Help! Which compressor to enter high endland

[JCRockit]

Ok, I've been looking at which compressor to get to fill the role of "closer" in my bullpen.
Something high end with maximum flexibility. Possibly even something I can get 2 of and use on the 2 buss. Main purpose will be tracking vocals, bass. Then if not on 2 buss, mixing. Here are some I've been looking at...

Distressor
Fatso Jr
UA 1176
UA 11762
UA LA2A
UA LA3A
perhaps a 500 series compressor, API, Purple , Buzz
API 2500
CL1
Germanium

please heeeeeelp lol suggestions ????

P.S signal chain is AKG C12b>Great River> Apogee A/D> PT

[patheticus]

If you're working with rock music, the Fatso JR is an excellent all around compressor. It's excellent on Vocs, Bass, Mix buss as well as guitars and drums. But it's pretty aggressive sounding, and I haven't had much experience with it outside the rock genre. Also, you don't need to use the warmth function to get great sounds out of the fatso. It's cool, but it's my least favorite thing about the compressor.

Distressors are great for Bass and Drums, and not bad on vocals. But I wouldn't ever use them on mix buss.

[JCRockit]

well... not really the order of preference there. Just what I was looking at. Actually I started with the Distressor as the logical choice then starting moving toward the 1176 but really I'm still up in the air and have to make a landing soon... Interesting about the Fatso Jr since it comes in stereo and u say it is a good tracking compressor too ?

[mamm7215]

Drawmer 1968ME

[cosmos]

i say go the 500 road, once you get a high-end compressor you will want more... or pre's/eq ...

[dandeurloo]

For a high end comp. I think I would get something not 500 series. Specially if its your first comp. Maybe a 1176 of some sort. A number are great from the Scott Liebers labs 1076 to Purple or an original. Or grab a retro 176. It really doesn't matter. Once you buy one you will want another. So just get something good!

[warhead]

Originally Posted by cosmos

i say go the 500 road, once you get a high-end compressor you will want more... or pre's/eq ...

Anybody going the 500 route on compressors needs to put their ears on a BAC-500.

Wow, Brad Avenson nailed down something special there.

For a stand alone unit, the Safe Sound Audio Dyanmics Toolbox is the most feature laden analog compressor on earth. With 2 different modes and swappable output transformers (Lundahl and Sowter), dual internal sidechain EQ bands per channel, sidechain SOLO and more, well it gets lots of jobs done which seems to be what you're asking about.

War

[JCRockit]

NC thanks he only eat's gear nuts...

[JCRockit]

BTW I forgot to mention I already have 4 channels of Mindprint DTC tube compression, was thinking to use them as channel strips for mixing. ( was formerly tracking with them but just got a Great River pre and now thinking of upgrading comp)

[Brad McGowan]

UBK FATSO...will cover just about any tracking or mixing duty you could throw at it
Daking FET II...recallable switched settings and sounds good to stellar on everything but nuked drum room

Brad

[JCRockit]

hmmmmmm interesting. So which one you think , Fatso Jr or Daking ?

[Brad McGowan]

If you are looking for a stereo unit that you could possibly put on the mix bus then the UBK FATSO is great unit. It's pretty much dummy proof with only an input and output knob. Just to clarify--I'm not recommending the stock FATSO Jr. I'm recommending the UBK FATSO.

KuSh Audio

Brad

[kittonian]

For what you've described the DBX 160SL is absolutely the way to go. It'll handle both stereo and dual mono duties during a mix along with being excellent on the 2-bus.

[Steffmo]

The Manley ELOP might work for your needs I also like the 160SL.

[JCRockit]

whoa thats alot of cabbage for a DBX unit, even if it sounds great you would probably take a big hit if you ever wanted to sell it no ? Ive read alot of positive stuff about the 160 X here that's for sure ! So how does that Manley compare to say an 1176 ? Thanks all for your suggestions please keep them coming !

