Good Kick,Snare Compressor?

[Javelintn]

Looking for some advice on different comps to use for kick and snare. Console is the Amek Big 44, using the onboard pre's at the present time, soon installing a couple 1073's or if you have better suggestions let me know......but any way I am still in the market for 2 to 6 channels of nice tube compression.....suggestions please....Thanks

[TanTan]

my favourite compressor for kik and snare is the Urei 1176 , not a tube compressor like you said you are looking for but still great ..

[Sizzleboy]

I'm not a big fan of FET compression on the kick. I like it for snare though. I prefer an Opto comp on the kick, although it really depends on the type of kick, amount of muffling, type of mic, etc. If I were using a FET on a kick, I would want a side-chain to keep the low frequencies from smashing the signal.

I don't think a "tube" compressor is required. I generally don't think of my equipment as having or not having tubes. A Tube Tech CL1-B compressor on a kick can sound really sweet, but so can an LA-3A.

I guess if I could only have one type of compressor for both kick and snare, it would be a VCA type compressor.

[Steffmo]

DBX160VU or 161 works great...just a touch. I don't care for tube comps on the kik or snare.

I do like the 1176 plug in PT.

[shaggseb]

no tubes but

distressor on Kick
1176 on Snare

or Publison CL20C on both


cheers

Seb

[Phrygian]

I use the Distressor on kick. I'll use Opto most of the time.

For snare, well I think it's time to get that second Distressor! I'm using an ART VLA and it's surprisingly not bad, but still not what I wan for my snare. It'll do for now. Great bang for your buck comp/limiter none the less.

[jamroom]

I like my cranesong stc8,It's great on kick and snare for sure.

[edvdr76]

I like a DBX 160vu or a Distressor on the kick, and an 1176 or DBX 165 on the snare. Then I'll send all the drums and bass to 2 ch. and heavily compress them and bring them up under the original drum tracks with a Summit DCL 200 to glue them together and make them sound wider.

[Led]

Federal AM864U is a nice vari-mu tube limiter for kick, when used in parallel. A pair is nice on a drum buss also.

[asagaai]

Not a tube, but 2 channel opto-buzz SOC1.1-real snap on snare


Love it

GJ
Newcastle/OZ

[Fletcher]

The only time I'll use compression on drums is when I have a shitty drummer who hits inconsistently and needs those hits to be leveled out [I know you all know "Mr. Happy Foot" who leans into the one of each new section with a velocity hither to unknown in the rest of the damn song!!]... other than that maybe some parallel compression and/or some transient designers to fvck with the envelop of the sound but that's it.

Frankly I can hardly wait for the "drum compression from hell" fad to pass much like I couldn't wait for the Simmons drums and gated drum reverb thing to die its much needed and warranted death.

Peace.

[Capstan Cappy]

valley people 440 is my magic box for kick, absolutely rules imo but that's just me :P

[thenoiseflower]

I agree with Fletch, parallel is the way, tho for Rockin stuff I do track kick with an 1176 (or a daking fet II) MOST of the time. I dont have, and havent really found compressor for snare I truely love(well for taming dynamic and keeping the tone and quality of the source) usualy anything I look for in adjusting snare dynamics is done with the room mic(s) placement & compression.

Generaly A nice kit, miced suitibly, with good heads and a propper tuning/tweeking needs no compression, and a poor kit usualy is poor in the overtones and sustain, and compression just make those deficiencys more obvious. If given the choice beetween 4000$ worth of new compression or 4000$ worth of godly drums, I'd get the drums, they make the task easier and make compression more fun/fruitful. If you already got drums and NEED compression, You cant really go wrong with an 1176 or a distressor.

[Gie-Sound]

DBX 160VU / Distressor / 1176 / SSL channel
depending on....

[mtstudios@charter]

Parallel compressor DBX 165. Set to fast attack medium release. I like it to snap for rock.

www.bluethumbproductions.com

[84K]

I use a lot of EQ on the kick drum. It is amazing how much control you have over its sound by how you treat it with EQ and Compression.

[Javelintn]

Hey thanks for the advice.....I was thinking maybe tube for a little added low end warmth, but I will check into the suggestions made.....Thanks a ton.

[Bassmec]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

The only time I'll use compression on drums is when I have a shitty drummer who hits inconsistently and needs those hits to be leveled out [I know you all know "Mr. Happy Foot" who leans into the one of each new section with a velocity hither to unknown in the rest of the damn song!!]... other than that maybe some parallel compression and/or some transient designers to fvck with the envelop of the sound but that's it.

Frankly I can hardly wait for the "drum compression from hell" fad to pass much like I couldn't wait for the Simmons drums and gated drum reverb thing to die its much needed and warranted death.

Peace.

I hear very much what you are saying Fletch but I have very little choice in the genre
that I mainly work in but to go along for the ride, Or rather for the Kick and snare and toms. Most of the others are sound replacing like hell just for levels.

[norman_nomad]

Originally Posted by Sizzleboy

I'm not a big fan of FET compression on the kick. I like it for snare though. I prefer an Opto comp on the kick, although it really depends on the type of kick, amount of muffling, type of mic, etc. If I were using a FET on a kick, I would want a side-chain to keep the low frequencies from smashing the signal.

I don't think a "tube" compressor is required. I generally don't think of my equipment as having or not having tubes. A Tube Tech CL1-B compressor on a kick can sound really sweet, but so can an LA-3A.

I guess if I could only have one type of compressor for both kick and snare, it would be a VCA type compressor.

I agree.