Emulating hardware compressors with plugins

scius · 8th May 2006

I'm talking about settings you can use on your friendly neighborhood RComp or compressor of choice, that closely emulates the behavior of an LA2A / 1176 / SSL / etc.

I recall reading that a good setting to emulate the SSL comp using RComp is:

Attack - 2.00
Release - 199
Ratio - 2.00
Manual, Electro, Warm

Also here's a setting to emulate the Alan Smart C2 with the Sonalksis SV-315. I took this from a post by Treborflowl, hope he doesn't mind:

Attack 5-10ms
Release 150-250ms (sync to the 1/8th note of the song)
Crush 15-20%
Knee 18dB (sometimes use about 12dB for a tougher sound)
Filter type 3rd from left
Hold - off
Limiter - off
Gain make-up added at output NOT on the graph with the little triangle (+3dB)
Detector type I
Auto Gain - off
Ratio 2:1
Threshold set to reduce by about 2-3 dB on the loudest bits - or more to taste.

copperx · 8th May 2006

I'd also like RComp settings to emulate an innerTUBE Atomic Squeezebox ... anyone?

Cellotron · 8th May 2006

Not to be a jerk with providing an answer I'm sure the original poster wasn't looking for - but:
while I've been an advocate of doing work "in the box" since 1994 - honestly - if we're talking about broadband compression across the entire mix - then I've yet to hear a digital tool, emulating or not, even to this date, that sounds to my ear as satisfying as the best analog compressors. While in mixing I can see the tremendous value of plugins (as it allows to have much better quality than mediocre "budget" analog processors, while also allowing a much greater ease in signal routing and having a large number of processors available all at different recallable settings for each and every track) - for mastering for an album destined for commercial release I simply can not see why you would want to make a compromise in regards to the quality of processors used across the entire mix. Of course as always - YMMV!

Best regards,
Steve Berson

scius · 9th May 2006

maybe I posted this in the wrong forum as I wasn't specifically talking about master bus compression. Vocals, drums, etc.

I have heard people say "I got xxx compressor to sound pretty close to xxx compressor." If you're one of those people, share your settings with us.

If you're completely against the idea that any software compressor could remotely resemble behavior of a hardware compressor...then don't even bother replying.

mixerguy · 9th May 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by scius

maybe I posted this in the wrong forum as I wasn't specifically talking about master bus compression. Vocals, drums, etc.. (snip)......

yes, you did.

this should be moved out of mastering - into low end

copperx · 9th May 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by mixerguy

this should be moved out of mastering - into low end

Why low end? He's asking emulation of "LA2A / 1176 / SSL / etc". The low end guys sure will have one or more of those pieces ...

"Low end" because he's talking about plug-ins? You're stereotyping plug-ins. This is nothing but discrimination.

jbuntz · 10th May 2006

The UA plugins compress in a similar way to the hardware counterparts. The 1176 doesn't sound nearly as cool with the needle pinned as the real thing though. Neither does the hardware reissue either. The Voxengo Marquis comp and Sonalksis can do the SSL thing kind of. I haven't tried the waves or URS ones yet.

8th May 2006	#1
scius Gear maniac Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 167 Thread Starter	Emulating hardware compressors with plugins I'm talking about settings you can use on your friendly neighborhood RComp or compressor of choice, that closely emulates the behavior of an LA2A / 1176 / SSL / etc. I recall reading that a good setting to emulate the SSL comp using RComp is: Attack - 2.00 Release - 199 Ratio - 2.00 Manual, Electro, Warm Also here's a setting to emulate the Alan Smart C2 with the Sonalksis SV-315. I took this from a post by Treborflowl, hope he doesn't mind: Attack 5-10ms Release 150-250ms (sync to the 1/8th note of the song) Crush 15-20% Knee 18dB (sometimes use about 12dB for a tougher sound) Filter type 3rd from left Hold - off Limiter - off Gain make-up added at output NOT on the graph with the little triangle (+3dB) Detector type I Auto Gain - off Ratio 2:1 Threshold set to reduce by about 2-3 dB on the loudest bits - or more to taste.

8th May 2006	#2
copperx Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2005 Location: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Posts: 530	I'd also like RComp settings to emulate an innerTUBE Atomic Squeezebox ... anyone? __________________ Gearslutz.com: 'cuz it sucks to know that the gear isn't the problem ... "Do everything else right, and the equipment will disappear in insignificance." - Steve Albini "Photographers — idiots, of which there are so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. - Andreas Feininger

8th May 2006	#3
Cellotron Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Brooklyn, New York Posts: 3,638 Verified Member	Not to be a jerk with providing an answer I'm sure the original poster wasn't looking for - but: while I've been an advocate of doing work "in the box" since 1994 - honestly - if we're talking about broadband compression across the entire mix - then I've yet to hear a digital tool, emulating or not, even to this date, that sounds to my ear as satisfying as the best analog compressors. While in mixing I can see the tremendous value of plugins (as it allows to have much better quality than mediocre "budget" analog processors, while also allowing a much greater ease in signal routing and having a large number of processors available all at different recallable settings for each and every track) - for mastering for an album destined for commercial release I simply can not see why you would want to make a compromise in regards to the quality of processors used across the entire mix. Of course as always - YMMV! Best regards, Steve Berson __________________ www.totalsonicmastering.com www.invertmusic.org www.warlockasylum.info

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Compressors: Plug-ins vs. Hardware	basement	High end	45	1st October 2010 10:12 AM
Software vs. Hardware Compressors	gsilbers	Mastering forum	0	12th June 2006 07:03 AM
Reverb Plugins vs Hardware for Singers / Rappers	youngkain	Rap + Hip Hop engineering & production	4	23rd April 2006 04:39 PM
Plugins and hardware-next level	DaveC	Music computers	6	25th January 2006 05:48 AM
What would you pay for plugins if they were hardware?	DeeDrive	So much gear, so little time!	11	12th October 2005 12:18 AM

9th May 2006	#4
scius Gear maniac Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 167 Thread Starter	maybe I posted this in the wrong forum as I wasn't specifically talking about master bus compression. Vocals, drums, etc. I have heard people say "I got xxx compressor to sound pretty close to xxx compressor." If you're one of those people, share your settings with us. If you're completely against the idea that any software compressor could remotely resemble behavior of a hardware compressor...then don't even bother replying.

10th May 2006	#7
jbuntz Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,716	The UA plugins compress in a similar way to the hardware counterparts. The 1176 doesn't sound nearly as cool with the needle pinned as the real thing though. Neither does the hardware reissue either. The Voxengo Marquis comp and Sonalksis can do the SSL thing kind of. I haven't tried the waves or URS ones yet.