mdc wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 3:32 pm I bought a couple of prosumer grade hardware compressors, watch out.

FMR RNLA

Joemeek C2

I've done a couple of drum recordings with both of these now, just sort of 'on but not doing much' and I like 'em.

I know that compressing on the way in is a faux pas in the digital age, but honestly I think I'm a fan. My recording setup is a pair of drawmer 1960s, the 8 mic pres built into a pair of RME FF800s, and a pair of symmetrix 302s. Tracked drums yesterday with 12 mics and put a stereo pair of monoprice ribbons through the RNLA and a stereo pair of cheapo MXL V69s through one of the meeks. Pretty low ratio (maybe 2 or 3:1) with the lights barely flicking on, and I like what they're doing to the recordings versus drums tracked in a similar setup without the compression happening on the way in. I'm sure it'd be easy to mimic it with a plugin but I'm happy to save the step I guess.

Also, I just got both of the Drawmers serviced and they sound great. I know people kinda hate on those things but they do really nice things to kick drums IMO. Ran kick in and kick out through one, and a heart mic and 635a room / mono / smash through the other.

mdc wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:13 pm I know that compressing on the way in is a faux pas in the digital age, but honestly I think I'm a fan.

A little off topic but I still push for this methodology as well. If you know you want and like something, do it as soon in the process as possible, vs. having 20 things to remember at mixing, in addition to all the other things that will come up in between then.

Soo micro reviews: can't spend real money right now but I did throw a $5 set of D'addario Nashville gauge strings (thanks for the tip PRF) on a guitar I don't play much and they are a ton of fun. Makes you feel like a speed demon playing on teenie weenie strings too.

Kniferide wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:49 pm

jfv wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:19 pm

Kniferide wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 12:46 pm I got a little tipsy the other night

(off-topic)

My hit/miss ratio on buying things while drunk is actually pretty good. Typically, it's stuff I really want but might have some trouble justifying the cost or having to explain it to my wife. Anyway, very few regrets on these purchases...!

I would say the same. It's usually stuff i'm curious enough to buy but just haven't pulled the trigger on. I had saved up a grand to buy a new guitar and couldn't decide what to buy. Languished on the decision for like a year, then, BOOM.... Tequilla!!! And now I have a Guild that I love.

Haven't done it in a while, but usually that's when I'll make a really lowball offer on something, and then wake up the next day and it's been accepted. Pretty sure I bought like three guitars while living in Chicago this way (though I think I ended up selling all three for more than I paid so that's something at least).

tallchris wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:55 pm

Kniferide wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:49 pm

jfv wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:19 pm

(off-topic)

My hit/miss ratio on buying things while drunk is actually pretty good. Typically, it's stuff I really want but might have some trouble justifying the cost or having to explain it to my wife. Anyway, very few regrets on these purchases...!

I would say the same. It's usually stuff i'm curious enough to buy but just haven't pulled the trigger on. I had saved up a grand to buy a new guitar and couldn't decide what to buy. Languished on the decision for like a year, then, BOOM.... Tequilla!!! And now I have a Guild that I love.

Haven't done it in a while, but usually that's when I'll make a really lowball offer on something, and then wake up the next day and it's been accepted. Pretty sure I bought like three guitars while living in Chicago this way (though I think I ended up selling all three for more than I paid so that's something at least).

same

I like tracking with just a a couple db compression at peaks too, though I do it with bass, vocals, and clean guitar that I want a subtle effect on. Besides the compression effect itself, sometimes the compressor like a LA-22 just makes a track sound good.

Personally when I started recording at home I just decided that if I was going to have to rely on plugins I just didn’t want to do it at all, so I’ve got one nice compressor and a few channels of cheaper FMR stuff which can seem a little boring until it becomes the best thing in the world when it really works.

