1:1 compression why?

[dumbangel]

I'm pretty new to technics like compression. On my only compressor (distressor), there's a 1:1 ratio. Why?

[soundguy]

I would love an answer on this as well. Knee jerk answer from me woudl be "to run it through the circuit" which seems logical enough, but a distressor or 2254 on 1:1 definitley does some major stuff.

Have you tried your distressor at 1:1 on vocals? Thats where that box becomes a swiss army knife. Try it on vocals.

dave

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Actually, between 1:1 and 1.5:1 is really cool. Just crush whatever you put into it. Use it for containment when you have a really active, uptempo song where articulation can make the groove feel sluggish.

[markpar]

I'll echo what Dave said. Even at 1:1 you're still running through the comp's circuits which can alter the sound. I remember reading a story where Andy Johns talked about recording Page's guitar through two 1176s. One with the compression turned off, to run through the circuits, and one with it on, to get some actual compression. Pretty cool.

-mark

[soundguy]

FYI- the circuit in the 1176's that people fiend after is either the 1108 amp or the 1109 amp, both of which you can get raw. The new 2108 preamp is apparently based on the 1108. I have three 1108's and they are just the sickest amplifiers that do a thing that is beyond the pale. So, in theory, if you have a 2108, if you use that as your mic amp and run that to an 1176, you are essentially doing just as described, running through one 1176 with the compressor off into another with the compression on. Peolpe have jumped up and down about this being the voodoo for so long, I dont understand why UA hasnt elected to market the 2108 with that angle, if they started talking this line, I swear, a million people would buy that box.

As far as 1:1 compression goes, on a distressor, if you run your input down 20dB, you can get some very very interesting sounds. and then there's the freak out switch...

dave

[markpar]

Peolpe have jumped up and down about this being the voodoo for so long, I dont understand why UA hasnt elected to market the 2108 with that angle, if they started talking this line, I swear, a million people would buy that box.

Yeah, especially since they've got that 6176, a 610 pre and 1176 in one box.

-mark

[justinDSD]

Yeah, you're basically just using the box as a line amplifier. Great electronics, like the Distressor or 1176, sound amazing and color the sounds in neat ways. Don't try this with your Composer or 160A, folks. This is also a nice trick if you need some more level to tape on a really quiet source, but just make sure your gain staging is correct before you patch it in...

[justinf]

Great electronics, like the Distressor or 1176, sound amazing and color the sounds in neat ways. Don't try this with your Composer or 160A, folks.

My 2 cents for the day is that really shitty electronics can sound amazing and color the sounds in neat ways as well. I've had equally rocking results from any number of crap devices (including a Composer) as with my Distressor.

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[cgarges]

All these guys are spot on. Jeff, I'm a major endorser of 1.5:1.

It seems to me that the primary function of 1:1 on the Distressor is to utilize the distortion settings. The Dist 2 and 3 (or 1 and 2 if you have an older unit) don't function when the unit is bypassed, so it's actually helpful to have the 1:1 setting if you want to apply the distortion without any compression. And for those of you who don't know, if you turn the attack knob on an 1176 all the way to the left (counterclockwise), there's a click stop that takes the compressor out of circuit, but still allows you to use the unit as a line amp.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[justinf]

Chris is right on with respect to Distressor distortion; I do this all the time as well.

[joel hamilton]

I will third the "1.5:1" I leave my 33609 set to it for a LOT of things.

One point nobody made is that a lot of stuff will actually clip or squarewave, or hard limit at 1:1.

My spectra sonics 610's have a diode across the output that RULES, and if you run the comp section at 1:1 or close to it, more of the signal is clipped by the diode on the BACKSIDE of the comp circuit.

That is what the distressor sounds like to me. A 610 with the "overload"light blazing.

I have had those 610's for years, and i really like them for low ratio distortion/compression, with weird color and a slope knob that has a weird log taper..