Home Studio Recording Limiter

[lowlow42]

Hi, I'm sure a few will recognize me from past posts on a home recording studio. Well... I recieved much help on what to buy (mixer, soundcard, microphone...). Now I would like to ask for anybody's advice on a "Limiter/Compressor". What is a basic limiter, that is good quality, and yet affordable? Any help is appreciated.

Oh, and if anyone has a link to online help for Adobe Audition, that would help me out alot too.

Thanks...

[Forum Troll]

Isn't Audition just Cool Edit Pro 2, just with a different name? I would surmise that anything for CEP would work just as well in Audition.

[energy80s]

Check out Behringer products. Cheap and cheerful compressor/limiters for under a hundred quid.

[lowlow42]

Isn't Audition just Cool Edit Pro 2, just with a different name? I would surmise that anything for CEP would work just as well in Audition.

Ok...

Check out Behringer products. Cheap and cheerful compressor/limiters for under a hundred quid.

Is there any specific ones that would be better for me? And are they pretty easy to get the hang of? Because I'm sort of a newbie when it comes to these things, and all the knobs and switches seem very confusing...

[Jester700]

The best comp/limiter under $200 is the "really nice compressor" by FMR. I have 2 of them, and they are smoother than the Behringer & Alesis cheapos. But they're stereo units, not dual mono. You can affect one signal or a stereo pair, but not 2 separate channels.

[lowlow42]

Does it have RCA inputs, or 1/4" inputs or what? Whats the need for 2 of them though? And last, is there a specific model? (If so, would you happen to have a link?)

[lowlow42]

...? Well also, another question:

If the compressor automatically raises and lowers the volume, then on the mixer, I guess I just set it to "0"?

Also, if there's a link on how to use the knobs on a compressor that I could recieve, I'd appreciate it...

[gshelley61]

A compressor reduces the dynamic range. That is, it increases the volume of soft passages and decreases volume during loud passages.

Compressors have adjustments for the overall compression (dynamic range reduction) effect, the attack (how quickly the compressor responds to and applies the effect when source volume levels occur that trigger it) and the decay (how quick or how long it takes for the effect of compression to be reduced when the source volume returns to normal). There are additional controls on pro units that allow the user to customize the compression effect even further.

Most pop and rock music recordings are highly compressed to maintain impact and presence, especially on vocals. Classical music recordings are usually just the opposite... a very wide dynamic range (the difference between the loudest and softest passages) is preferred.

A limiter prevents a pre-set maximum volume level from being exceeded.

[lowlow42]

Ohhhh, Ok I see what your saying. But, a limiter is built into a compressor unit right? So, what would I set my mixer to, "0", right? Because the compressor/limiter will always keep it a "normal" volume level right?

[gshelley61]

Your mixer should have a an input attenuator or pad that allows you to pre-set the max input level for that channel so as not to clip or overdrive (distort). The output slider is simply a volume control for that channel. Set it where it sounds right in the mix, but don't clip or overdrive the output, either.

[lowlow42]

Your mixer should have a an input attenuator or pad that allows you to pre-set the max input level for that channel so as not to clip or overdrive (distort). The output slider is simply a volume control for that channel. Set it where it sounds right in the mix, but don't clip or overdrive the output, either.

Yeah, but I was talking about the Master Volume. I know what you're saying though.

Now I just need to know of a decent compressor/limiter, that will get the job done for a good price.

[davefx]

compression can take years to master. there is a lot of different "colors" of compression. depending on what you want to do with a compressor is kind of necessary here to help you choose one.


i'll second the RNC because it does sound good, and is easy for a novice to adjust. your probably going to want the stereo linked feature if your working with 2-track "for tv" audio.

my favorite cheap compressor is the presonus acp-22. it can sound very "cold", or "warm", and can be extreme in its gain reduction without "dive-bombing". i paid $450 for mine, but i think they are much less now.

