Cheap hardware compressor Vs Live digital compressor

[filter_7]

I'm looking at the BEHRINGER MDX2600 that seems useful and cheap for enhance the mix. My question is if hardware it's always better than digital compressing/fx manipulation.
Without tests I would say yes, but I would like to hear your experience with that or other Behringer stuff used to give your final touch to the production.

What hardware to buy to jump on a better audio mix quality?

[Stromkraft]

My question is if hardware it's always better than digital compressing/fx manipulation.

That's a very wide field. Unless you mean compression on input, you'd have to take into account converting audio to from digital to analog and back. That will involve a quality loss. Possibly a benign treatment would be worth it, but quality losses can't be completely disregarded either.

Another factor is that you'll have to print effects in order to use the hardware on more tracks.

A skilled producer is the decisive factor in music production. Specific skills, not specific tools but knowledge about the tools used and applying them.

It certainly can't be said that hardware is always better, especially cheap hardware. That said hardware have advantages. The important question is what the advantages may mean to your music in practice.


I understand the interest in analogue summing boxes. I bought Waves NLS instead. It takes me close enough to what I need.

[Richie Witch]

Stormkraft makes some excellent points. The conversion from digital to audio and back to digital isn't without some risk. If you really want to use hardware, ask yourself if you can use it earlier in your workflow. For example, recording through that compressor will make your changes/improvements to the audio signal before it gets converted in your interface.

The other good point is that regardless of price or quality, a capable engineer knows how to get the sound they're looking with the available gear. Rumor has it that Swedish House Mafia used the Alesis 3630 compressor extensively to create "their sound", a compressor that many people consider a complete piece of junk.

[TomViolenz]

Stormkraft makes some excellent points. The conversion from digital to audio and back to digital isn't without some risk. If you really want to use hardware, ask yourself if you can use it earlier in your workflow. For example, recording through that compressor will make your changes/improvements to the audio signal before it gets converted in your interface.

The other good point is that regardless of price or quality, a capable engineer knows how to get the sound they're looking with the available gear. Rumor has it that Swedish House Mafia used the Alesis 3630 compressor extensively to create "their sound", a compressor that many people consider a complete piece of junk.

Well to be fair, many would consider the music from Swedish House Mafia junk as well

[filter_7]

Interesting points guys. Maybe recording the compressed signal can be a solution, and it's sure that I need to test better some plugins for what i need, before to buy hardware.
A top class plugin is another good solution because the result that I have in my mind is the point.

In general I notice an excessive presence of bass frequencies in my mix, that I need to glue better with the entire track.
There is not an all-in-one box for that, but let me know what is your favourite treatment for it.

[TomViolenz]

have you played with multi band compression?!

[filter_7]

have you played with multi band compression?!

Yes, I have it in my master tracks. Sometimes it's very effective with a good sound.

[antarktika]

The other good point is that regardless of price or quality, a capable engineer knows how to get the sound they're looking with the available gear. Rumor has it that Swedish House Mafia used the Alesis 3630 compressor extensively to create "their sound", a compressor that many people consider a complete piece of junk.

Well to be fair, many would consider the music from Swedish House Mafia junk as well

right? not really the best example if "your sound" is the pumping House sound, and the compressor you use is the one legendary for its over-the-top pumping. They're not exactly coaxing exceptional results out of budget compressor, they are using the cheap compressor that is famous for it's pumping sound to make House.

[sounddevisor]

...BEHRINGER MDX2600 that seems useful... [to] ...enhance the mix. My question is if hardware it's always better than digital...

What hardware to buy to jump on a better audio mix quality?

As some other posters have pointed out, there's a pretty wide range of sound you might be looking for from highly-colored to transparent. Also, I'm not sure from the question if you're looking for a 2-bus compressor that you would use across the output of your final mix, or if you want a (or several) channel(s) of compression to use on individual tracks (i.e. kick, snare, vocal, etc.)

If it's a 2-bus compressor, there might be some funky cheap devices out there that do a very cool, specific thing (like the Alesis 3630 mentioned above). Maybe the Behringer does some cool thing like that. But I would say, as an extremely rough rule of thumb, you'd probably need to spend at least $500 per channel to get hardware compression that is better than a good software compressor. Once you factor in the multiple DA-AD conversions, you want to be sure you're really getting something good out of all that converting. Even the built-in compressors in Live can give you a great mix - Glue is an excellent 2-bus compressor.

[Stromkraft]

Well to be fair, many would consider the music from Swedish House Mafia junk as well

right? … they are using the cheap compressor that is famous for it's pumping sound to make House.

I disagree that SHM made House music. At least in 2012 DJ Mag listed one of their tracks as "trance". The rest is possibly EDM, what ever that is. I'd think DJ Mag know their genres.

And they're not alone thinking this:

"The Swedish House Mafia is not house.They're making cheesy pop trance and infusing it into big rooms and festivals and calling it house music"

--DJ Dan on Gimmenoise blog

You can make any processor "pump" and SHM certainly didn't invent pumping compressors. So what they use is beside the point unless you want to mimic their sound. That should take about 5 minutes.

[Stromkraft]

In general I notice an excessive presence of bass frequencies in my mix, that I need to glue better with the entire track.
There is not an all-in-one box for that, but let me know what is your favourite treatment for it.

I typically get unbalanced and bass rich recordings from one of my music partners (Juno-60 and Tempest). I use Waves C4 plus EQ8 to tame that. Typically I don't need side chaining for that but if I do I use Envelope Follower and connect that to create automation of the parameters of the plug-in.

[filter_7]

I typically get unbalanced and bass rich recordings from one of my music partners (Juno-60 and Tempest). I use Waves C4 plus EQ8 to tame that. Typically I don't need side chaining for that but if I do I use Envelope Follower and connect that to create automation of the parameters of the plug-in.

Good tip; in fact the lows are from my external synths too.

Also, I'm not sure from the question if you're looking for a 2-bus compressor that you would use across the output of your final mix, or if you want a (or several) channel(s) of compression to use on individual tracks (i.e. kick, snare, vocal, etc.)

My need is for the output, to glue the whole thing. I would like to find 'my' sound, not necessarily a 'professional producer' result. So your advice for a software solution would be maybe better in my case since I can try different plugs and combination, instead of doing the same with hardware(s).

[TomViolenz]

The other good point is that regardless of price or quality, a capable engineer knows how to get the sound they're looking with the available gear. Rumor has it that Swedish House Mafia used the Alesis 3630 compressor extensively to create "their sound", a compressor that many people consider a complete piece of junk.

Well to be fair, many would consider the music from Swedish House Mafia junk as well

right? not really the best example if "your sound" is the pumping House sound, and the compressor you use is the one legendary for its over-the-top pumping. They're not exactly coaxing exceptional results out of budget compressor, they are using the cheap compressor that is famous for it's pumping sound to make House.

Well, is there anything wrong with my statement that: "Many would consider the "music" of Swedish House Mafia utter garbage?!"


It's not like I'm saying that this is the fault of the comressor they use

[dna598]

you cant go wrong with a cheap dbx comp. I recommend trying one.