Gearslutz.com - View Single Post - Digital hardware compressors for tracking

Matt Hepworth · 2nd July 2009

So, all these digital hardware compressors - some intended for live sound and some for studio. Are they using something clever to prevent clipping of their AD before it hits their compression algorithms? I just can't see these working.

Take the Mackie Quad Comp/Gate for example. Intended for live sound situations it seems, but I simply can't see how a compressor like this would do anything against potential overs in your signal that would clip its ADC. Are they shifting the dynamic range so the lowest bits are truncated in order to gain extra headroom or something along those lines?

Am I missing something here?

2nd July 2009	#1
Matt Hepworth Lives for gear Join Date: May 2003 Location: USA Posts: 1,948 Thread Starter	Digital hardware compressors for tracking - impossible? So, all these digital hardware compressors - some intended for live sound and some for studio. Are they using something clever to prevent clipping of their AD before it hits their compression algorithms? I just can't see these working. Take the Mackie Quad Comp/Gate for example. Intended for live sound situations it seems, but I simply can't see how a compressor like this would do anything against potential overs in your signal that would clip its ADC. Are they shifting the dynamic range so the lowest bits are truncated in order to gain extra headroom or something along those lines? Am I missing something here? __________________ Affordable Reamping Service \| Rock, Heavy Rock, and Metal \| ENGL, Mesa, Peavey, Marshall, etc. Email me - matt AT studionu DOT com Here's the 1073PreKey! I can't hear specs.