I want my first hardware processor on master buss!

[Jerry104]

Hey. I looking to buy my first hardware processor that I want to use on my master buss. I've read good things about api 2500, ssl comp, distressor. I'm looking for something that will bring some natural feel to my music. Something that will add warmth and make it sound deeper and bigger I do mainly house, dance stuff. Any recommandationa would be appreciated!

[SWAN808]

I would try an api 2500

[fooddude]

What about a reel-to-reel? I don't have money for a premium compressor, but am thinking of recording on a r2r a little hot, maybe a few +dbs, for tape-sat, warmth and..wouldn't this compress it too?

[Martin78]

very good multiband limiter: aphex dominator 720/722

[nms]

I'm surprised no one's said this.. But truthfully it sounds like your goal won't be achieved by throwing money at it. It's all in the mix. If your mix doesn't sound big/full/whatever other adjectives it won't come slapping anything on the master no matter how good. The master compressor and limiter is only the final touch on an already great/big sounding mix.

[kittonian]

Get an A Designs Nail. Sounds amazing and if you start your mix with it on your 2-Bus and mix through it the entire time it makes a pretty big difference in the end result.

[GoldMember]

compressor recommendations for electronic music OTB mix

[Jerry104]

Thanks for all your advices. I think I'm gonna test few of them at the store to see what I like the most and how much better would my mix sound.

[MPZ]

It sounds like you want a tube compressor- at least, when I hear "depth," and "3-d," I think of tubes.

Ever listened to anything by Robert Babicz? he's pretty much my reference point for sound quality in electronic music. If you look up his track "Remote kiss," that pretty much sums it up.

Anyways, he's here on gearslutz, and he mentioned using Hand Crafted Labs gear- they have a Vari-mu compressor and a LA-2a type "leveler"

I've also heard really good things about the RockReupel Comp One.

And then of course there are the ususal gearslutz suspects- the Manley vari-mu, Thermonix Phoenix compressor, D.W. Fearn VT-7, and the Drawmer 1968 all come to mind.

There are SO MANY compressors out there these days- if you're buying one that's going to have it's signature on all your tracks, definitely do as much listening and testing as you can.

[Jerry104]

Thanks MPZ. I'm gonna check Robert Babicz tracks when i get home. I'm also going to research a bit more about tube compressors

[famousbass]

Originally Posted by Jerry104

Thanks MPZ. I'm gonna check Robert Babicz tracks when i get home. I'm also going to research a bit more about tube compressors

I enjoyed the tc electronic Finalizer for years before I sold it, for what I paid for it. The lower spec Finalizer Wizard deals with 90% of your output buss needs without paying for the big boy. Easy to come by 2nd hand.
Replaced it with UAD overnight.
There's always something right for someone out there.
Peace out

[lowkey]

TK Audio BC-1 is very well regarded around here, particularly as its around the $1000 mark. I definitely recommend it. Strap it across the master from the outset and everything sounds better

[Reptil]

two choices I'd make when starting out a nice hardware processor setup:
get a 500 format "lunchbox" (API, Purple Audio, Radial, a.o.)
another "Vibe" unit to consider is the UBK FatsoJR - seems flexible enough to use on a number of different tracks.

I don't know if you're mixing ITB or on a hardware mixer. "masterbus" is too vague, some more info would be nice.

the API 2500 of course will never leave here. it's flexible too, but has one type of (gorgeous) tone. I use other dynamics processors as well. (with different tone and behaviour)

in general
something you might want to consider is getting a cleanish sounding dynamics processor, and some colorful eq to go with it, or the other way round, to get a surgical eq, and a nice vibey compressor to round it all off.
a nice high quality mixer to sum and split tracks, as well as to use a send for the sidechain input would be something to consider as well.

or all of the above
depends on the budget.

[Fred_Abstract]

thermionic culture will make your itb mix sound almost otb, check the phoenix or even the culture vulture mastering plus, if you want gorgeous tones there you go

[sftd]

Originally Posted by Fred_Abstract

thermionic culture will make your itb mix sound almost otb, check the phoenix or even the culture vulture mastering plus, if you want gorgeous tones there you go

I have a Phoenix ME and am really not terribly fond of it.

I prefer the API 2500 in nearly any situation I've encountered so far.

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[Reptil]

Originally Posted by sftd

I have a Phoenix ME and am really not terribly fond of it.

I prefer the API 2500 in nearly any situation I've encountered so far.

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can you tell some more? Is it too clean?

[Fred_Abstract]

Originally Posted by sftd

I have a Phoenix ME and am really not terribly fond of it.

I prefer the API 2500 in nearly any situation I've encountered so far.

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do you use both in chain sometimes?i guess it could work great.
From what i have heard of the api ,i have the impression the phoenix would make more difference to a itb mix ?
these are not really comparable anyway but more used as a combo ,the api is a vca comp if i m right ,vca + vari mu should be great for electronic music .
personally i would get the one with the tubes first as there is nothing itb that sound like this while vca comps i m under the impression itb comps are getting closer

[deft_bonz]

Not sure if a pro tape in good condition is cheaper than a high end compressor.

