Different types of compression, SSL vs 1176 vs 1a2a vs DBX160 ect...

[DaveGamble]

Alright, I'll be at the mercy of potential trolls.

Why? Who's going to troll you for posting audio? :/

Here is an acoustic drum kit loop and also whilst not my forte at all a synthesized drum kit loop also, I've left them dry as a bone for obvious reasons

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2pqu43gb8ksi0 ... %20BPM.wav
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pfwitcb1l7gjg ... %20BPM.wav

I hope they are suitable for the task. The acoustic kit is the default SD2 avatar kit and the synthesized kit is something I knocked up in/with Ableton's stuff

All the best, If they are shite just say so

Dean

PS, Dave I'm very interested in such a test toolkit all under one roof instead of having the mish mash of stuff I have/use at the moment. In my very humble honest opinion it would do well. "If you build it they will come"

Been thinking that it would be really something to have a plugin AP. With some extra features.
Kinda needs to be scriptable.

Also, AP keep unqualified users away from their gear by charging ~$20k per unit. So I need to find a way to stop it being used wrongly.

Dave.

[DaveGamble]

Hi Dave any comment / Compassion comparison for those examples?

Btw, zip doesn't include Electronic 3630 Bypass.

All these examples are on the more subtle end of the scale. Fair enough, though it makes for fiddly and boring work matching them up. Why not include some really extreme examples, so we can really hear it doing something?

Dave.

[SWAN808]

double

[SWAN808]

Hi Dave any comment / Compassion comparison for those examples?

Btw, zip doesn't include Electronic 3630 Bypass.

All these examples are on the more subtle end of the scale. Fair enough, though it makes for fiddly and boring work matching them up. Why not include some really extreme examples, so we can really hear it doing something?

Dave.

....not 'that' subtle?...I tried a load of settings but these were the ones which I prefered and could imagine myself using in the real world...I find once you start to smash something up completely its just mush with no transients. The challenege from my point of view was to see if the transient low mid impact could be matched....

I'll get that 3630 bypass later in the week...

Dean thanks for the samples...tried to download them but doesnt seem to be working...(35kb file)

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Hmm, I've just downloaded them both to check and they worked fine. If they are refusing to behave still I can put them on mediafire also? The acoustic one should be 11.2 MB and the synthetic one 15.8 MB analoguesamples909 man

Dave, The troll part was referring to Shy and indeed I saw it for myself on a compressor test thread which he joined in. Hence I do not mind putting two different quick bits I knocked up for tests if they are deemed quality enough a starting point by everyone

All the best to all as always

Dean

Edit: Mediafire links also just in case DropBox is not working for you/your browser or whatnot:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/6q9tw ... 00_BPM.wav
http://www.mediafire.com/download/7wyup ... 80_BPM.wav

[Shy]

Here are the samples compressed by a Drawmer DL221.
That took a long time. I may post some of another compressor later.

I cut Dean's original samples to a length I think is enough and raised their volume.

The settings are basically fastest release, very fast or extremely fast/instant attack, high gain reduction ratio (about 10), and threshold varies. I haven't kept exact values, since they're meaningless anyway because the behavior changes at different thresholds, like the release doesn't have a very "linear" behavior at all. So try to match the settings by ear, it's fairly simple.

DL221 is nothing like DL241 and DL251, so make no mistake. I've used and owned revered compressors by API, SSL, DBX, UA and some others and I find none of them as useful as DL221, which is my favorite all-around compressor. It's a VCA "logarithmic scale" "hard-knee" compressor. I disagree with all the nonsense about compressors with "feed-back" or "soft-knee" (like my other favorite LX20) being "more musical" or "more suitable for mastering" or whatever other nonsense. Anyone who makes generalizations based on the basic topology of a compressor has never used a good compressor of any type properly or at all. Also, if anyone here is a snob who thinks I claim I like it because I haven't used more expensive or "high-end gear", I assure you I own and have used hardware units worth thousands of dollars, including most of the usual old shit you adore, so get a grip. Also, use your ears.

Edit: I was asked whether it can do that "punchy transient shaping thing", meaning with slower attack and fast release. The answer is of course: Here.

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[SWAN808]

Hmm, I've just downloaded them both to check and they worked fine. If they are refusing to behave still I can put them on mediafire also? The acoustic one should be 11.2 MB and the synthetic one 15.8 MB analoguesamples909 man

Dave, The troll part was referring to Shy and indeed I saw it for myself on a compressor test thread which he joined in. Hence I do not mind putting two different quick bits I knocked up for tests if they are deemed quality enough a starting point by everyone

All the best to all as always

Dean

Edit: Mediafire links also just in case DropBox is not working for you/your browser or whatnot:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/6q9tw ... 00_BPM.wav
http://www.mediafire.com/download/7wyup ... 80_BPM.wav

hi dean I like these examples but maybe need a proper kick in the electronic example? Something with some bass...

[StudioDevil]

Why are you compressing samples that were already massively compressed?

for demonstration purposes. I just spent a few hours setting the units up and making those - do you have any other contribution?

