please help with compressors

[ramjet]

hi

just a question but it dosn't really relate to recording as such so if removal is needed then all is cool.

the question is that at the theatre that i work at we are looking to replace the be&^%$*#r's that are in the rack with some diy 1176's and GSSL's. the question is that how much of an upgrade would that be( i have not heard these just read about them). it was suggested over as PSW that there would not be much differant. i can't imagine this being so but i just want to make sure

cheers ramjet

[Kiwiburger]

What problems do you have with the Behringers? What are you trying to achieve by replacing them? Other than brand name recognition - which I can't imagine is terribly important for theatre use, whatever that might be ...

[ramjet]

hi

what we are trying to acheive is that the comps we have know are about 6years old at least and starting to not be very reliable and so it is now time to replace.

i would like to take a large step up in terms of quality not name brand but also would like to have comps with some controls on them(not like the three knob wonders we have now). so i figures by doing it diy which i am able to do i would be able to get the parts and put them together and get a lot more comps for the outlay of money and also i enjoy diy

hope this makes it all clearer

cheers ramjet

[Kiwiburger]

Are they for music, spoken word? Will they always be operated by professional sound engineers? Sometimes a simple box is better than something that will confuse the operator. I'm tired of listening to radio and tv stations where somebody obviously has no clue how to adjust their compressor.

Are you looking for fast limiting, or slow volume leveling?

Behringers are cheap enough to buy a few spares - if reliability is the issue. I don't think buying expensive brandnames is any quarantee of reliability. It might guarantee long waiting times for servicing. The professional solution is to have backup units. DIY compressors may or may not be as good as Behringers - it's really hard to say.

As far as sound quality - is everything else in the chain up to it?

I used to be a Behringer basher - and basically still am. But for certain applications - like live sound where budget is the issue - they have their uses. Most of the percieved moral issues of dealing with a design-thieving child-labour-exploiting company are basically beat ups by competitors who want to sell their higher priced items. Most audio engineering involves using established designs, and anything affordable is being made in China these days. You can see the wealth flowing into China - they aren't going to be peasants for much longer. They will own USA soon, along with the Japanese, and the Saudis.

So buy what fits your purpose. If you can define your actual needs, as opposed to wants, the answer should become clear.

[Acoustic Cloud]

[QUOTE= they aren't going to be peasants for much longer. They will own USA soon, along with the Japanese, and the Saudis.

.[/QUOTE]



Nope. I have made sure of this not happening. I cant speak of the details, but lets just say, there are many missles set up, ready to go. None of which have any Behringer parts, except the detination ploder devices, those dont matter anyway.

[u b k]

if you're on a budget, and want a compressor that sounds good and is extremely versatile, get the rnc.


gregoire
del
ubk
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[ramjet]

hi

i'm not really on a budget but i thought i would take the opportunity to indulge in some diy and these will be used for everything. we have every thing at our theatre. so i was just wondering about the differance in sound quality. also thanx for the rnc tip we might go that way as well for even more vatiety


cheers ramjet

[ramjet]

bump bump bump

anymore ideas or opinions

cheers ramjet

[Reptil]

SPL Dynamaxx
seems perfect to your needs. fire and forget. (not unlike those missiles LOL)
http://www.soundperformancelab.com/D.../in_short.html

or a (shudder) DBX 266XL. when set lightly this will also do the trick.
however I'd go for the (more expensive) Dynamaxx. perfect.
Also look at BSS products, and Klark Technik. RNC may also do the trick, I never liked it, but that's personal preference.

IMO the DIY Gyrafs mentioned above are killer compressors. Beautiful sound, but do require some setting up, and may or may not work on specific choices. Generally used more for music production, as one of the choices. Instead of an overall dynamics controller.

[George Necola]

the problem with DIY is, if you have no parts, and need to buy everything (manufacturing devices, tools) and then calculate the workinghours to build one (+ servicing and upgrading) will buy you 3 neves.. if its just a hobby, do it.