Do a test with tape and different compressors, so you find out which tone you are after. It may be also an EQ at the end.

[errorspending]

I just bought my first stereo compressor.... I went for a groove tubes CL1-S...I didn't want something that a lot of other people have. The guy made clips for me so I heard what it sounds like and there's still another one in the gearslutz classifieds. From the clips I've heard it sounds amazing. Probably won't run it on entire mixes, but I will do plenty of drum bus, and synth bus etc processing.

I couldn't get any of my plugins to do what the real compressor did to the audio. They sounded very static/thin/predictable in comparison, likely because the processed audio was long loops

very excited for it! Anything that easily adds that extra bit of non-linearity has been very helpful for my loop based productions

[Susceptor]

Originally Posted by Jerry104

I'm looking for something that will bring some natural feel to my music. Something that will add warmth and make it sound deeper

Improve your mixing skills. Something I learned along the way is that there isn't a magic processor that you can instantly apply to the tracks and make them feel natural, warm or whatnot.

[errorspending]

true there's not one magic processor, but I've found that a combination of various pieces of hardware has sped up my production process quite a bit. Though of course good mixing is the most important thing....

I started completely ITB and outboard gear was a real revelation for me....

[Dbas]

Funny how api2500 always comes up yet in the soft/hard comparrison the only difference was the characteristic of compression, nothing else different about it but I'm willing to be proven wrong.

[deft_bonz]

Originally Posted by Susceptor

Improve your mixing skills. Something I learned along the way is that there isn't a magic processor that you can instantly apply to the tracks and make them feel natural, warm or whatnot.

+1

If the origin is sh1tty, the result will be sh1tty.

Originally Posted by errorspending

I couldn't get any of my plugins to do what the real compressor did to the audio. They sounded very static/thin/predictable in comparison, likely because the processed audio was long loops

See above. I don't mean it disrespectful. If my ITB sound is thin or static, then I did something wrong. So I change the sound, before I punch in e.g. my Massive Passive to correct that.

[Jerry104]

I mix completely ITB so using only soft synths make my mixes kinda cold sounding. I`m looking for a unit that might help me make it a bit warmer. I understand that one piece of gear cant make it but I`m sure there are units that will add subtle but noticable character/color/saturation to the mix..

[Dbas]

No more Plugs...Real Valves Please!!!!!

[Reptil]

Originally Posted by Jerry104

I mix completely ITB so using only soft synths make my mixes kinda cold sounding. I`m looking for a unit that might help me make it a bit warmer. I understand that one piece of gear cant make it but I`m sure there are units that will add subtle but noticable character/color/saturation to the mix..

oh one piece of gear can make it happen, if it fits with your music, and sound. you just have to figure out which one... and why.

budget?!!?!?!?!?!??!??!?!??!

[sftd]

Originally Posted by Reptil

can you tell some more? Is it too clean?

Actually its not clean enough for me lol.

I am rather weird in what I like sonically. I don't like the smear most valve processing imparts. I didn't really learn that I didn't like that until quite a few valve-containing units were already in the racks.

My favorite sonic attribute is transparent. I feel the Phoenix is more smeary/low end roundness whereas the 2500 feels more sharp/clear/punching.

Don't get me wrong the Phoenix (at least the ME, I have never used the base model) is nice and I liked experimenting with it (it was my first hardware stereo comp) but it just didn't have the sound I wanted. I just didn't know what that sound was when I bought it!

You must consider this is coming from the guy that -wants- the sound of an ITB mix.

I want modern/overblown/super stereo/sharp edges/piercing/etc.

For me the 2500 is the best balance of retaining the unsmeared ITB properties while still adding just a little something extra in punch land.

Although I must say (and again totally my skewed opinion) for the OP you may be slightly underwhelmed should you end up grabbing something along these lines. For me they were in no way an instant super dramatic change in sound.

As everyone else has said the stuff that comes before them is 95% of the end result.

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[Greg_KPX]

^ I've been using an SPL Kultube for my master buss and its surgically clean, even when you drive the signal through the on board tube section. It does thicken the sound a little but doesn't trash it even at aggressive settings... worth a look if you can find one for testing.

[Jerry104]

Budget is ~$2000. I'm gonna test avalon 747 this weekend and see what it has to offer.

[nms]

Originally Posted by Jerry104

I mix completely ITB so using only soft synths make my mixes kinda cold sounding. I`m looking for a unit that might help me make it a bit warmer. I understand that one piece of gear cant make it but I`m sure there are units that will add subtle but noticable character/color/saturation to the mix..

I think you're looking at the opposite end of where you should be. It sounds like you'd be a lot better off looking into an analog synth and tracking compressors. If you picked up a tube preamp you could run your digital synths through that to warm them up a bit. Maybe an La-610mk2 or 6176.

The master channel is the wrong place to be looking for breathing warmth into a cold recording IMO.