Pro VLA by ART. Is it working? Is it doing its job?

[CherryFive]

Hiya.


I'm big into analog. Big! And I've never used compression. Right now I just plug into a huge 70s Teac board into a 70's 8-track multi track machine, and the sound just "blends" usually...but my friend is letting me "perma-borrow" a VLA by art.


So, this is my first use of compression.
And I got this compressor just because someone dropped it off. Im not partial to it.
But I read around about it (because I don't know anything really about compression in a practical sense). I just needed something that would even out my bass and synthesizers.
One thing I read was that it's not agressive. What does this mean?



I plugged my 1970 Hollow body violin bass into the compressor, and out came the most impressive sound I've heard! The hollow bass itself sound so warm and bubbly because it's hollow. But man this little box made my day!
Heres how I have it set (for my bass, and I dont really know what these controls mean).

Thresh: -20
Ratio: As high as it goes. Doesn't have a number, just a lttle design.
Output: +5
Attack: Fast
Release: Auto

Weird little box, man. I recorded my bass onto my computer with these settings so I could better see the wave file. My wav file looked almost completely even! Yet I don't hear any pumping and noises. In fact, it doesn't even sound like anything is going on, but visually, something must be going on. Is this how it works?

weird stuff.
John

[NesNeedsGear]

essentially what you're doing is not letting any signal louder than -20db go through the compressor. that's what the little "design" is, an "infinity" setting that limits the signal level to -20db.

You're REALLY squashing the hell out of that signal. Not only that, you're killing any dynamics that you try to play your instrument with. It's just one flat, no-transient having waveform.

When you play your instrument live, the one who controls the dynamics is yourself. You only stick a compressor there when you're trying to make it fit into a mix of otherwise uncontrolled transients and sounds (after EQ'ing didn't get you there in the first place).

Hope I was clear enough.

[liquidorange]

if it sounds good to you it is good. who cares what the unit is doing. compressors also have a sonic signature sound. so if its rocking you go with it. maybe dynamics isint whats important . choppy up and down acoustic guitar might be overkill in a layed back piece. only you can be the judge. i have heard alot of good things about that box though. guess im gonna have to try.

[AmekGuy]

If you like the sound of the Pro VLA, Art also made a Leveler which is floor model that can be used for live sound applications (its a small box). You can pick them up used for $75 on eBay and they also work well on acoustic gtrs and vox, be it in the compressor or limiter mode.

[brokemusician4]

Took me a couple years of recording bands full time before I could even really hear compression and understand it's usefullness. Even now years later gauging how much dynamics is too much is still tricky, I'll come back to a mix days later only to think I killed it with too much compression. The right amount is preference, an art, and has no rules.

The average musician can't even hear it so work with it a few years, get some books, sit in on some sessions with well established engineers etc..

[CherryFive]

Originally Posted by NesNeedsGear

essentially what you're doing is not letting any signal louder than -20db go through the compressor. that's what the little "design" is, an "infinity" setting that limits the signal level to -20db.
.

I have a question.
At this setting, I can hit the strings REALLY hard and the signal will clip on my meters on the PC. I thought the compressor was supposed to squash the hell out of my signal?

[No4PCs]

Art is expression.
No matter if compressor set up in -20 or -1000...what really matter is if you did hear ok, so its ok !


Bests

[CherryFive]

Here is a sound sample of my bass going through those setting I discussed.
Figured you'd want to hear it.

(it's just me noodling around on the bass)

[Yetti]

Originally Posted by CherryFive

Here is a sound sample of my bass going through those setting I discussed.
Figured you'd want to hear it.

(it's just me noodling around on the bass)

Dude...
You are nuking the life out of it.
I think those nasty upper mid pops are distortion, from slamming the input to hard.
Just for fun, try doing a sample using much less compression.
I think you may find it will sound much better.
Peace.

[CherryFive]

Ah - those pops are actually the flatwounds hitting the polepieces.
I'll post another sample up tonight to show you.

[bcgood]

Sounds fine on my laptop speakers. I guess it would be cool to hear a sample of the same bass with and without the vla. Thanks for posting the sample by the way it's great to hear sound instead of people just writting about it...

bcgood

[Acoustic Cloud]

Cherry

You dont need that much slamming on a bass that is pretty much neutral in dynamics. Why do you need more than a bit of taming afterwards? You have flatwounds on it, or half rounds?

Just asking........

[NesNeedsGear]

Originally Posted by CherryFive

I have a question.
At this setting, I can hit the strings REALLY hard and the signal will clip on my meters on the PC. I thought the compressor was supposed to squash the hell out of my signal?

that just means the gain is too much on the input. or a really hot signal from the micpre, etc.

that bass is really crushed. I'm not saying it's bad, especially not if that's something you enjoy. if you like it, F everybody else's opinion.

But for most instrumentalists that I record (esp. the good ones), they always want me to preserve the sound that they originally played, compression is NOT their friend.

For engineers, however, it can make or break a mix...and can be the deciding factor of where that source fits in a full mix.

[popmann]

If anybody wants a Levelar, I'll do 75$ shipped in the US. I've got more compressors here than I need...no need to scavenge Ebay. Drop me a PM.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by CherryFive

I have a question.
At this setting, I can hit the strings REALLY hard and the signal will clip on my meters on the PC. I thought the compressor was supposed to squash the hell out of my signal?

Turn down the output. No matter how much you squash the signal, the output's gotta be set right. Too much, and you'll o/load the converters, too little and you will have too low a signal to noise ratio (especially at 16 bits)

[Empty Planet]

Originally Posted by CherryFive

Ah - those pops are actually the flatwounds hitting the polepieces.
I'll post another sample up tonight to show you.

As another poster said, if it sound good, it is good. No one can tell you what sound you like the most. The only thing I might mention is that you experiment with it both ways so you understand the difference between the two.

But it sounds like it's rocking your boat, and you know what? That's a pretty damn good sign.

[mamm7215]

Hey, I've got the Pro VLA as well. Ya your settings are kinda squashing the dynamics but is it bad? Hmmm, I guess if a sonic purist was listening they may say yes. If you're trying to get it to sit in a mix evenly (if u needed to), no. The great thing about the VLA for me is it's a soft knee opto compressor that doesn't sound like it's doing much, but it is. It's not as drastic a compression sound as a VCA type compressor. Upgrade the tubes in it, that will really clean up the sound too.
I really really like mine.

[Yetti]

Originally Posted by CherryFive

Ah - those pops are actually the flatwounds hitting the polepieces.
I'll post another sample up tonight to show you.

Cool.
It is a good thing to test out a new compressor to it's extreme settings....