KVR Audio

DannyZ · Post by **DannyZ** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:08 am

Hi there,

In the last few weeks I was trying every compressor demo that I could find on an acoustic guitar track that is used in the super-heavily arranged song . Well so far, nothing really worked. Basically, I just want to smooth out (tighten up) some of the picks without destroying a very well recorded guitar. In the past I had very good results with DBX SL compressor and I was hoping to get something similar with a plug in compressor (or combination of plug ins). If anyone can suggest/recommend a good compressor plug in (under $200 US) and some settings that might work I would be forever grateful. I should mention that I’m not experienced with plug ins at all.

Thanks

bmanic · Post by **bmanic** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:32 am

Sonalksis Compressor, Voxengo Marquis, Kjaerhus Golden Compressor or Neodynium come to mind. Neodynium being the most flexible of these should probably suit your needs but you need to give it some time and learn how to use it.

Cheers!
bManic

PeterL · Post by **PeterL** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:57 pm

Voxengo Marquis is top notch for your needs.

JeffSanders · Post by **JeffSanders** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:01 pm

For acoustic guitars, the Voxengo Marquis/GlissEQ combo is fantastic.

Start with the "clean funk" preset on the Marquis and back off the threshold until you're hitting about 5-6 db of compression. Tweak your ratio and attack/release slightly according to track.

living sounds · Post by **living sounds** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 6:13 pm

I often use the UAD-1 1176 for this task, but unfortunately there's no way to demo it...

DannyZ · Post by **DannyZ** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:02 am

OK, I tried again Marquis but somehow it just didn't give the desired result. Although, after a hole night of twisting it around I've got say - it is super flexible and useful for some applications but not for what I'm doing. It took me only 10 min to get the sound I wanted with DBX SL...I know, I know it is hardware thingy and cost way more then Marquis but I was expecting a bit more... Anyhow, for now I'll stick with renting hardware compressors but I'll keep checking the plug-in scene as much as I can.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

kylen · Post by **kylen** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:23 am

DannyZ is the acoustic guitar mic'd or DI via a piezo pickup? I've got something I either have to remix or master where the acoustic guitar "piezo" sound is really irritating. The irritating part is the super-fast attack and sensitivity of the dam thing...argh.

Anyway - I was hoping to compare notes or pick up some info here. As far as I know Neodynium is the fastest of all the software compressors listed here. Faster than Marquis I believe. Maybe that's what I need...then again some EQs soften transients so maybe that's the trick.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:35 am

The Creamware Vinco is the closest I've heard to the 160 SL in plug-in form. The Sonalksis, UAD-1 1176LN, & Voxengo Marquis are also all great, the Sonalksis being the one that sits within your budget & will probably get the sound you're after the fastest.

Aleksey Vaneev · Post by **Aleksey Vaneev** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:32 am

DannyZ, what do you need exactly from your guitar track? You may send me an mp3 clip to info@voxengo.com and I'll try to make a preset - I'm just wondering what kind of sound do you expect you can't get from Marquis compressor. With enough experience I bet it's possible to get a suitable sound from Marquis in a minute. 'Suitable' is a key word - if you want Marquis to sound like some particular compressor probably you won't get that.

DannyZ · Post by **DannyZ** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 4:12 am

is the acoustic guitar mic'd or DI via a piezo pickup? I've got something I either have to remix or master where the acoustic guitar "piezo" sound is really irritating. The irritating part is the super-fast attack and sensitivity of the dam thing...argh

Yes, it did have a piezo pickup in addition to 4 more channels

It was tracked by somebody else (I was called in for the mixing part)and it did sound bigger then life. I'd say totally 3D experience. They used DPA mics, soundfield and some esoteric piezo pickup. The music was good and rich kind of flamenco/rock with some electronic stuff mixed in. I had to compress all guitar channels through DBX 160 with very fast attack and very fast release and then I also used Summit TLA-100A at the end of this chain with slow attack and slow release times to give it an additional compression...I had to bring out some of the quieter parts in those super fast flamenco riffs and at the same time to give it more focused sound within some very, very busy and yet tasteful arrangements. The task was accomplished. I’d like to try Aleksey’s compressor again and it would be nice if somebody can share any presets designed for an acoustic guitar picking styles. Also, would be nice to try this compressor on female vocals (Tory Amos style) so if you guys have any suggestions, I’d really appreciate this. If it works then next time I could save at least $200 Cnd a day

and re-invest it into some really cool plug ins. As I said before, I'm mostly a hardware guy

and I'm not all that comfortable with the plug ins UI yet...

Thanks

RAYA · Post by **RAYA** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:59 pm

Try with Blockfish,you'll be surprised

Best compressor for acoustic/picking guitar