Ableton Forum

Does the compressor in live add any coloration or warmth? I'm wondering if it reproduces the subtle 2nd order harmonic distortion that you get from valve compressors.

put a sine wave in, put Spectrum on the output and look for the harmonics.

Thanks for the tip. I tried that but for some reason it seems that my sine isn't coming out clean. Every synthesizer I used put out colored sine tones (on top of my laptop's background noise). And it seems I don't have a sine sample in my Live folders (I was pretty sure there was supposed to be a sine sample in there, but I seem to be missing it). So it's kind of hard to tell if the compressor is introducing any harmonics.

good idea tone.. I'd recommend 'Dynamic tube'/'Vinyl Distortion'/'Overdrive'/'Saturator'/'erosion'/'resonators' before or after for harmonics...a digital compressor shouldn't typically 'create' harmonics .. it's used for dynamics

unless it's a physically modelled compressor such as UAD's compressors based on vintage analogue gear or the Waves CLA/JJP/SSL/API packages, which attempt to model the analogue characteristics.

However, they are never going to totally recapture the non linearity of circuit breakdown, harmonic distortions etc, they give you a little of the flavour though.

the "test tone" plugin from this effect pack provides a clean, tuneable sine:

http://mda.smartelectronix.com/

Running static signals through a compressor tells you very little about the sound though. also, compression will always introduce harmonics to a certain degree, "analog modeled" or not, as it is a non-linear process. I would always jugde by listening. If it sounds good it is good.

The algos of Live's compressor are tuned towards preventing distortion, which makes it a rather clean sounding comp. You can hardly make it gnarl by using short release times. The behaviour at short release times usually tells what kind of "sound" the programmer was after when creating the effect.

Thanks for the tips and advice everyone. Any more compressor recommendations for 130 BPMish house drums? I'm looking to get a warm subtle pumping effect that can add something to the groove. I tried the Sonalksis SV-315 and liked how it felt, but I found it to be a bit limited from a practical point of view. The shortest release time was 50ms and the limiter let some clicky peaks through.

@ Bunky Freaks: Thanks for the tone plugin, I'll check it out next time I run live. I realize a tone is a bad signal for compression tests, but I remember reading that the harmonics are introduced because of some electrons vibrating at twice their normal frequency in the valve circuitry (or something along those lines). So I figured if the compressor is analog modeled that those distortions should be apparent regardless of the signal you put in, I might be wrong though. And thanks for pointing out that Live's comp is transparent.

Audio Damage Rough Rider and Stillwell Audio's Rocket Compressor.

lovely.

UKRuss wrote:Audio Damage Rough Rider and Stillwell Audio's Rocket Compressor.

lovely.

I actually found the RoughRider very plastic sounding, so wouldnt advise it for 'warmth' (imo atleast).

rough rider is great for 'pumping' fx..
you guys should really stop using the term 'warmth'... it's a hollow word which means absolutely nothing in the audio context.(...highly subjective)

i can highly recommend cytomics the glue. sounds definetly different than lives own compressor. i use it a lot when i need an other flavour. have a look: http://www.cytomic.com/products
in the specifications it says: "The Glue features the same circuit modeling techniques use in professional circuit simulation packages but optimised for real time use. The signal flow structure including all feedback loops and useful non-linearities of the original circuit has been preserved. The algorithm uses actual values for resistors, capacitors, diodes, and other circuit components. The voltages and currents are solved in real time and match as closely as possible to the analog circuit in both the time and frequency domains."
try it out and decide for yourself because it is a matter of personal taste to find the right compression plugin. cheers! alex

A very fast (regarding release AND attack) compressor plugin is the mpressor model from Elysia. Can be either clean or dirty. especially goes into tasty saturation when the output is cranked. In my experience it sounds good on many different sources.

I also quite like the Syrah dynamic shaper from Flux. Its rather clean but retains punch even when driven hot and squashing dynamic material. With its lookahead its easy to slam drums without destroying them.

I personally don't like the ableton compressor at all. I dont get it to make my sounds sound better, but that just my personal opinion. I know that many use it successfully and like it.

With compressors its hard to make generalizations, as their sound heavily depends on the material you feed into them and on your mixing strategy. There is no way around trying them on your own material and hear if they help you to achieve the sound you are looking for. Prepare for an endless search

As you can CLEARLY see, the Sonalksis SV315mkII does not limit release time to 50ms ....It can also go down to 0.5 ms attack and below the -20dB threshold of many modelled plugins based on vintage gear.

It is IMHO the most versatile comp out there, sounds great as it has analogue physical modelling, and the LIMITER section is a bonus, if you set the fast limit function on, nothing passes the threshold unless you have some seriously out of control random transient bursts which are also super quick. The crush function is also superb, it's the best comp around for electric guitars and drums IMHO, including UAD, Sonnox, Waves, etc.

I also endorse Cytomic The Glue, although I prefer it for buss compression or NY Compression.

Jeroen Breebart's Red Phatt Pro is another really good buss/NY compressor.

leedsquietman wrote:
As you can CLEARLY see, the Sonalksis SV315mkII does not limit release time to 50ms ....It can also go down to 0.5 ms attack and below the -20dB threshold of many modelled plugins based on vintage gear.

It is IMHO the most versatile comp out there, sounds great as it has analogue physical modelling, and the LIMITER section is a bonus, if you set the fast limit function on, nothing passes the threshold unless you have some seriously out of control random transient bursts which are also super quick. The crush function is also superb, it's the best comp around for electric guitars and drums IMHO, including UAD, Sonnox, Waves, etc.

I also endorse Cytomic The Glue, although I prefer it for buss compression or NY Compression.

Jeroen Breebart's Red Phatt Pro is another really good buss/NY compressor.

I agree that it sounds great. The drum beat I tested it on did indeed have some claps with sharp transients (which came through the limiter even with "fast" switched on), but it doesn't really concern me that much since there are a thousand ways to fix that .

And thanks to everyone for the recommendations, I'll make sure to try them all out.

I thought I should add that I'm looking for a compressor to process my drums as a whole, not to compress individual drums.

Then the Sonalksis, Cytomic The Glue, DDMF NY Compressor, Jeroen Breebart Red Phatt Pro, or Variety Of Sound (Bootsy's plugins) Density mkII are all good candidates.