another easy to use compressor is the behringer composer PRO. make sure you get the PRO and not the non pro. this has a limiter built in after the compressor. not all compressors have this, in fact hardly any good ones do (while quite useful, the behringer compressors are NOT "good" compressors.) i have several i use for rock bands and they are great for that. they have no real "color" though.

any mid priced DBX compressor is decent. 160 series are not cheap but are good. DBX compression sounds a bit "fuzzy" to me, good on bass guitar and male vocals, not suited for flutes or soprano singers imho. "ok" for tv signals.

but for working with DVD's and such, i usually use software compression, mostly waves and bombfactory in protools. C4 , L1 are extremely good.


after using hardware compressors for many years, i find more often than not that they are better used to "color" a signal rather than "set and forget" the level. they do even out the signal and they all have artifacts (some good, some bad) its these artifacts that make the individual compressors unique and cool sounding.

for already mixed signals such as tv shows/movies you'd be best off with the RNC or a multiband limiter.

[lowlow42]

So for male vocals, I should probably use DBX or Behringer? I'm not looking to use for anything else but recording vocals, so whatever one fits vocals the best is what I'll end up choosing.

[davefx]

i have found these to be quite good at vocals


although the composer pro is also good.


the dbx i have pictured is a single channel unit.

although i have to recommend the presonus over either of these

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[Jester700]

The model name is just that - RNC or "really nice compressor". It has 1/4" connections, balanced or unbalanced. It's nice because it's designed to be "clean" - to not impart a color on the sound. Sometimes you DO want to color it, but not from a *first* or *only* comp.

I have 2 because in a live situation you may need them. Actually, I need more but at this point I'm looking for a different flavor, so the next one might be a DBX.

The manual gives a concise idea of compression, but you should do plenty of online reading because they're really not meant for "set & forget" with respect to LEVELS. It's more to do with SOUND (from a comp) or avoiding overload (from a limiter).

[lowlow42]

Oh... ok. Well this weekend I plan on visiting an Audio Shop about 25 minutes away from where I live called "Brents Music Headquarters". So hopefully they can sit down and show me all the features and what-not of the compressors they have in stock. A teacher of mine (TV Productions Course) recommended me purchasing an Alesis compressor. I'm not sure the specific model, but still... is Alesis a pretty good name brand? Anyhow, I will definitely get into detail with a person that works at the shop, and I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks for everybody's help!!!

[Jester700]

The Alesis is cheap; that's it's only claim to fame. The comp has ALL the knobs, features, and lights... and it sounds like crap. If you want to stay around $100, get the Behringer. It's no RNC, but it's usable.

[lowlow42]

Alright, chances are that I might spend the extra hundred to get the RNC, because it seems to be "Really Nice".

[lowlow42]

I went to an audio shop today to just get information. I didn't buy anything. But I will be going tomorrow again if I decide to buy the compressor the man had recommended to me.

It was the Behringer Autocom. Link (http://www.behringer.com/MDX1600/index.cfm?lang=ENG)

He said he used it in his own recording studio, and it works GREAT. I told him I didnt want anything fancy, only something very basic. It was only $100.

So, what do you guys think?

[lowlow42]

Well... I went back today and bought it today. It seems like it works good, although I dont know the first thing to do in order to set it up to work. I've read the instructions over and over, but I still dont get it. I guess you must just naturally know this type of information or something. If someone could help me out with this, it'd be appreciated GREATLY!

Its the Behringer Autocom PRO-XL MDX1600. http://www.behringer.com/MDX1600/index.cfm?lang=ENG

[lowlow42]

... Well I tried playing with the settings from tips from people and on the internet, and nothing is working. I set my threshold to "0", ratio to 3:1. The attack & release to "Auto" (just to see if it works). The output to "0", peak limiter to "0", Dynamic Enhancer to "0" and Expander/Gate to "off". (The channels are set to "couple".)

When I do this, there is still sound going into the red (clipping) when I monitor the volume levels on my computer.

Whats the problem???
Here's a picture http://www.behringer.com//MDX1600/MDX1600_big.jpg

P.S. ...And Yes, It Is On...