Heavy Metal/Hard Rock/Death Metal stereo buss compressor

[Purusha]

Well I don't think you will be able to get it for such a good price but this is how I got it. I made a call to:

Music Exports GmbH
Lindwurmstr. 211
80337 München

tel. +49 - 89 - 746 123 90
fax +49 - 89 - 746 123 92
eMail: music.exports@t-online.de
Contact: Miroslav Vucenovic

which I always do before buying something new and got myself a deal for 1020€ + 16%MWS (if you take it in Germany) or +20% tax (if I take it through his shop in Slovenia). OK, I ordered it through the shop here in Ljubljana for all together 1224€. But I have a special option to legally buy stuff for only 10% tax on the price so I actually got it for 1122€. But the unit was late for three and a half months and the boss at Music Exports GmbH gave me some extra special discount at the end. I am one lucky bastard

It is really one hell of a compressor.

Purusha

[futur2]

Originally Posted by Purusha

But the unit was late for three and a half months and the boss at Music Exports GmbH gave me some extra special discount at the end. I am one lucky bastard

thanks purusha! well i fear i won't be that "lucky" to get such a delay discount. but none the less it's a very good price and if i'll decide to go with the 1968 instead of the rms i will definitely ask music exports.

cheers
istvan

[Purusha]

You never know this guys are always a little bit slow but sometimes it's worth it.

Purusha

[faeflora]

Has anyone tried the RMS 2 bus compressor on rock/metal? Can it slam?

[Reptil]

Purusha thank you for the information! thumbsup thumbsup

[Yankee Doodle]

It depends on what it sounds like at the moment!

And is this going to be mastered after this?

[JIRI PASKA]

- Focusrite BLUE 230 (Focusrite RED 3)

- SSL G Bus compressor
- API 2500

[Marsacrare]

Hi, I mix ITB, but I am in the search for the almost the same as threadstarter for outboard compression.


A compressor for use on moslty on the mix buss that can handle:

- Very bassheavy material (death metal downtuned guitars and deep kickdrums at high tempo, need a HPF then?)

- Can make things sound more agressive if wanted

- And also make things sound polished and classy (for orchestra work)



I guess there are no compressor out there who can do all that?
By the way, I prefer most of the time to use moderate settings, especially with compressors. Subtle use mostly!



Been thinking about:

TK Audio BC1
R.Neve Portico 5043
Roll Music Stereos Comp
Chandler little Devil Comps
Summit Audio TLA-50's
Purple Audio Action FET Comps
API 2500
API 527


Cannot decide...
Help!

[andychamp]

API2500 in "new" & "hard" modes can do some great SSL-ish clamping.
Thrust lets you shift the emphasis from kick & bass ("loud") to snare & guitars ("med").

[jbjoubaud]

Originally Posted by Marsacrare

Hi, I mix ITB, but I am in the search for the almost the same as threadstarter for outboard compression.


A compressor for use on moslty on the mix buss that can handle:

- Very bassheavy material (death metal downtuned guitars and deep kickdrums at high tempo, need a HPF then?)

- Can make things sound more agressive if wanted

- And also make things sound polished and classy (for orchestra work)



I guess there are no compressor out there who can do all that?
By the way, I prefer most of the time to use moderate settings, especially with compressors. Subtle use mostly!



Been thinking about:

TK Audio BC1
R.Neve Portico 5043
Roll Music Stereos Comp
Chandler little Devil Comps
Summit Audio TLA-50's
Purple Audio Action FET Comps
API 2500
API 527


Cannot decide...
Help!

Hey,

I've been looking for this also for a while and here are my 2 cents :

I don't know all the pieces you mention but I've rent a few ones and would take the neve and purple off your list. (Although the purple is a killer for very fast drums, and I bought 2 of those of Kick and snare).

I did rent the API 2500 and the Smart C2 for the 2 buss. My experience with them is limited so I don't know wich one is best for me yet, but I loved what both did.

I'm pretty sure someone's going to tell you this, so I might as well be me... There are no identical sets of hears in this world so try them for yourself (if you have the opportunity to rent them)

In the end, for me it's gonna be either the 2500, the Dramastic Obisdian or the Smart C2... I know that for shure.

Good luck/hunting

JB

[Marsacrare]

Thanks for the respond.
Yes, the best would be to hear it myself. But at my humble place of the world, such gear is rather unavailable.


But some observations are true to most of us...!

Because I guess some compressor would be squashed into clipping-madness by all the deep end of some of my material, and some others would be too slow...

Some mentioned a multiband compressor. But a Tubetech for instance is unfortunately out of my economical reach...

TK BC1 seems cool (and cheap), or maybe a used 2500 if I could find one ?

[jbjoubaud]

The 2500 and the C2 can take the low end, and are fast enough. This I know.

[psykostx]

Personally I find the 2 buss limiter the most important aspect of a metal mix. Keep the distortion on the guitars down and make the snare really loud and compress the snare with the high hat so the snare pumps the high-hat and evens out with a kick drum and bass running through a different compressor that pumps the bass down on kick hits (apply a mid-cut to increase attack feel). Then since the guitars will be naturally compressed from distortion, you need not apply it there. Press the whole mix against a limiter on the 2-buss, which is where the distortion gel comes from, sometimes A LOT of distortion (hit it with a multiband on the mids first if you want a tighter sound). Balance the rythm guitar to the drums and bass combo. As for which limiter, I like the Sonnox one for metal. As for outboard, you want anything that is fast, but also has a nice distortion sound. You literally want to distort your whole mix like it was through a Mesa Boogie or a Peavey 6505 ... only in a hi-fi way without all the signal shaping. I use ITB for this, but I'm guessing that the Langevin ELOP, the api 2500, or the C2 would do the trick. Just crush it to hell, and set the attack and release times where the mix sounds the loudest.

Right before the limiter it is also a good idea to use a transparent eq and a spectrum analyzer to fix any peaks and nulls and make the response ruler flat (more highs than lows) instead of the standard -3 curve or whatever. It may sound funky at first, but you will get more loudness and translatability. But be careful, just fix any wierd notches that sometimes occur when you mix distorted guitars, don't try and reshape your whole spectrum tutt

Listen to some dream theater or meshugga if you want to hear the most extreme compression. The drums are clipped like crazy, and the most of the distortion in the guitars is coming from the limiter. You want the guitars louder than the drums (and thus pumping them against the limiter) on simple stuff (to give the drums character), and the drums louder than guitar (thus pumping them) on more intricate parts.

What you press against the limiter really all depends on what's most interesting in the song. How it gels the mix depends on the distortion character and speed of the limiter.

Sorry for the confusing post, but I think there's some good info in there.thumbsup

[AllAboutTone]

C2 aggressive transparent somewhat.
2500 aggressive with a little color.

Both of these would work well.

[psykostx]

Honestly though, the best tools for working on metal are usually ITB from my experience. oZone is a favorite, so is sonnox. I'm seen people mix metal with nothing but oZone (on every track lol) and it sounded badass. You know you wanna trigger those drums anyways

[Bassmec]

Originally Posted by six_wax

I agree that the Neve'ish flavors [33609, 2254, LTD-2] are not so hot for that style of music...

Sorry old chap! Sounds like a job for Ruperts old kit, so I would get a 33609JD
and then drive some tubes hard with the output, anything that sounds like a Putec Eq p1a with the eq defeated would suit me best.
There must be a clone of that circuit without the EQ if not what about a
Telefunky V74.