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Anyone have any actual experience with a hardware compressor on lots of sub and bass frequencies. I know that the API 2500 has a nice thrust circuit feature that should be able to handle low frequencies well but im not sure how the circuitry would respond to really grimey sounding stuff in regards to coloration.

The A designs Nail seems like it might also be good for dubstep since it does have the Hard threshold feature which would allow you to only compress the loudest parts.. but then again it wont really add color it is mostly just for dynamics control. Ive used plenty of 1176's and la2a's but i have never had a chance to run anything grimey through them but I don't think they would do well at all.


Summary: anyone using hardware comps on dubstep- if so what and what is good and bad about it.

yeah i use a tla c1 and i also have a joemeek optical thing and some random compressor known to me only as 'compressor'

the rogue compressor doesnt get much use other than for the odd bit of parallel compression and the joemeek i dont use much either for some reason - its ridiculously transparent though, sometimes to the point where im not sure if its working - which i find slightly disconcerting, possibly why i dont use it much.

the tla gets more use than the others - although it does slightly damage the subs - i think its cause its a tube thing though. if you eq it up again its fine. tbh im generally more inclined to use it on drums, or stuff like vocals though. its pretty good as a preamp too, brightens things up quite nicely - but thats a different story.

The API's thrust circuit is designed to make it ignore bass

Unless you have it on normal, of course

Just got a hardware comp today. Will let you know whats what. Unfortunately took cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride about a half hour before it arrived, and I can now barely stand up. This is the most horrifying type of frustration. I just want to get this thing wired up, and just start compressing the fuck out of EVERYTHING muhahahaha!

macc wrote:The API's thrust circuit is designed to make it ignore bass

Unless you have it on normal, of course

yes I could see that being very useful for just compressing the lower midrange and not the sub frequencies which imo start to sound bad when overcompressed.

macc wrote:The API's thrust circuit is designed to make it ignore bass

Unless you have it on normal, of course

Could you ask "Ben Subvert"? some sound samples would be really really cool as well... we could do a hardware vs. plugin test with it as well.

hmmmmmm... not quite sure what you're looking for. are you looking to compress low end, or leave it be and get it huge in the mix?

In the case of #2, yeah-- the api2500 thrust circuit is essentially a HPF, so you can squash things above a certain level,but leave your low end huge-- and not forcing out other sounds. I believe the Alan Smart C2 does the same, and the distressor has a built-in HPF as well.

Sharmaji wrote:hmmmmmm... not quite sure what you're looking for. are you looking to compress low end, or leave it be and get it huge in the mix?

In the case of #2, yeah-- the api2500 thrust circuit is essentially a HPF, so you can squash things above a certain level,but leave your low end huge-- and not forcing out other sounds. I believe the Alan Smart C2 does the same, and the distressor has a built-in HPF as well.

Exactly, however I think the c2 sounds a little boring and Im not a huge fan of the distressor-- but I have never heard either of these used on very heavy bass so I really don't know what to expect...

mmplisskin wrote: Could you ask "Ben Subvert"? some sound samples would be really really cool as well... we could do a hardware vs. plugin test with it as well.

He brought it to my studio over the weekend - it doesn't sound too much like the plugin to me to be honest, and I know that plugin pretty well.

I bought one before he'd even left to go home, it will be here next week

If I get time I'll do some samples, though there are plenty (!) of examples on gearslutz.