need help with which compressor to get for vocals

versuviusx · Post by **versuviusx** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 11:01 am

hi i need some help picking out which compressor i need for vocals.
currently i have the never portico compressor that im using on vocals.
but ive been told that the la2a would be much better and that the retro instruments 176 would be even much better.
i could sell my portico and get a vocal compressor which i think may be a better fit for me.
dont know.
any suggestions or ideas would be very welcome

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 11:42 am

LA3A is my personal favourite on vocals. You can hit it hard without getting all the the weird pumping artifacts most comps leave behind.
Also does a beautiful job on guitars and bass (as well as horns and tons of other sources).

Nick Sevilla · Post by **Nick Sevilla** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 12:29 pm

versuviusx wrote:hi i need some help picking out which compressor i need for vocals.
currently i have the never portico compressor that im using on vocals.
but ive been told that the la2a would be much better and that the retro instruments 176 would be even much better.
i could sell my portico and get a vocal compressor which i think may be a better fit for me.
dont know.
any suggestions or ideas would be very welcome

Hi,

Without knowing EXACTLY what sound / vibe / musical style you are going for, this question is completely unanswerable.

That said, I own exactly two kinds of hardware compressor, both made by the same company:

UREI 1176
UREI (Teletronix) LA2a

Pretty much after that, you can only get one or two more different styles of compression technology which might sound a little different.

Cheers

losthighway · Post by **losthighway** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 4:12 pm

There are a lot that can do the trick. I understand the portico stuff is nice, if it's versatile you might already be getting some good things happening.

Right now I love my Retro Sta Level the best in vocal mix position over my Chandler LTD2's, the Symeterix 501 and a couple of DBX 160 deals.

I do like the DBX working gently on the way in to tame things just a hair (but most of them can do that). Then the Sta Level has a way of keeping a sense of motion, retaining some dynamics while bringing the vocals forward a bit and helping make them more intelligible.

ott0bot · Post by **ott0bot** » Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:01 am

An LA2a is hard to beat, but I really like the Manley Variable MU. Hit the first channel lightly, then slam the next one to taste. That's like instant gold on vocals.

At home I use a pair of Summit Audio TLA-50's and have always had great results.

digitaldrummer · Post by **digitaldrummer** » Wed Apr 23, 2014 5:55 pm

depending on your budget you might also look at the Universal Audio LA-610. You get a tube preamp and an opto compressor (a poor man's LA-2A) all in one. you can even use the comp separately (via the line-in) for other tracks... And on vocals I think it works pretty well.

around $1500 new or $1K or less used.

Mike

blungo2 · Post by **blungo2** » Wed Apr 23, 2014 6:54 pm

As stated earlier, not knowing the context makes it harder to give concrete advice but recently i've discovered how versatile the chandler little devil is. I've been using it mostly on vox and upright bass. Hard to find a setting i don't like. Really a swiss army knife compressor for me.

versuviusx · Post by **versuviusx** » Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:18 pm

this is what my music sounds like
https://soundcloud.com/david-valens-2

i was thinking either an ADL 1500 or 2 Distressors
if you have some time listen to some of the tunes and let me know which compressor i should go with. i only have so much money but i would love to get the right one for bass and vocals.
the ADL 1500 is supposed to be a la2a. its supposed to be the same circuit most of the same parts. the trans may be different.
im coming from a portico compressor which i thought sounded great. but i was looking to upgrade.

Jim Williams · Post by **Jim Williams** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 8:52 am

If you want to hear the compressor, any of those will do. If you don't, an Aphex 651 will do.

rhythm ranch · Post by **rhythm ranch** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:14 am

Jim Williams wrote:If you want to hear the compressor, any of those will do. If you don't, an Aphex 651 will do.

And I'll sell you mine for $160 shipped and PayPal'd. It's a little beat up, but 100% functional.

Jim Williams · Post by **Jim Williams** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:26 am

Some should buy it. I don't need one, I have 5.

rhythm ranch · Post by **rhythm ranch** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:31 am

Jim Williams wrote:Some should buy it. I don't need one, I have 5.

And send it to Jim for his mod!

versuviusx · Post by **versuviusx** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:14 pm

no one can comment on which one sounds better on vocals?
im sure the adl1500 will do fine. but i would love to know if someone thinks the distressor would be a much better pick.

rhythm ranch · Post by **rhythm ranch** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:28 pm

versuviusx wrote:no one can comment on which one sounds better on vocals?

If I only get to have one compressor for vocals and the choice is between an LA2a style and a distressor I would go for the LA2a. That sound is a classic on vocals and just seems to work.

Then again, the Distressor gives you a lot of options.

joninc · Post by **joninc** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 5:05 pm

i have the portico and an ADL1000 (mono version) as well as a Mohog fet76 and a distressor.

All of them do cool stuff but the ADL is by far the simplest to use. and it sounds awesome on vocals, acoustic, bass. i often use it on snare too. i know lanois and tchad blake have mentioned using them and they seem to go for a lot less than LA2A for some reason.

Lately I have been really loving the mohog - i sold my purple mc76 for it and to my ears it's a lot smoother and easier to work with. it can be WAY faster and more aggressive than the ADL is you want to really grab stuff hard in a more punchy kind of way.

portico mostly lives on the mix buss for me. i have used it for individual elements but it seems to work best for me on busses.

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need help with which compressor to get for vocals

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