How's this darned compressor work....

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angopop
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How's this darned compressor work....

Post by angopop » Mon Dec 13, 2004 7:02 pm

Hey, all. Running PTools 6.4, have Waves Native Power Pack for plug-ins.

I've got a nice drum sound recorded at a decent studio. I get a nice mix with them with minimal fx on indiv drum tracks.

When I stick a C1 on either the overheads or the Drum AUX, I like the way it toughens up the overall drum sound, but the hi hat winds up sounding harsh, brittle and unpleasant. I haven't been able to find a setting that makes the hats sound good.

Any tips?

thanks.

Family Hoof
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Re: How's this darned compressor work....

Post by Family Hoof » Mon Dec 13, 2004 7:45 pm

My tip: Don't use the C1. I haven't touched it since version 2.6. I don't know if they've imporved it significantly since then but I could never find any use for it. THe controls didn't seem to respond very intuitively at the time. I know this sounds like bullshit but that was my experience.

On the other hand, the problem you're experiencing could be that of broad band compression not being suitable for the whole drum kit. Create a submix of everything but the hihhat, or whatever you want to compress together. The compressor is latching on to the sound with the greatest amplitude (not the hihat??) and bringing everything else down with it.

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Milkmansound
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Re: How's this darned compressor work....

Post by Milkmansound » Mon Dec 13, 2004 8:43 pm

I notice that the C1 really sucks up the hats - when we did our EP a year or so ago we had to skip it because our drummer uses 2 hats and they were all over the mix with the C1 in there. Its a shame too, because it was nice and gritty.
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Tim Farrant
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Re: How's this darned compressor work....

Post by Tim Farrant » Mon Dec 13, 2004 10:22 pm

The C1 strangles everything you put thru it IMHO. I find the Renasiance compressor much more musical and more like analog comps, especially in the Opto mode.

Cheers
Tim.

Family Hoof
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Re: How's this darned compressor work....

Post by Family Hoof » Mon Dec 13, 2004 10:24 pm

Tim Farrant wrote:I find the Renasiance compressor much more musical and more like analog comps, especially in the Opto mode.
I second that. It's among the best in digital comps.

angopop
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Re: How's this darned compressor work....

Post by angopop » Tue Dec 14, 2004 9:31 am

Thanks for the input, I thought I was doing something wrong..

Ahhh, so I should have bought the Musicians Bundle (Ren Comp, Ren EQ, Ren Vox and Doubler) instead of Native PP?

It's $150 at Sweetwater, seems like a great deal.

What is the C1 good for, then?

I wound up putting my drum tracks through my Blue Tube then my Really Nice Compressor, which gave them a nice punchy and warm feel.

-Arthur

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Red Rockets Glare
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Re: How's this darned compressor work....

Post by Red Rockets Glare » Tue Dec 14, 2004 9:51 am

Have you spent any time messing around with the attack speed on the C1?
It could be that the hi-hats are simply making it right past the compressor and the rest of the kit is getting the clamp-down. Try using the fastest speed possible.

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Slider
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Re: How's this darned compressor work....

Post by Slider » Tue Dec 14, 2004 10:22 am

I love the C!. The Rcomp is cool too. I find them useful for different things.
The Rcomp is very good on vocals and bass, where the C1 is better on drums and such.
If it's messing up your hats just buss the close mics through it on a group.

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