Help with choice of first outboard comp.

[Tubefreak]

Neither. it doesn't make sense to pay that much for one link in your chain. Assuming the speakers, ad/da and room treatment are top notch, I would spend the money on several pieces of analog loveliness.

Analog comps are great and difficult to get right itb, but 90% of the work is done with EQing. Therefore I would focus on a sweet EQ and maybe an additional comp. Still assuming the speakers, ad/da and room are already top notch. If not, then spending that much money on gear is useless.

The two comps are really different. Try to get a clear picture of what your niche is: who are your clients, how good/bad are their recordings, what skills+tools would take this to a higher level? These two comps are so far apart, there are a dozen other comps that fall in between and might be a better choice! But who needs a comp if there is no good analog EQ?

Good luck
Maarten

[GoldMember]

compressor recommendations for electronic music OTB mix

[Razik]

API 2500 is very nice tool to have.

Razik Mastering

[Red Mastering]

Originally Posted by Tubefreak

Neither. it doesn't make sense to pay that much for one link in your chain. Assuming the speakers, ad/da and room treatment are top notch, I would spend the money on several pieces of analog loveliness.

Analog comps are great and difficult to get right itb, but 90% of the work is done with EQing. Therefore I would focus on a sweet EQ and maybe an additional comp. Still assuming the speakers, ad/da and room are already top notch. If not, then spending that much money on gear is useless.

The two comps are really different. Try to get a clear picture of what your niche is: who are your clients, how good/bad are their recordings, what skills+tools would take this to a higher level? These two comps are so far apart, there are a dozen other comps that fall in between and might be a better choice! But who needs a comp if there is no good analog EQ?

Good luck
Maarten

top notch advise,
there's no 1 compressor do it all, and you should consider above advise when choosing tool,
3500EUR is enough to have 2 compressors
or maybe 1 EQ and comp ?
if you are looking for all rounder, then foote compresor is popular here, new neve portico 2 masterbuss (as for vca compression)
really depends on a kind of music you work with,

kind of indispensable compressor is for me vari mu,
but again, it's not for everyone's taste and for all kinds of music/mixes

[dalMaster]

very good advices indeed.
To start with I can inform that the acoustic treatment, AD/DA and speakers are already top notch. So an EQ would be the better option to start with? I just felt that I have a good relation to my EQ plugs, that´s why I figured a comp would be more efficient to start with. 3500EUR isn´t enough for 2 high quality units tho, sadly enough. Would be nice to live in the states, americans always get more bang for the buck. If you have any suggestions what might be good enough for less money please feel free to give me tips. I want good gear from the start even if it takes me longer to build my chain. For EQ I´ve been looking at the IBIS for some time. Seems like a good buy. I´m aiming for 2 comps and 2 EQs at the end of the year.

The portico looks very intresting indeed. It´s slightly to expensive tho. I´m working with all kinds of music so all-round gear might be smart to start out with.

So I´ll just rephrase my question: If you had 3500EUR to start building the analouge chain, how would you spend it?

[geminee]

hey dalmaster, i bought a few outboard comps for my home studio. if you like i could run one or two of your mixes through them.

thermionic culture phoenix sc
smart c1
api 2500
chandler zener

greetz tom

[Red Mastering]

Originally Posted by dalMaster

So I´ll just rephrase my question: If you had 3500EUR to start building the analouge chain, how would you spend it?

1. buy second hand
GS forum or others reliable sources serve well if you want to save some $$$
2. rent equipment and test it at home (kmr audio in london provides very nice&easy renting/testing service) - you can not talk about audio tools, you need to use and hear it yourself to decide

if you search well, you could grab a very nice comp and EQ second hand for 3.5kEur
or brand new - for example a vari mu comp (varis, knif, manley) and dav electronics big 3 EQ (you can contact Dave to mod the gain for .5dB)
and those 2 could be a very nice couple

[dalMaster]

Originally Posted by geminee

hey dalmaster, i bought a few outboard comps for my home studio. if you like i could run one or two of your mixes through them.

thermionic culture phoenix sc
smart c1
api 2500
chandler zener

greetz tom

Sounds like a good plan. thx heaps. Right now I´m away for work until the weekend but I´ll send you a PM when I get back to the studio.

[dalMaster]

Originally Posted by Red Mastering

1. buy second hand
GS forum or others reliable sources serve well if you want to save some $$$
2. rent equipment and test it at home (kmr audio in london provides very nice&easy renting/testing service) - you can not talk about audio tools, you need to use and hear it yourself to decide

if you search well, you could grab a very nice comp and EQ second hand for 3.5kEur
or brand new - for example a vari mu comp (varis, knif, manley) and dav electronics big 3 EQ (you can contact Dave to mod the gain for .5dB)
and those 2 could be a very nice couple

1. Second hand is a good option but Sweden is not very gifted with second hand sales within mastering equipment.

2. Renting and testing is indeed the best option, the only problem is geographical. I live quite far out on the country side in the northern middle of Sweden. No such service in at least 300km.

The Vari Mu is not really within reach economically tho. But thanks for the tip on the combo. I´ll keep an eye open for a second hand bg3. Might come my way in the close future, with some luck.

[Alécio Costa]

GO for the combo Pendulum OCL2 + Crane Song Stc8. Or Pendulum OCL2 + API 2500.

[dalMaster]

The OCL2 seems very nice. Pricing isnt too bad either. How are the ratio and gain controls on it? (unmodified)

[Alécio Costa]

I rarely do makeup gain with it, prefer doing with the STC8 or with the daw fader.
It is not stepped so be prepared for adjusting it.

[Thor]

I'd say the STC-8 would be a better first choice, as it can do 80% of the compression duties you'll need. Then you can add a Pendulum or Manley or API for more of a color or vibe later.

But as someone else posted, EQ is more important. Make sure you've got a great EQ before going for a compressor, is my advice.

Lastly, buying used can save you a lot, and all of this gear is pro and designed to last if not abused, you shouldn't have any problems buying second hand and can save quite a bit.

Cheers,
Thor

[Huntley Miller]

Originally Posted by Thor

I'd say the STC-8 would be a better first choice, as it can do 80% of the compression duties you'll need. Then you can add a Pendulum or Manley or API for more of a color or vibe later.

But as someone else posted, EQ is more important. Make sure you've got a great EQ before going for a compressor, is my advice.

Lastly, buying used can save you a lot, and all of this gear is pro and designed to last if not abused, you shouldn't have any problems buying second hand and can save quite a bit.

Cheers,
Thor

The OCL-2 works 90% of the time here when I need compression. I would not put it in the "vibe" category like the API or Manley.

[dalMaster]

For what I´ve understood, the OCL-2 is very transparent just like the stc-8. I´ve been thinking about the opinions I got about getting an EQ first. The more I think about it, the more logical it sounds. But I want a comp as well, so for now I´m leaning towards getting a couple of units and just take it on a payment plan. I´m thinking about the combo Ibis+OCL2+API2500.

Of course if I was rich I´d go for the GML9500+Vari mu+Weiss ds1.
Unfortunately this is not the case.

[dalMaster]

Hi all, just want to give this thread a proper ending by telling what I decided for.
I ended up getting the STC-8 and the Massive Passive Mastering edition. The STC-8 has already given me tons of the small smiles you get when you do that little extra tweak that turns out to be just what the track needs. The MP on the other hand, I´m driving to Stockholm for repair this week. Right channel dies with a spike as soon as you put the EQ circuit in. Hoped for it to be a tube, but after switching around it seems to be some other problem. Sucks, but lifes a bitch sometimes.

cheers.