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chrislieck « Great Plug In »
Published on 09/25/12 at 21:26We use this compressor all day at our facility. I like it as a second compressor in the chain. It does have a harsh compression and I use it on everything again, as a secondary compression. I like this unit for more of a limiter use opening the attack up to let the sound hit initially and then grab it with a light 3:1 to 4:1 ratio. My students all use this in their audio classes and love it. It can sound a bit harsh if you over compress or use a hard hitting snare drum or kick drum. I think it sounds a bit loose at about 50hz on Kick and does not tighten the kick but rather over compress the sound and make it a bit colored. To avoid this just pick the right instrumentation to use this compressor on. Use it for vocals and you can start with the presets the factory sends when you purchase. It is a bit to compressed but it is a good starting point and should be good for you to get a basic idea of how this compressor works and how much gain reduction you can use without sounding to effected.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
It works great and has not issues with any playback engine issues. I have used it for years and it works flawlessly. I use on IMAC, LAPTOP, DUAL LAPTOP, QUAD LAPTOPS. If you are running about 32 or more of these it can bog a slower PC or Dual Mac or IMAC down a bit but in that case use it on a group or an aux send and return. I use group compression for my room mics so that I don't bog down the processor if I am having any problems with latency or if I am not running on an HD system. I find it stable and only if I am on a slow computer does it have any issues at all. I like using the attack more than I use the threshold. The attack is smooth and is really quick to grab the signal but not in an obtrusive way and not in a way that you can hear like a bomb factory 1176. I like the fact that these come with the install pack but I do think that it is best used with other compressors not alone. I don't use this plug in just solo rather I use it in conjunction with others. I normally pull this up in conjunction with a Bomb Factory or the SSL and I use this for more of a limiter rather than my main compressor as when you hit it with level it can sound a bit processed.
OVERALL OPINION
I like it and it comes standard with any pro tools bundle for free. I don't think you will find a better compressor as an included compressor. Like I said above I think that if you want to use as a limiter not as your primary compressor then you will love it as the second in the chain. I like this unit but it is not my main compressor when it comes to vocals or snare. I do use it some times on my bus sections but I do not use it all on the master fader. I have some students that put this on their masters and that is not a good idea it is not a stereo buss compressor.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
It works great and has not issues with any playback engine issues. I have used it for years and it works flawlessly. I use on IMAC, LAPTOP, DUAL LAPTOP, QUAD LAPTOPS. If you are running about 32 or more of these it can bog a slower PC or Dual Mac or IMAC down a bit but in that case use it on a group or an aux send and return. I use group compression for my room mics so that I don't bog down the processor if I am having any problems with latency or if I am not running on an HD system. I find it stable and only if I am on a slow computer does it have any issues at all. I like using the attack more than I use the threshold. The attack is smooth and is really quick to grab the signal but not in an obtrusive way and not in a way that you can hear like a bomb factory 1176. I like the fact that these come with the install pack but I do think that it is best used with other compressors not alone. I don't use this plug in just solo rather I use it in conjunction with others. I normally pull this up in conjunction with a Bomb Factory or the SSL and I use this for more of a limiter rather than my main compressor as when you hit it with level it can sound a bit processed.
OVERALL OPINION
I like it and it comes standard with any pro tools bundle for free. I don't think you will find a better compressor as an included compressor. Like I said above I think that if you want to use as a limiter not as your primary compressor then you will love it as the second in the chain. I like this unit but it is not my main compressor when it comes to vocals or snare. I do use it some times on my bus sections but I do not use it all on the master fader. I have some students that put this on their masters and that is not a good idea it is not a stereo buss compressor.