I’ve never used them (or recorded professionally) but the Drawmer 1960s were used on a bunch of great records. They had like eight of ‘em on mid to late Royal Trux productions and they were on a bunch of good Will Oldham records too. People talk shit on them but the results kind of speak for themselves: https://tapeop.com/searches/407177/

mdc wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:13 pm

mdc wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 3:32 pm I bought a couple of prosumer grade hardware compressors, watch out.

FMR RNLA

Joemeek C2

I've done a couple of drum recordings with both of these now, just sort of 'on but not doing much' and I like 'em.

I know that compressing on the way in is a faux pas in the digital age, but honestly I think I'm a fan. My recording setup is a pair of drawmer 1960s, the 8 mic pres built into a pair of RME FF800s, and a pair of symmetrix 302s. Tracked drums yesterday with 12 mics and put a stereo pair of monoprice ribbons through the RNLA and a stereo pair of cheapo MXL V69s through one of the meeks. Pretty low ratio (maybe 2 or 3:1) with the lights barely flicking on, and I like what they're doing to the recordings versus drums tracked in a similar setup without the compression happening on the way in. I'm sure it'd be easy to mimic it with a plugin but I'm happy to save the step I guess.

Also, I just got both of the Drawmers serviced and they sound great. I know people kinda hate on those things but they do really nice things to kick drums IMO. Ran kick in and kick out through one, and a heart mic and 635a room / mono / smash through the other.

Honestly, I think a lot of the 1960s bad rap comes from that extremely-online Fletcher guy from mercenary. Pretty sure some of Loveless was tracked through one, or if nothing else they have them in their FOH rack. So, that's good enough for me.

I got two of them super cheap from a studio that was closing down here in Toronto, but both needed quite a lot of service. I took them to a local tech who's worked on them a bunch and got them recapped, the ICs upgraded, the power supplies fussed over a little bit and they really sound great on drums. I'm curious about swapping out the stock tubes at some point, which he strongly recommended, but honestly they sound fine as-is to my ape ears. Tubes are really expensive these days, huh?

I thought I might be having issues with one of the C2s so I pulled it out of the rack in my rehearsal space and brought it home (seems fine, must've just been a loose cable or something), but ran a bunch of random stuff through it just to play with it a bit. These are cool boxes, if you find one reasonably cheap you should grab it. It's neither as fast nor as aggressive as the FMR stuff, but it has this sweet spot where you dial it back a notch from the point where you're audibly hearing compression and it's just adding some something that's really pleasant.

mdc wrote: Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:06 am Honestly, I think a lot of the 1960s bad rap comes from that extremely-online Fletcher guy from mercenary.

haha.. oh yes: the very early 2000s recording message board phenomenon of 'who the fuck is this guy and why am I taking their opinion seriously.' I never did learn who mixerman was but I'm sure they're D-list at best..

mdc wrote: Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:06 am Honestly, I think a lot of the 1960s bad rap comes from that extremely-online Fletcher guy from mercenary. Pretty sure some of Loveless was tracked through one, or if nothing else they have them in their FOH rack. So, that's good enough for me.

That guy (who seems nice enough) was like the overlord of the 00's Gear Sluts cult at the peak of their intensity. Like people's signatures had their vocal signal chain. Like every opinion shared needed to be qualified with:

Telefunken U47 - Neve 1073 - Tube tech - Pultech - 1176. Rev b (refurbished by Frank Langmoore pre-Signal Lickers buy out).

It's a trip now. There are entire threads dedicated to various opinions of how little the gear matters.

penningtron wrote: Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:23 am haha.. oh yes: the very early 2000s recording message board phenomenon of 'who the fuck is this guy and why am I taking their opinion seriously.' I never did learn who mixerman was but I'm sure they're D-list at best..

Yeah Fletcher was a guy who never actually made a record, as far as I know.

Mixerman is Eric Serafin.....I cracked open his book again not long ago and was immediately turned off, like Fletcher it's very of that early 00s era.

When I bought those 1960s I was remembering the whole mercenary audio thing and was surprised to see that it had shut down at some point. Some light googling revealed that the fletcher dude now runs a brewpub somewhere outside Boston.