Hey guys, I am slowly buying hardware gear for my home studio and now its the compressor time.

I live in a 3rd world country and, altough I have the money, there's a few budge options on the market.
At this time, I dont want a oversea purcharse.

I dont wanna start a duel plugins x hardware.

I'm considering FET, VCA and Dynamic compressors

The models I found on my country are:

DBX 166a, 166xl, 166xs (cheapest)
DBX 266xl
DBX 1066
DBX 286s (with the preamp)
BBE Maxcom dual compressor (the more expensive here)
Behringer MDX 1600, 2600

Do you have any experience with one of these?

Thank you

 

Is that a thing?

I had one of these a while back, only used for broadcast and some live drums stuff. Dos pretty much what you'd expect from a vca compressor, maybe a little more. I imagine the other DBXs would do something similar.

Now, is it a good compressor for vocals? Idk, it's just a good 'ol compressor that compresses. Nothing really special about it aside from the fact that it can do pretty much everything you'd want from a comp reasonably well and for a really low price.

 

I actually found a Behringer MDX 1600 in the trash, took it home, plugged it in, hooked up a mic and gave it a spin. I found it to be uncolored and the deseser did it's job. The enhancer helped bump up low frequencies. There is also a limiter/clipper if I remember correctly that could help in a mixing situation.

I didn't need it and gave it to a friend who's daughter was an aspiring singer/songwriter. She liked it once she got the hang of using it.

 

I've got DBX 160XL that I generally use for drums and bass (it has sc highpass and diode limiter-nice for bass sounds), and Drawmer DL241 that I use for vocals. They complement each other nicely for this purpose. I also have Behringer MDX-2100 which is Behringer's replica of DL241, for when more compressors are needed. Yeh the original sounds a little better, but the difference isn't groundbreaking.

If you're looking for a great compressor for vocals, FMR Audio's Really Nice Compressor is absolutely stunning, especially for the price. Otherwise, Drawmer DL241, DBX 166XL/XS, or some Behringer MDX will do just fine.

I forgot to mention Klark Teknik 2A-KT. If you can afford it, this would probably be the best sounding budget choice aside from FMR RNC and DL241 for vocals. Easy to setup, too. Great choice for podcasters, if not the best. SM58 or SM7B>preamp>2A-KT, done. Perfect vocals for not much dosh.

 

Last edited: Mar 12, 2024

When working with plugins we are used to having unimaginable prices (90% discounts, everything bundle at half price etc..) you have to consider instead that on real gear the price/performance factor is still valid: it is crazy to think of spending $100 and having a compressor that actually does what it should do. That gear you listed has poor performances and you will be immediately disappointed, you are better off using computer plugins. In short, if you want to remain satisfied you will have to raise your budget significantly. As mentioned, the FMR RNC isn't that bad, but don't expect miracles

 

Regarding expensive vs cheap, I found this funny thread at Gearspace, a blind test between LA2A ($4.5K) and KT2A ($300): https://gearspace.com/board/so-much...126-expensive-vs-cheap-gear.html#post16515925

Proves that people can't hear shit. When enough people say they like something because they think it's the expensive one, others agree.

People chose KT2A as the better sounding one. The OP is puzzled. lol Read his last post on the first page.

Although I do agree when it comes to hardware you usually get better quality for more money, loads of people have made brilliant music with cheap stuff.

 

The quality electronic components that make up a gear have a high cost, when I read about prices that are too low it is obvious to think that the manufacturer has taken shortcuts, all of this will be reflected in the character of the unit in question (dynamics, signal/noise, distortion). True is that there are homemade manufacturers who, challenging mass production, manage to produce quality gear at affordable prices. Some examples: Audioscape, Stam Audio, BAEaudio etc… Compared to the originals they may not sound 100% the same, but that gear has really interesting prices, what is certain is that they won't sell you anything for $100, it wouldn't be possible to maintain quality.
I just read that Gearspace thread: random reviews don't have much credibility, or even worse the videos of superstar influencers paid to say what the manufacturer's marketing office decides. Whether a piece of gear is worth it or not I can only establish it by mounting it in my studio for a complete test

 

about the Dynamic, I found that classification on a tutorial about types of compressors, maybe I missunderstood

 

Where is your trash? hehehehe

thank you for the reply

 

I found 2 units on my country: the RNC 1773 for $400 and the RNLA 7239 for $500

do you know these models?

