Hardware compressors

[tonyc2002]

Are there any hardware compressors that have a side chain feature? can anyone give me some examples?

[Mugen]

Are there any hardware compressors that have a side chain feature? can anyone give me some examples?

Well, Sidechaining isn't actually a digital or software concept so the majority of Hardware compressors have sidechaining or an external insert , Try looking at the DBX 1066 it's pretty dam good and fairly affrodable.:)

[benjames]

I like the compounder at £299, with the dbx 1066 £349 probalby the best entry level ones going
both with sidechain of course

[xfive]

if you can find them, tc triple c. You'll have to find them used since they don't make them anymore.

They come in Mono and Stereo, and can sidechain.

[christian wagner]

Urie, Summit audio, Focusrite, DBX.....

[dirty_bass]

Wouldn`t spend anything less than 500 quid on a hardware compressor, otherwise software is much better.

[tekara]

if you can find them, tc triple c. You'll have to find them used since they don't make them anymore.

They come in Mono and Stereo, and can sidechain.

I had the Triple C and used it religiously until i bought a Waves SSL compressor plugin. After that, i stopped using the Triple C but i would still never get rid of it.

Awesome piece of hardware at an affordable price.

[benjames]

Wouldn`t spend anything less than 500 quid on a hardware compressor, otherwise software is much better.

better than a standard vst / rtas, or do you mean the UAD / DSP cards

[dirty_bass]

Well for the money, you can`t beat the sonalksis stereo compressor.
It is one of the very very few vsti compressors that truly handles like hardware.
The way it handles transients and the way the attack works is just amazing.
Can`t emphasise enough how amazing this compressor is.
DSP cards are great too. I`ve got the Liquid Mix, which is simply amazing.
URS compressors are really nice.

Voxengo Marquis is a really stunning compressor, and again has a very good hardware like response.

[tekara]

i 2nd the URS recommendation.

I had to choose between a URS and Waves SSL, but went for the SSL simply because i liked the skin better.

But both compressors are killer. I rarely even use my TC Triple C anymores.

[Radic]

Well for the money, you can`t beat the sonalksis stereo compressor.
It is one of the very very few vsti compressors that truly handles like hardware.
The way it handles transients and the way the attack works is just amazing.
Can`t emphasise enough how amazing this compressor is.
.

I noticed that the attack stage on this compressor has a maximum speed of 50ms. Isn't this a bit limiting, especially when you want to compress your drums. I'd have thought you'd want a faster compressor than that?

[dirty_bass]

Actually the attack is .5ms on the Sonalksis and it`s about THE best software compressor for drums along with the MArquis

As for the gamble between the SSL and URS, no competition there.
With the SSL you get the SSL bus compressor, completely useless for techno.
Good for pop mixes.
Everyone has jumped on the SSL stuff suddenly, because they`ve heard SSL is a massive name in studios.
But most don`t realise it`s applications in terms of the music. The SSL kit is great, but I wouldn`t say it is the most appropriate for techno.
The URS compressors are much better.

[Radic]

Actually the attack is .5ms on the Sonalksis and it`s about THE best software compressor for drums along with the MArquis

My apologies i made a mistake. I meant to say the release can't go faster than 50ms. For that sucking techno drum sound i'd have thought a faster release would be necessary to get the required techno sound. Somewhere around 10ms would be nice.

[dirty_bass]

50 ms is more than enough.
Faster than a lot of hardware compressors.
It`s the auto release that is special.
You should rarely need to go lower than 50ms, anything lower than that tends to be too abrupt and is prone to clicking and popping.
Maybe down to 20 when you are using the compressor for specific surgical tasks, but then you would want something clean and solid state based rather than vintage and tubey.
50ms is more than anough for sucking breathing and pumping. If you know what you are doing.
Like I said, this thing behaves more like decent old hardware than any other vsti I know of. It`s simply amazing on drums.
I pretty much only used that compressor until I got the Liquid Mix.

[stjohn]

tried the URS stuf alright but i didnt take to them..

but the Sonalksis stuff is a different story.. the sv315 is my goto for everything pretty much!

ive thought about going hardware.. but i imagine they are more hassle than theyre worth.. if you want to slightly compress a single channel.. route -> bounce->reimport etc etc.. instead of plonk the VST on.. plus if u need to change the settings theyn you have to go tthrough the rigmorold!!


then again if i had the $$ id like to have a nice patchbay with a few classics comps!!

[dirty_bass]

**** hardware anyway.
They`ve nearly cracked the hardware compressor behaviour fully with this
http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php?mode=show&id=2612
give it a few versions (so they get the damn cpu load down), and the compression special version they are doing later down the line, and we`ll be laughing.

Proper hardware heads are going crazy about this.

Even Katz is excited!!!

[RichNH]

digital will never crack the behaviour of Analog outboard!!! Maybe next generation when 'quantum computers' get invented but until then....
Even my crappy Drawmer DL241 kicks waves' arse

[dirty_bass]

Not true at all.
Try telling that to bob katz, and roger nichols. Extremely highly respected mastering engineers in the world, and advocates (and indeed developers) of the digital revolution.


In fact the Waves maximiser is so popular in all studios it has been made into a hardware version for the soft-o-phobes.

But this isn`t the place for the rather tedious analog versus digital debate.

The only advice I would give is to make sure you use good quality plug ins, and having a knowledge of the hardware sound, or owning some will give you a better insight into which plugins behave like their old skool counterparts.

[benjames]

Isnt it impossible to recreate the sound / feel of the analogue compression process, the foundation of what techno was built on?

Surely any digital platform trying to recreate this is imitation, why not go for the real thing

Regardless of any digital vs analogue argument, why have burgers when there is steak available?

[BloodStar]

Surely any digital platform trying to recreate this is imitation, why not go for the real thing

Regardless of any digital vs analogue argument, why have burgers when there is steak available?

In case you have got crappy DA and AD converter, I guess you are loosing the bits you think you add with using HW, so its good to stay ITB, imo.
There is plenty of top stuff SW compressor these days as was said. I like URS the most together with Sonalksis and also KjaerhusUniPressor with sidechain ability....