. if you HAVE to gate, do it during the mix - keep your source as pure as possible.

[wilkinsi]

dude - don't gate if it is at all possible. you will be sorry. figure out where the noise is and eliminate it at the source. if you HAVE to gate, do it during the mix - keep your source as pure as possible.

I was under the impression over-gating (chopping signals off) is caused by setting the gate's threshold too high. Some compressors have a gate, others don't. I would prefer to have the option, though it isn't a dealbreaker.

[markD]

you are pretty much right - but sometimes a poorly designed gate will be hard to dial in where you aren't chopping. I used to have 2 dbx 1066s and anytime I used the gates (no matter the setting) I would end up with weird artifacts - zippering sounds or tiny bits of stuttering. it was very annoying, especially on vocals. with drums I usually gated the toms. I could "fix" the issue by adding reverb.

later on, after a lot of experimenting I realized/learned that with good mic placement, I didn't need to compress drums during tracking. these days I run 8 mics on a 4 piece kit - a kick mic, 2 tom mics, an LDC mic about 4 inches from the snare, 2 SDC mics as overheads, and then 2 ribbon mics as room mics. these days I will run a limiter on each track to keep the dynamics in check while mixing. any EQ - which is minimal - happens during mix down as well.

here is a sample of a drum track.

https://soundcloud.com/mdenman/drum-sample

[AdRock]

The XS dbx is the new version of the XL. It has a gate and compressor.

Honestly though, if you're just recording I agree with markD. Record it all with nothing on it then go back and compress or gate the individual tracks as needed.

[xenophobe]

I only ever used a gate and compressor for my bass rig... but I know a lot of people used it for drums and vocals, as well as using it in the mastering process... the DBX DDP... amazing gate and compressor. They did discontinue them about a decade ago, mostly because it didn't sell well, but they're still fetching $200+ on ebay. It has everything my bass needed, all in one package.... sideband eq, compressor and gate and a whole lot of other features. It was the best compressor out there for a while. I've owned a lot of DBX rackmount stuff... it's never failed to impress.

[Newc]

Alesis 3630. Worked well for my drummer's kit which he built to the same specs as Eric Carr's kit. Doesn't take a lot of effort to dial in correctly, and doesn't give any weird artifacts unless you jack the knobs way up.

They're getting cheaper every day, too. Bought a couple of spares a few years back for $50 each off Ebay, and in great/studio shape.

[wilkinsi]

Alesis 3630. Worked well for my drummer's kit which he built to the same specs as Eric Carr's kit. Doesn't take a lot of effort to dial in correctly, and doesn't give any weird artifacts unless you jack the knobs way up.

They're getting cheaper every day, too. Bought a couple of spares a few years back for $50 each off Ebay, and in great/studio shape.

Dunno if this is actually true, but I read a review in which it was said a nasty distortion occurs whenever the threshold is reached.

[wilkinsi]

Anyone have experience with klark teknik square one 8 channel compressor?

[markD]

no. I have used the presonus ACP-88. it was pretty cool. the klark technic looks cool too.