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alohachris · 13th February 2011

Aloha,

AllAboutTone - I do know about Krell. For many years, I owned an audiophile Krell preamp that was amazing, & yes, at around $7K. I was just suggesting to the OP that he/she dig deeper into the Avalon line to find a better sounding, more flexible preamp like the 2022. I didn't know about the Avalon-Krell connection. Thanks.

Moat - Ya just caught me on a bad day, RE: compressors. I go through periods like that with compressor technology. I'm sorry. Though my written words in that post sounded like it, I didn't mean to imply that there are no excellent uses for lightly applied compression - such as on percussion. Of course there are, especially when there are mega-tracks.

As a mainly acoustic kind of recording guy, I was simply lamenting the very real negatives that too heavy a hand on the compressor can create in acoustic music. It just kills the very soul & feel of the acoustic guitar, IMO. It kills acoustic sound - and not in a good sense. It eliminates the air around & sense of open space between the notes & at higher levels, and induces ear fatigue - a cardinal "no" , IMO. So it's not my favorite tool.

I'd also had a lengthy discussion/debate with a few engineers yesterday about "loudness" levels on modern mainstream music CD's. After going to the Pro Bowl here in Honolulu a couple weeks ago & being bombarded by quashed, compressed, hyper-dB level music throughout, I was wasted by the end. Heavy compression has something to do with that ear fatigue.

And watching the Super Bowl last week gave us nothing to believe that current trends (or lip-service) to lower dB levels on CD's is going to happen in America anytime soon either - despite reg's to the contrary. Unenforceable anyway. Ha!

So my anti-compression sentiments spoke to those who may not realize that compression doesn't not necessarily ensure better sounding, more listenable recordings, and that compression to the max PLUS more volume (quashed) results should not be the goal - even if they are the norm in much of today's mainstream recorded music.

Since I don't use much compression if any on most solo acoustic guitar or vocal recordings, I simply don't need an 1176 (I have tried it out though). But not all plug-in compressors suck by comparison, IMO. Flux Epure EQ, with either Waves SSL or API 2500 with Solera+ or a Sonnox Oxford limiter aren't exactly the dog meat of the eq/compressor/limiter world, right? But it's a moot point for my apps, Moat. I rarely use compression.

Your points are well taken, Moat.

A Hui Hou!
alohachris

13th February 2011	#18
alohachris Gear nut Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 101	Aloha ALLABOUT & MOAT Aloha, AllAboutTone - I do know about Krell. For many years, I owned an audiophile Krell preamp that was amazing, & yes, at around $7K. I was just suggesting to the OP that he/she dig deeper into the Avalon line to find a better sounding, more flexible preamp like the 2022. I didn't know about the Avalon-Krell connection. Thanks. Moat - Ya just caught me on a bad day, RE: compressors. I go through periods like that with compressor technology. I'm sorry. Though my written words in that post sounded like it, I didn't mean to imply that there are no excellent uses for lightly applied compression - such as on percussion. Of course there are, especially when there are mega-tracks. As a mainly acoustic kind of recording guy, I was simply lamenting the very real negatives that too heavy a hand on the compressor can create in acoustic music. It just kills the very soul & feel of the acoustic guitar, IMO. It kills acoustic sound - and not in a good sense. It eliminates the air around & sense of open space between the notes & at higher levels, and induces ear fatigue - a cardinal "no" , IMO. So it's not my favorite tool. I'd also had a lengthy discussion/debate with a few engineers yesterday about "loudness" levels on modern mainstream music CD's. After going to the Pro Bowl here in Honolulu a couple weeks ago & being bombarded by quashed, compressed, hyper-dB level music throughout, I was wasted by the end. Heavy compression has something to do with that ear fatigue. And watching the Super Bowl last week gave us nothing to believe that current trends (or lip-service) to lower dB levels on CD's is going to happen in America anytime soon either - despite reg's to the contrary. Unenforceable anyway. Ha! So my anti-compression sentiments spoke to those who may not realize that compression doesn't not necessarily ensure better sounding, more listenable recordings, and that compression to the max PLUS more volume (quashed) results should not be the goal - even if they are the norm in much of today's mainstream recorded music. Since I don't use much compression if any on most solo acoustic guitar or vocal recordings, I simply don't need an 1176 (I have tried it out though). But not all plug-in compressors suck by comparison, IMO. Flux Epure EQ, with either Waves SSL or API 2500 with Solera+ or a Sonnox Oxford limiter aren't exactly the dog meat of the eq/compressor/limiter world, right? But it's a moot point for my apps, Moat. I rarely use compression. Your points are well taken, Moat. A Hui Hou! alohachris