 

this is a thing that I really wanna know, so dbx and behringers are worse than plugins now-a-days

In fact, I am buying all the plugins I use and thats not cheap too

The problem is, I have the money, but I cannot find the hardware in my country.
in this moment I dont wanna import because its taking so loooooong to arrive, and the fee is 50% of the total price (include shipppig)

 

oh man, love this thread, thank your for share

I agree with you.
Tame impala and billie eilish came to mind

 

I totally agree with you, but I think the point is that some artists, even with shit gear, make masterpieces

 

Why hardware?

I record vocals with Rhode nt1 directly to a foccusrite 18i8 (3rd gen) and apply efx, compression, everything later, usually losting a lot of time.

When I record with vocal units efx like roland vt4, or boss ve20, I get good results and its faster, much faster production.

But, these units are limited in many ways, so I need more gear, who doesnt?

 

There was also an MDX 1000 next to it which I still have but don't ever use because I have other compressors. I have no idea why they were in the trash. Maybe they replaced them with a Fairchild or something, LOL.

 

one man's trash is another man's treasure... or its just trash anyway

 

i wouldnt say the stuff they used is exactly cheap.
but yeahh they are a great reference of home-recorded albums, although very different styles.

• Kevin Parker from Tame Impala did not use a computer for his recordings he relied exclusively on pedals and hardware

• Phineas from Billie Eilish did not use much hardware, just a TLM 103 connected to an Apollo..

 

Last edited: Mar 13, 2024

In a standard vocal chain (mic/preamp/eq/compressor/de-esser), the quality of the recording is determined by its weak link: when you feed a good mic into a good preamp, but then into a mickey mouse compressor, your signal is damaged beyond repair and the final result will be poor, no matter how it is processed further: this is why I don't suggest using cheap gear. I understand that it is difficult for you to have access to quality gear, but then it is better to avoid compression on the signal and instead use good plugins when mixing.
When tracking, talented singers know how to control the power of their voice by moving back and forth, helping the sound engineer in his work. A precaution when recording without a compressor: it's a good idea to stay waaaay below 0db peak, also raise the bitrate to 24bit.
Speaking of artists who make good music despite having a humble bedroom studio: true, but that's an artistic topic. Billy Ellish is very talented and she would be able to convey it even by recording her voice on a smartphone. I guess this is meant to be a technical thread, Art has little to do with buying a new audio compressor

 

I really appreciate your advices, all of them are gold to me.
Thank you for the time you spent explaining these concepts.
I came here to learn (and laught a lot sometimes).

Love the "mickey mouse compressor", this short sentence is self-explanatory

"...but then it is better to avoid compression on the signal and instead use good plugins when mixing."
I'm gonna follow this

"When tracking, talented singers know how to control the power of their voice by moving back and forth, helping the sound engineer in his work."
Oh man, this is a problem, the singer doesnt have the technique necessary

"A precaution when recording without a compressor: it's a good idea to stay waaaay below 0db peak, also raise the bitrate to 24bit"
I am recording mono 24bit -6db at this moment

thank you again, this thread clear somethings on my mind

 

Imo if you only need to compress, a quality plugin does it better than any hardware unit. Because it can do exactly what you need it to do. Like Fircomp.

I have a Hairball Rev F (1176) and Audioscape Opto (LA2A). None of my plugins sound as great as they do, but that's because of the color (transformers, tubes). Compressionwise, I can use a plugin and be happy.