Looking for a very specific master compressor for a very specific style of music.

[Jorg]

I'm looking for a hardware compressor to add to my chain.
The style of music is commercial dance. The song tempo, sound and style is almost the same on every track.
The tracks sound for example like these:

YouTube - Cascada - What Hurts The Most

YouTube - Cascada-Everytime We Touch

Im not that expericenced with mastering comps so I was hoping maybe you can push me in the right direction. The only comp I heard so far that kinda worked and that I like was the Cranesong STC-8. What else should I have a look at.

Thanks


PS: Yes, I will go and try them myself once I narrowed it down and yes I will buy what sounds best to me and only me.

[Ben F]

I was getting flashbacks of Ibiza for a second there.

I kinda like the Thermionic Culture Phoenix for dance music, probably the mastering version as it has a faster release and side chain filter.

[Jorg]

Thanks for the tip. I never had the chance to demo any of them unfortunately. Havent come across them in any studio so far. I'll have a good look if theres a place where I could maybe hire one.

The thing about this very specific type of dance music is that its actually pop music with lots of real instruments and Vocals being the main element. However and Kick and Bass are loud in the mix and are strong driving elements. Its quiet different to regular house or electro.

[Bigbang]

Hi Jorg,
It's a pitty that you did not react to my pm.

[inlinenl]

Jorg, you asked for a VERY specific compressor ... tubetech smc-2b could maybe fill your needs ...
but you could also dislike it a lot .... there are more obvious choices .. while I see more in a combo of EQ and comp ...
or in 2 comps .. one FAST VCA and one slow VARI-MU type
and in the end it's what you feed the comps ... getting the right EQ'ed track into the comps is obvious ...
enjoy the search ... happy testing

[Jorg]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

Jorg, you asked for a VERY specific compressor ... tubetech smc-2b could maybe fill your needs ...
but you could also dislike it a lot .... there are more obvious choices .. while I see more in a combo of EQ and comp ...
or in 2 comps .. one FAST VCA and one slow VARI-MU type
and in the end it's what you feed the comps ... getting the right EQ'ed track into the comps is obvious ...
enjoy the search ... happy testing

Yeh, I was hoping to maybe find someone who has worked on that style before and knows what works quite well. That SMC-2B is multiband, right? I always try to stay away from that because I feel Im just making things worse with them.

@Bigbang: Sorry about that. Just checked the message again. I actually had already found someone who worked out perfect for me.

[inlinenl]

Jorg, it's a cool compressor, I tried to hate it, avoid it, not use it ... but still clients pick it out a lot off time , but maybe it's more me that knows this comp inside out, and what not to do ....

if your planning using it on your productions ... you'll def need some image/attitude machine ( read tubes/vari-mu ) like the phoenix and then combo it with the STC .. that would be a smashing combo ... others could be the API/SMARTC2/Veritigo/ etc. etc. I'm doing a lot off trance/dance like stuff and could not live without my WEISS-DS1 and I guess you would benefit from parallel compression .. sidechain is also a must ...
but that all doesn't count if you have the SMC-2B ...

[Delta Heavy]

Originally Posted by Ben F

Thermionic Culture Phoenix for dance music, probably the mastering version as it has a faster release and side chain filter.

thumbsup

[Jorg]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

Jorg, it's a cool compressor, I tried to hate it, avoid it, not use it ... but still clients pick it out a lot off time , but maybe it's more me that knows this comp inside out, and what not to do ....

if your planning using it on your productions ... you'll def need some image/attitude machine ( read tubes/vari-mu ) like the phoenix and then combo it with the STC .. that would be a smashing combo ... others could be the API/SMARTC2/Veritigo/ etc. etc. I'm doing a lot off trance/dance like stuff and could not live without my WEISS-DS1 and I guess you would benefit from parallel compression .. sidechain is also a must ...
but that all doesn't count if you have the SMC-2B ...

Most of the full release records will still be mastered professionally by a mastering engineer. However for a lot of remix work its not in the budget to do that. At the moment Im mastering completely in the box but I love my HW compressors over plugins for vocals so Im sure I could have a similar effect on the master. I only have the budget to buy one right now.
SMC-2B might be worth a try. Multiband just scares me! Haha.
How does the CL2A compare?

[Stereophonic]

the smc2b is great and I use it a lot. It's very versatile. It was my first hardware compressor and the learning curve was huge! I say keep it simple. Smart or API are half the price compared to the smc2b. The smc2b is great for highlighting the impact of the three bands, but it does not glue a song together like a nice single band compressor does.

[inlinenl]

Originally Posted by Jorg

I only have the budget to buy one right now.
SMC-2B might be worth a try. Multiband just scares me! Haha.
How does the CL2A compare?

not any info on the CL2A ... but if you want one .. get the phoenix ( hassle free/don't look back machine ) , I've tested the phoenix and enjoyed even the non mastering-version ... the kick somehowe shines through ... and enough control to drive/saturate ... just before hitting the AD again... decent prices these days in the EU.

[csl]

Sounds like an API 2500 would suit this purpose quite nicely. The thrust options 'loud' and to a slightly lesser extent 'medium' are great at keeping the kicks big and squarely at the front of the mix. In 'new' mode it really kicks nicely, while you can set it to 'old' when you don't want it to be as grabby.

Haven't tried an STC8, but I'd imagine it'd partner the API well.

[Ben F]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

not any info on the CL2A ... but if you want one .. get the phoenix ( hassle free/don't look back machine ) , I've tested the phoenix and enjoyed even the non mastering-version ... the kick somehowe shines through ... and enough control to drive/saturate ... just before hitting the AD again... decent prices these days in the EU.