I could definitely post my own examples with other analog compressors, but unless there is a proper test setup, and considering the massive troll factor on these forums, I'd rather not bother. The source audio needs to consist of uncompressed samples if you really want such a test to be meaningful at all, and there is no need for long loops. Just a couple of plain uncompressed snare, kick, etc. samples and you will hear differences between various compressors way more clearly. I'm not going to provide the samples, I'm sure many people have uncompressed samples, so I'll let them be trolled this time.

True.

I actually find using a drum machine plugin, like EZDrummer, which has its own loops, to be really convenient to test and compare compressors...at least on first pass anyway.

Which ex drummer expansions have clean samples? I'd like to buy some.. I've always been informed they were basically already processed.

My latest fascination is using compression on pure synthesised drum sounds..

Anyway I won't get OT..

Just wanted to thank everyone for this amazing insightful topic, especially Dave. It made the most excellent reading whilst I was recovering from my procedure in hospital on Sunday night
Whomever has not read an intense technical audio discussion topic just out of anaesthesia and being pumped with various drugs, I highly recommend it
I got lost in Daves first post for around two hours (no joke). I was reading it over and over and transporting to some room full of compressors and mum was in the room and said I was in a trance from 8 through 10

All the EZX kits seem processed to some degree...but none are overly compressed at all...I must say, that the SDX kits (those for Superior Drummer 2.0) are even more natural sounding, meaning unprocessed...you might have even more fun with those!

Still, if lacking an actual mic'd up snare or kick track, either EZX or SDX kits are a fast and easy substitute to audition and learn what the compressor controls are doing for you. And, both EZ Drummer and Superior have MIDI loops built in, so if you are as infinitely lazy as me, the less clicks the better

One day I'd like to make a compressor...maybe...one day.

I had a 160x and a 3630, also a small dbx box overeasy compressor, forgot the model...it was cheap...they were all kinda so so.

Dave, I can't find stuff on the Gates unit...sounds like something I'd like to look more at, if its design approach is like my thinking...as you say...

[StudioDevil]

Found it...it was called the 163x
This was a simple and kinda nice unit for live vocals and guitar.

Here's a schematic, too!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/ ... c/163X.jpg

[robgxmn]

The paper... Are you referring to the Massburg paper?

Dave.

Hi, Dave or Marc -

Is the Massburg paper publicly available, or do you need to purchase/be an AES member? If so, can you provide a link, I've only found http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~josh/docume ... ES2012.pdf and http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~dimitrios/A ... design.pdf.

Thanks, and +1 to the 'great thread' chorus!

[StudioDevil]

The paper... Are you referring to the Massburg paper?

Dave.

Hi, Dave or Marc -

Is the Massburg paper publicly available, or do you need to purchase/be an AES member? If so, can you provide a link, I've only found http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~josh/docume ... ES2012.pdf and http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~dimitrios/A ... design.pdf.

Thanks, and +1 to the 'great thread' chorus!

I believe you do need to be a member of AES, and further, pay for access to the AES Library to, well, have access to the AES Library.

I hate that stuff...paying for information.
Although, occasionally, it is better than re-inventing it.

www.aes.org

maybe if you email some folks on this thread...nudge nudge...they might have a copy. who can tell?

[DaveGamble]

The paper... Are you referring to the Massburg paper?

Dave.

Hi, Dave or Marc -

Is the Massburg paper publicly available, or do you need to purchase/be an AES member? If so, can you provide a link, I've only found http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~josh/docume ... ES2012.pdf and http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~dimitrios/A ... design.pdf.

Thanks, and +1 to the 'great thread' chorus!

Alas I don't remember whether Mike's thesis ever yielded an AES paper. Certainly the Giannoulis stuff is based on it, but my advice would be to contact QMUL and request the thesis.

Dave.

[SWAN808]

hasnt really taken off in terms of comparisons this thread has it...

[SWAN808]

Here are the samples compressed by a Drawmer DL221.
That took a long time. I may post some of another compressor later.

I cut Dean's original samples to a length I think is enough and raised their volume.

The settings are basically fastest release, very fast or extremely fast/instant attack, high gain reduction ratio (about 10), and threshold varies. I haven't kept exact values, since they're meaningless anyway because the behavior changes at different thresholds, like the release doesn't have a very "linear" behavior at all. So try to match the settings by ear, it's fairly simple.

DL221 is nothing like DL241 and DL251, so make no mistake. I've used and owned revered compressors by API, SSL, DBX, UA and some others and I find none of them as useful as DL221, which is my favorite all-around compressor. It's a VCA "logarithmic scale" "hard-knee" compressor. I disagree with all the nonsense about compressors with "feed-back" or "soft-knee" (like my other favorite LX20) being "more musical" or "more suitable for mastering" or whatever other nonsense. Anyone who makes generalizations based on the basic topology of a compressor has never used a good compressor of any type properly or at all. Also, if anyone here is a snob who thinks I claim I like it because I haven't used more expensive or "high-end gear", I assure you I own and have used hardware units worth thousands of dollars, including most of the usual old shit you adore, so get a grip. Also, use your ears.

Edit: I was asked whether it can do that "punchy transient shaping thing", meaning with slower attack and fast release. The answer is of course: Here.

thanks for these pretty interesting...heavy fast attack and release compression I dont generally use but it shows the character of a machine...the 221 seems like a solid device...and can be found pretty cheap....I like how it sounds I can see it being a workhorse all round unit...