Taperssection.com
Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: AT853rxwh on April 27, 2004, 09:32:46 AM
-
Has anyone tried using the Really Nice Compressor from FMR? All of the recordings that I have heard with it sound really decent and seems to balance out the dynamic range a bit... (I know I am going to get slammed by the purists :o) But I don't like having to turn my stereo way up just to get blasted out of the room when it changes from very soft to very loud...
-
i dont use it in the field but i use it in the studio all the time. the situation you are talking about is exactly the situation where compression is great. I believe it is only AC powered, so using it in the field isnt an option, but a great box. FMR makes nice inexpensive stuff. You would pay at least as much for that box as you would for a behringer equivalent and with the FMR you get a much better sounding unit.
-
I was completely blown away with the sound quality and thought that it would really be a great addition. Ack... Just found the power requirements, 9VAC
Hmmm... Need to email FMR and see if it runs dc internally...
-
(I know I am going to get slammed by the purists :o) But I don't like having to turn my stereo way up just to get blasted out of the room when it changes from very soft to very loud...
Minor diversion: IMO screw the purists if you like it ;D
(And I agree, after my ears grew up on commercial recordings, a DAT rig can just have too much dynamic range sometimes. . .)
Sloan
-
(I know I am going to get slammed by the purists :o) But I don't like having to turn my stereo way up just to get blasted out of the room when it changes from very soft to very loud...
Minor diversion: IMO screw the purists if you like it ;D
(And I agree, after my ears grew up on commercial recordings, a DAT rig can just have too much dynamic range sometimes. . .)
Sloan
The cool thing about this one is the Really Nice Mode(?) That brings up the low stuff to wherever you set it, and clamps on the top so you don't clip, but it sounds extremely smooth...
-
That does sound like it would be, um, Really Nice :P
Sloan
-
That does sound like it would be, um, Really Nice :P
Sloan
Ok so the setting name is lame, (actually it is supernice)
So what is SuperNice™ mode?
A COOL TECHNIQUE
A clever technique to reduce compression artifacts is the use of multiple compressors cascaded serially:
(http://www.fmraudio.com/images/supernice_illustration.gif)
In this way, none of the individual compressors has to work quite as hard as they would if there was only one compressor doing the same amount of gain reduction. If things are properly adjusted, you can accomplish a good level of signal control without the usual "choked" sound of the typical lone compressor. By the way, this technique works well with almost any type/brand of compressor(s). Try it with the other compressors in your rack!
WHEN YOU DANCE TO THE TUNE...
There are downsides to using multiple compressors in your rack to achieve this artifact reduction: 1. Lotsa Compressors: For each source, you have to dedicate a number of compressors. Most of us already don't have enough compressors to go around, let alone dedicating 2 or 3 (or more) compressors per track.
2. Lotsa Experience/Patience Required: It takes a lot of experience with compressors to know how to adjust each compressor's settings to achieve the end result. It's already difficult for many of us to set up a single compressor, much less multiple units for just one source.
3. Lotsa Noise: Many compressors, particularly some of the "vintage" ones, don't have very good noise floors. This becomes even more problematic when you want to cascade multiple units.
INSIDE THE RNC
We considered both the upside and downside while developing the RNC's cascaded-compressor mode, called the SuperNice™ mode. SuperNice mode provides three compressors in series, giving you the advantages of multiple-unit compression without the listed problems: 1. The Lotsa Compressors problem: By creating special sidechain electronics, we're able to triple the compressors in one box without tripling the cost or space. And think about how much you'll save on patch cables!
2. The Lotsa Experience/Patience Required problem: Even though it still takes some time to get used to the novel aspects of SuperNice mode, it takes much less time than trying to dial up 5 parameters on 3 separate compressors! To some extent, we've spent the time for you by testing, trying and tweaking the RNC SuperNice mode on a multitude of different sources over a long period of time with many different music styles and recording engineers. The result is the current balance of the 3 SuperNice mode compressors in the RNC.
3. The Lotsa Noise problem: Again, due to the special sidechain electronics, we're able to triple the compressors in one box without tripling the noise.
SO...?
The best part is: it works great! Spend some time working with SuperNice mode and you'll find yourself using it more and more for vocals, clean guitars, or your program bus.