IMO the Tube-tech CL-2a sounds superior to the multiband, but is probably not as versatile. A single band compressor coupled with the Weiss DS-1 can get you out of most problems- you can do some fairly clever band specific compression, i've never felt the need for another multiband.

[Jorg]

The biggest problem now is finding a studio near by that actually owns these units.
Ive already looked if I could hire them somewhere but with no luck.
Hopefully a mastering studio somewhere in the North West or Midlands of the UK has a few of these pieces. Would be nice to run a mix through them all and decide which I like best.
If anyone knows any mastering studios in that area then please let me know!

[ppewaltzw]

Abbey Road Mastering

Stereo and Surround Mastering - Abbey Road Studios

TW

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by Jorg

I'm looking for a hardware compressor to add to my chain.
The style of music is commercial dance. The song tempo, sound and style is almost the same on every track.
The tracks sound for example like these:

YouTube - Cascada - What Hurts The Most

YouTube - Cascada-Everytime We Touch

Im not that expericenced with mastering comps so I was hoping maybe you can push me in the right direction. The only comp I heard so far that kinda worked and that I like was the Cranesong STC-8. What else should I have a look at.

Thanks


PS: Yes, I will go and try them myself once I narrowed it down and yes I will buy what sounds best to me and only me.

You know those songs were mastered by Joe Yannece right?
(GS member Joeaudio).

I remember his room at the Hit Factory mastering floor and i am pretty sure that there was nothing out of the ordinary in there but the usual stuff.

Cascada stuff is really about the production and the mix. Get that right and the rest just takes care of itself.

[Empire Prod]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

You know those songs were mastered by Joe Yannece right?
(GS member Joeaudio).

I remember his room at the Hit Factory mastering floor and i am pretty sure that there was nothing out of the ordinary in there but the usual stuff.

Cascada stuff is really about the production and the mix. Get that right and the rest just takes care of itself.

Sadly I think Joerod may have run Joe off of Gearslutz. Here is a link to Joe Yannece talking about it -

What happened to this forum

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by Empire Prod

Sadly I think Joerod may have run Joe off of Gearslutz. Here is a link to Joe Yannece talking about it -

What happened to this forum

Wow that sucks.

The one guy that coulda gave him the straight 911 is no longer here.

[Jorg]

Joe is great. He mastered one of my tracks before and done a great job.
Yeh, maybe I should get back in touch with him and ask what he recommends.

[rhythmtech]

not an ME at all but very experienced with dance productions and ive attended a ton of mastering sessions. ive always found the api2500 to get the punchiest sound from my own stuff, which is admittadly more techy than what OP is talking about but still relies on the interaction between kick and other elements.

if you cant get someone with a 2500 then id try for the phoenix next.

all this has been said above so i guess im just reinforcing a point

[lucey]

The 2500 can punch but the color is strong. The STC 8 is similarly colorful, and has no SC internally. I find the Elysia Alpha to excel on dance tracks and all modern music with any form of dance beat. It's cleaner than those two and the mid-only compression can be dialed in to grab the kick/bass, or grab above the K/Bass far more specifically than any single unit on the market. I'm winning over clients in that genre every month since getting it, the first week actually I saw a positive change in responses from 'good enough' to 'wow'. So it must be doing something right.

[pac0r]

you know that cascada - every time we touch, track is on the

Vengeance-Mastering.com

credits...

as far as i know manuel schleis and his friend use mostly UAD-1 to master their and others' tracks.. (all software in other words...)

his favourite is the precision bundle... food for thought

[Jorg]

Originally Posted by pac0r

you know that cascada - every time we touch, track is on the

Vengeance-Mastering.com

credits...

as far as i know manuel schleis and his friend use mostly UAD-1 to master their and others' tracks.. (all software in other words...)

his favourite is the precision bundle... food for thought

Yeh, I know about that. Ive got that bundle myself.
Their new stuff is mastered by themselves anymore tho. I just gave their music as an example anyway. I just wanna have one compressor in the analog world.

[kosmokrator]

I worked on stuff very similar to the cascada-tracks.

Tubetech CL2A and TC MD4 did the job nicely.

[mikey boy]

Hi Jorg, Slightly of topic but I am curious to know what delay and re-verb units you used on "doesn't matter"? I really like the beginning of this track. Thanks Mike

[Jorg]

Originally Posted by mikey boy

Hi Jorg, Slightly of topic but I am curious to know what delay and re-verb units you used on "doesn't matter"? I really like the beginning of this track. Thanks Mike

Hi mate,
What delays and reverb do you mean? The ones on the vocal?

[mikey boy]

Originally Posted by Jorg

Hi mate,
What delays and reverb do you mean? The ones on the vocal?

Hi, not on the vocals, but on the beginning with the guitar sound. mike

[Jorg]

Originally Posted by mikey boy

Hi, not on the vocals, but on the beginning with the guitar sound. mike

If I remember right it was the sonitus delay on the guitar. I cant remember the settings tho. That was over a year ago now.

[mikey boy]

Originally Posted by Jorg

If I remember right it was the sonitus delay on the guitar. I cant remember the settings tho. That was over a year ago now.

Thanks, I listened to that track on my sennheiser and it sounds really nice and warm. Did you use a compressor on the master channel when you bounched this track?

[Jorg]

The track was actually mastered with the T-Racks at the time.
So 2 buss comp would have been the T Racks comp.