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[Alécio Costa - Brazil]

HI
Seems it will look naive but which would you folks recommend me as more important as an entry into high end hardware gear for pro mastering:
a) a nice analog compressor
b) a nice hardware limiter
c) a nice eq box
(not considering monitors this time).

Also, is there anything decent at the U$2000-U$3000 range that would cover most basis?

Manley? Crane? Prisma? Weiss?other?

A U$2000-U$3000 range in the USA means something like U$3200-U$5000 on here.

Thanks
Nice week

[bblackwood]

I think the Millennia Media EQ can be had in your budget range. Also, we're doing a DIY EQ on this very forum that could probably be built for 1/3 (or less) of your budget.

I'm not a plug-in guy, but it seems like everyone who is thinks that EQ plugs can be cool, while comp plugs apparently aren't there yet. If you have some decent EQ plugs, you might consider a decent analog compressor...

[OTR-jkl]

Brad has a good point. But if it were me, I think I would go for an EQ since I would most likely use it all the time.

I would rather spend big bux for high-end gear on something that will be of the most benefit to me day in and day out. A compressor - otoh - would probably not get used as frequently so I might could live with a plug on the occaision that I needed one. But then the comp would be the weak link...  

Better go for both...!!    

[Alécio Costa - Brazil]

Thanks, guys

But which compressors fall in this range and that are worthy?
Some discountinued Manleys?

[bblackwood]

Two easy choices are the Pendulum Audio OCL-2 and the ES-8...

[Viitalahde]

How about the Gyraf Audio G10 (GX) vari-mu?

http://www.gyraf.dk/

..Check the "products" page.

I have a self-built prototype (thanks, Jakob!), and I can only tell you it rocks. Very smooth GR operation and a good-sounding audio path. Fairly unknown in US & others I think, but gaining popularity in EU and Scandinavia.

It's pretty cheap, too.

[dcollins]

bblackwood wrote on Mon, 09 August 2004 14:43

I think the Millennia Media EQ can be had in your budget range.

Agreed.  I use my NSEQ every day.  Coupla mods, but it's a good box.  A nice compressor (like the Pendulum, etc.) should come second on the list, imo.

Quote:

Also, we're doing a DIY EQ on this very forum that could probably be built for 1/3 (or less) of your budget.

Depending on how it ends up.  With the right wire, the price could go through the roof....

I looked at that project to copy the Sontec, and have some questions.  There are several pretty obvious things in the schematic that should be cleaned-up, unless you think the whole thing is magick and untouchable.

Personally I think they should reproduce the old Barry Porter (RIP) paramedic circuit.  MUCH more evolved and uses common components.  Oh and if you really need common mode rejection, it does it correctly.  It's in the public domain.  I'll send it to B-rad for posting if he can wipe the KC Masterpiece off his hands for a minute.


DC

[jfrigo]

dcollins wrote on Mon, 09 August 2004 22:32

Agreed.  I use my NSEQ every day.  Coupla mods, but it's a good box.  A nice compressor (like the Pendulum, etc.) should come second on the list, imo.

Another vote for NESEQ-2. Even with a higher budget, I would pick the NSEQ. Pendulum is a good box too.

In general, an EQ is the more important tool as you will use it more (hopefully) than a compressor. However, if the issue is digital EQ vs. digital comp, some digital EQs are quite good while digital compression is generally not (not to be confused with digital limiting which is essential these days). Sintefex is about the only digital box that has compression worth considering (one person's opinion on this list excepted of course).

Quote:

Personally I think they should reproduce the old Barry Porter (RIP) paramedic circuit.  MUCH more evolved and uses common components.

My somewhat limited correspondence with Barry was excellent. He knew his stuff (as far as I can tell as a non-designer type) and was very easy to talk to. I guess history would consider him the great unlce once removed of north sea EQ...

[mcsnare]

DC, I've been thinking about changing the op amps in my NSEQ-2. Fred F, has a couple of different ones. Do ya have any opinion of which is better sounding? Any other op amps out there I should consider? Thanks.
Dave McNair

[bobkatz]

Ditto. I use my NSEQ a lot. It's a very pure-sounding Equalizer, at least in solid-state mode.

The main reason I'd like to try this DIY circuit is the NSEQ-2 is a classic negative feedback (active) circuit, and I'd like to have a different "classic" around for a different sound. I also loved the Manley Massive Passive, and it was certainly different. But I keep on finding other things for that particular budget. If you're not into DIY, the Massive Passive would be an excellent choice.

BK

[bobkatz]

Fred's new selection of opamps should make your NSEQ-2 even more transparent. I played with them in a different context (line amp) and Fred's current opamps are all more transparent than the generation he built for the NSEQ-2. Ask Fred which one we settled on for my line amp, should be a good candidate for the NSEQ-2.

He's pretty much always made opamps with medium open-loop gain, so they should substitute in the NSEQ-2. The footprint is different in the NSEQ-2, though, not a 990 footprint, and you have to see if Fred has or will make one with the same footprint.

The best mod for me for the NSEQ-2 was to reduce the steps in the attenuators.... change a pair of resistors in the high gain position of the switch.

[dcollins]

mcsnare wrote on Tue, 10 August 2004 07:00

DC, I've been thinking about changing the op amps in my NSEQ-2. Fred F, has a couple of different ones. Do ya have any opinion of which is better sounding? Any other op amps out there I should consider? Thanks. Dave McNair

Fred makes a replacement module for the NSEQ that I use and recommend.

DC

[mcsnare]

Thanks BK and DC, I'll check those suggestions out.
Dave

[D Harris]

Fred is currently sold out of the modules for the NSEQ-2, but due to the interest gernerated from this board he is thinking about making some more.  Very cool, I would like to get some myself.

[Alécio Costa - Brazil]

many thanks , friends.
Brad, are you into massive passive?

[bblackwood]

Al Brad Blackwood euphonic masters Alécio Costa - Brazil Hero Member Offline Posts: 791 Re: analog compressor or analog eq Oh, Thanks. I´m impressed a top guy here in Brazil has a nice mastering lab covered with Manleys from floor to ceiling. I wrote this thread because I am thinking of a nice box to complete  my simple plugins bundles(nicely suited for junior mastering) >>Waves MAsters Bundle, TC Master X 5, Power Dither, Master Q, Vntage Warmer). Thanks again Alécio Costa Studio High-end Mastering, Music Production http://www.aleciocosta.com Listen to my album at: http://www.audiostreet.net/aleciocosta MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/aleciocostamasterizacao Print Pages: 1 2 [All]   Go Up « previous next » R/E/P Community > R/E/P > R/E/P Archives > Brad Blackwood > analog compressor or analog eq   SMF 2.0.19 | SMF © 2021, Simple Machines | Terms and Policies XHTML RSS WAP2 Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc. Page created in 0.055 seconds with 22 queries.

[Alécio Costa - Brazil]

Oh, Thanks. I´m impressed a top guy here in Brazil has a nice mastering lab covered with Manleys from floor to ceiling.

I wrote this thread because I am thinking of a nice box to complete  my simple plugins bundles(nicely suited for junior mastering) >>Waves MAsters Bundle, TC Master X 5, Power Dither, Master Q, Vntage Warmer).

Thanks again