Gearslutz.com
All Advertisers

Go Back   Gearslutz.com > The Forums > Geekslutz forum

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 2nd July 2009, 08:26 AM   #1
Matt Hepworth
Lives for gear
 
Matt Hepworth's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: USA
Posts: 1,423
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?
__________________
Now posting under my real name. Formerly "glitch".

I can't hear specs.
Matt Hepworth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th July 2009, 02:20 AM   #2
Matt Hepworth
Lives for gear
 
Matt Hepworth's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: USA
Posts: 1,423
Here's what I'm referring to
Mackie - QUAD Gate/Compression

Comments?
__________________
Now posting under my real name. Formerly "glitch".

I can't hear specs.
Matt Hepworth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th July 2009, 02:46 AM   #3
dannygold
Lives for gear
 
dannygold's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,601
Interesting question... I never thought of that. PURE speculation here, but if I was designing such a box I'd just attenuate the hell out of the signal in the analog domain because at 24 bits it's hard to reach the floor of quanitzation noise but easy to overload. Then to be safe I'd put a limiter pre A/D... but again I'd have knocked the signal down so much the limiter would be just a safety.
__________________
Danny Gold
Get Yer Pro Tools Certification HERE:
http://www.artinstitutes.edu/boston/...Dprotools.aspx
dannygold is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th July 2009, 05:08 AM   #4
Matt Hepworth
Lives for gear
 
Matt Hepworth's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: USA
Posts: 1,423
Yeah, I suppose some kind of limiter IC and a 20dB attenuator at the input could be a way it's done. I sure would like to know, though, whether there's any better way that they might be doing it.
__________________
Now posting under my real name. Formerly "glitch".

I can't hear specs.
Matt Hepworth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 7th July 2009, 02:41 PM   #5
jcatena
Gear nut
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 112
Using a digital compressor for tracking makes not sense at all (the input of such a compressor is an ADC anyway).
Furthermore, with high end 24 bits ADCs, no analog compressor is needed, as the dynamic range is large enough.
All you want is to adjust the input level to assure it doesn't clip. With a DNR of 115 dB or more you don't even need to set very close to 0 dBFS. Even if the peaks are -10dB FS, the resulting SNR is better than any analog signal you can send to it, so an analog compressor can only degrade it.
After it is recorded, use any compression you need for mixing and mastering, digital if you want it clean, analog if you appreciate the colour of your analog compressor and don't worry much about the added noise.
jcatena is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Digital Software Compressors vs Hardware for Vocals? Question? Skorch Trakz High end 29 14th February 2009 09:28 AM
Hardware compressors under $400 StarfishMusic Low End Theory 22 23rd October 2008 06:34 PM
Cheaper Compressors - YOUR Suggestions & discussing benefits Vs. Digital compressors. perx So much gear, so little time! 25 26th March 2007 02:11 AM
Software vs. Hardware Compressors gsilbers Mastering forum 0 12th June 2006 07:03 AM
Tracking with 2 compressors - how and why? DrShann High end 30 24th May 2006 01:49 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:18 AM.

 
 
Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.0.0