[kittonian]

Originally Posted by JCRockit

whoa thats alot of cabbage for a DBX unit, even if it sounds great you would probably take a big hit if you ever wanted to sell it no ? Ive read alot of positive stuff about the 160 X here that's for sure ! So how does that Manley compare to say an 1176 ? Thanks all for your suggestions please keep them coming !

The 160SL is unlike any other DBX product. In fact, it's the highest end compressor DBX has ever designed. It's built out of aircraft aluminum and has only the highest quality components internally. Truly, I've showed it to people who dislike DBX comps in the studio and they are blown away by what the 160SL bring to the table.

Also, no, you shouldn't take a big hit when/if you try and sell it, BUT, why would you ever want to sell it? Seriously, once you've heard it and played with it in a mix it'll become one of those desert island pieces. One of my faves for sure! In fact, I own two of them.

[JCRockit]

you could be right but dang for 3400 bucks there are alot of options out there ! It's tough to pull the trigger on a newer piece for that price unless people are uniformly raving about it... I think I could get a dual la2a for that

[JCRockit]

what is the difference between the UBK fatso and the EL fatso jr?

[T. Gundersen]

Originally Posted by JCRockit

what is the difference between the UBK fatso and the EL fatso jr?

Try searching YouTube, Mr. UBK has done videos where he demonstrates the differences. The unit seemed very interesting to me as well.

Let me throw inthere that while the DBX 160X is a wonderful compressor, and cheap compared to what it does, it's by no means an all-round compressor. It's completely awesome for drum processing in modern pop music, good for some bass and works for some vocals. But that's about it, I think.

I think a pair of Distressors might be worth having a look at, but I don't own Distressors myself yet, so take it for what it's worth (I've heard them at work though). I guess they can be extremely all-round and handle almost anything in a hi quality manner.

[JCRockit]

Yes I was originally thinking Distressor, have heard pros and cons about them in here , mostly pros with a few negatives. The ones who were negative on them mostly say the real vintage vibe isnt there I guess. They prefer real UA stuff which got me thinking about 1176 or an La2a. There are so many higher end compressors out there it's hard to narrow it down.

[PheelTheMusic]

This thread may help you.

[T. Gundersen]

Originally Posted by JCRockit

Yes I was originally thinking Distressor, have heard pros and cons about them in here , mostly pros with a few negatives. The ones who were negative on them mostly say the real vintage vibe isnt there I guess. They prefer real UA stuff which got me thinking about 1176 or an La2a. There are so many higher end compressors out there it's hard to narrow it down.

But would you rather have what some people view as a "vintage vibe", or a compressor that's truly all-round (as in can go very clean to smack!)? No compressor is the be-all end-all, that's for sure. But if I were to pick one that fits the needs you describe, it'd certainly be the Distressor. It might not have a vintage vibe, but engineering not a fashion contest.. Go for the best sounding unit.

[JCRockit]

Has anybody had any experience with this? Safesound lunchbox pre w/ compressor ?-= Safe Sound Audio =-

[JCRockit]

hmmmm that Daking seems sweet... cheaper than an 1176 too. How would they compare to one another ?
Would it be worth it to get the dual 1176 and use it as a 2 buss compressor ?

[Brad McGowan]

Personally I think the Daking is a much more versatile compressor compared to the 1176. It has a less aggressive character which lends itself very well to bus processing or across the entire mix. It has more ratio options, attack times that go from super fast to super slow, and both single stage and multi-stage (auto) release settings. Add to that completely recallable settings via rotary switches and you have a total winner. Oh yeah...it's highly affordable compared to many other compressor options out there. It's a highly underrated piece. I've been loving it for vocal and bass tracking/mixing. The only thing I've found it won't do is that super nuked drum room sound that the Distressor does so well. But with a FATSO in my rack I have that sound pretty well covered with the "Spank" setting.

Read my full review and comparison to the Distressor here (about 2/3 down the thread):

About to replace Distressor with Daking FET II

I would say that the release of the UBK FATSO really makes the FATSO a legitimate compressor that has more character than the Distressor. Personally I'd pick the UBK box over the Distressor any day simply because Greg did all the hard work for me by dialing in excellent presets. It's very easy and painless to dial up a very useful sound. All you really need to do is choose your preset and then set your input and output. Done. There's no attack and release settings to mess with. I find that it's more capable of artifact-free racking compression compared to the Distressor, especially when set to "Glue" or "Smooth". You can choose to not use the compressors and just use the box as a saturator which is cool. The warmth setting works really well for taking the edge off harsh sounds or even as a poor man's de-esser.

If I had to pick one it would be a really tough call. If you want more control over your sounds I would say pair of Dakings. If you want easy with attitude, then UBK is my pick.

Brad

[engmix]

there are a handful of swiss army knife compressors out there. for instance the distressors. without a doubt a very cool compressor. great at moving a sound in you face. a great wall of guitar comp. also pretty good on piano, but sounded a little boxy in the midrange. in fact, i found that to be the case on a fair bit of sources.

germanium is another one. loads of settings and tone possibilities. for me, it was amazing for bass guitar, one of the best i used in a long time for that instrument. lots of girth and control. one of the most colored compressors i had used in a long while as well. other than bass though, it didn't do it for me. but with that said, if i win the lottery tomorrow, i would pick another one up for bass duties in a heartbeat. and perhaps with enough time with it, like 3 months, it would work better on other sources.

all other comps mentioned in this post are excellent in their own way.

i ended up with a pair of trakkers. i needed something that can offer a lot of tone possibilities. that it does. from uber clear and transparent - to vintage. it's not the best overdrive distortion box, others better for that. i needed a comp that could end up on my master bus as well. on mixes the sound is huge and dynamic when dialed in properly. the makeup gain on this comp is stunning. some say the same for the stc-8. it must be the crane song amps. this unit reeks of high-end, and one of the most audibly flexible comps out there. it's built like a tank, and in my opinion is mastering quality compression. one other thing, rock solid link functionality, and sidechain eq. for shits and grins i put it up against my ssl g bus comp. it nailed it and went beyond.

[u b k]

At the risk of plugging my own product (wait... ok, too late) the 2500 and the UBK are the only ones on your list that meet all your stated requirements: killer for tracking vocals & bass, killer on the 2-mix.

Both are equally versatile and equally difficult to get a bad sound out of. So of the two, which way to go depends on how you balance the tone vs. attitude thing. The 2500 wears the tone crown imo, it is one of the sweetest sounding pieces of gear anywhere, the iron and op-amps are pure magic in that box and everything that goes in comes out sounding sweeter and a little deeper.

The UBK is more neutral in color, but it adds a lot of personality to the sound via the envelope shaping and harmonic distortion, both of which can go way over the top if desired. So it wins for sheer attitude in my book, it's got that FET magic which kills on drums, and it has a knee unlike any other so its 'grab' oozes with vibe.

FWIW those two comps are the pieces that sit at the top of my compressor rack, you simply can't go wrong either way. And to add another contender to your list, I recommend the 33609, it's every bit as badass.



Gregory Scott - ubk
.

[dhiltonlittle]

if you can swing the price the shadow hills mastering compressor rules on just about everything. especially vocals and bass!

[JCRockit]

Wow thanks all great info ! What about the Api 525 lunchbox compressor as a tracking compressor ? Then perhaps something else on the 2 buss ?

[starseed]

Originally Posted by JCRockit

BTW I forgot to mention I already have 4 channels of Mindprint DTC tube compression, was thinking to use them as channel strips for mixing. ( was formerly tracking with them but just got a Great River pre and now thinking of upgrading comp)

I am aware of three studios locally using MindPrint gear. All of us have had the gear break down within three years of purchase. There is just too much heat and too little room, and components sitting in between power supply tubes and 450 V caps are rated for 85°c...it just doesn't add up. They sound good, especially for the money, I miss using mine, it is in my project pile...yay