Old 09-19-2012, 05:18 AM   #1
reapercurious
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Default Reacomp VS (any compressor)

About Reacomp,

Is there any sort of compressor behavior or model (besides multiband) that Reacomp cannot accomplish that another compressor can?

Hardware, Software, it doesn't matter.

And if you can back up your opinion with a short* REASON, I'm pretty sure a lot of people would be interested in what you have to add. (*by short i mean between two words and one reasonably concise sentence)
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Old 09-19-2012, 06:57 AM   #2
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Nonlinear editable attack and release curves. TDR feedback compressor don't have this either but it has nice option for two separate releases, so you can do initial fast to long slow release somewhat similar to LA2A.
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Old 09-19-2012, 07:45 AM   #3
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MeldaProduction's MDynamic comes to mind

You can draw and change the shape on the input/output graph by adding curves and points, or even just draw it.

It has 2 compressors in one pluggin but unlike using 2 plugins what the two are doing is represented on one input/output graph.

It has Mid Side processing built in
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Old 09-19-2012, 08:15 AM   #4
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ok, the main 'compressor' aspect that i was looking for (not the multifx or hybrid fx, just straight compressor) is

change-able attack and release curve shapes.

has this been addressed in feature requests i wonder...

but as far as 'fast' and 'slow' LA2A releases, are we talking about curve shape or just fast presets?

because i know that reacomp has adjustable fibby.
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Old 09-19-2012, 09:59 AM   #5
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ReaComp is what I would consider to be a 'clean' compressor, as opposed to 'character' compressors of which there are many different types. For example, the classic 1176 is famous for its distortion at ultra-fast attack times (check out a demo of UAD's new 1176 plugin series, perhaps).
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Old 09-19-2012, 10:43 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reapercurious View Post
ok, the main 'compressor' aspect that i was looking for (not the multifx or hybrid fx, just straight compressor) is

change-able attack and release curve shapes.

has this been addressed in feature requests i wonder...

but as far as 'fast' and 'slow' LA2A releases, are we talking about curve shape or just fast presets?

because i know that reacomp has adjustable fibby.
I meant that first half of release is fast and the rest is slow. IN TDR Feedback comp this can be emulated with its two releases fast one to something like 60ms (50% of amplitude) and then slower one can go over one second. this could also be done with one nonlinear steep logarithmic release.
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Old 09-19-2012, 06:15 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by reapercurious View Post
ok, the main 'compressor' aspect that i was looking for (not the multifx or hybrid fx, just straight compressor) is

change-able attack and release curve shapes.

has this been addressed in feature requests i wonder...

but as far as 'fast' and 'slow' LA2A releases, are we talking about curve shape or just fast presets?

because i know that reacomp has adjustable fibby.
It's the behavior of the unit, just the way the detector works. The LA2A has effectively 2 controls: Reduction (which sets how hard you're pushing the detector circuit) and Gain (which is makeup basically). Oh and you can switch it between limiting ratios and compressing ratios and change the meters from Output to GR. Attack is 10 µsec, release is 0.06s for 50% release, 0.5s to 5.0s for full release depending on previous reduction (per the User's Manual from Urei in the 1992 rev).

I'm not aware of the specs of ReaComp's autorelease. I'm sure there is a way with some creativity (and maybe multiple instances) to mimic that sort of behavior.

But it won't really sound like an LA-2A because Reacomp's tubes don't sizzle. Seriously. I know you want to separate 'pure compressor functionality' from the circuit's sound but to me it's pointless, the whole scope of those things is what makes compressors what they are because the circuit shapes the transients too (even with the detector not triggering). That doesn't make ReaComp or digital compressors overall not useful just different.
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Old 09-24-2012, 09:50 AM   #8
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well, there needs to be a shootout.

anybody have the glue? softube stuff? UAD?

this calls for a shootout between reacomp and all the super awesome expensive plugins, and how close or far away we can get from getting similar results, and maybe resulting in a preset pack for reacomp.
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Old 10-23-2017, 11:08 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by reapercurious View Post
well, there needs to be a shootout.

anybody have the glue? softube stuff? UAD?

this calls for a shootout between reacomp and all the super awesome expensive plugins, and how close or far away we can get from getting similar results, and maybe resulting in a preset pack for reacomp.
Compare to Glue, CL1B Softube and others, It's very very clean and give a very Transparency sound. It's why I could compare it to Sonoris mastering compressor (which is very expensive).

I often use Reacomp to stabilise sounds. Compare to Fab filter Pro C, I find it better because after setting up you can't hear it. Impossible to know if it works or not. It's incredible. Ex: I play with a string Spiccato sound and need to be control the strongest notes. With Reacomp it's like follow the sound with a fader.

I am sure, there is lot's of other applications where Reacomp could give good results, but in those cases I prefer to use other plugin which have a more intuitive GUI.
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Old 10-24-2017, 11:04 AM   #10
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ReaComp will definitely distort if you use fast enough time constants. It can be about as trashy as you want it to be.

Some pretty famous hardware compressors (and their software emulations) are only capable of a certain amount of gain reduction no matter how it's set or how far beyond the threshold your signal goes, so that they tend to "open up" - the ratio actually starts to get smaller at some point above the threshold. ReaComp can't really do that.

Edit - actually, you could probably make it happen using Parameter Modulation, I suppose...

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Old 10-30-2017, 06:53 AM   #11
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It can't give that visual "wow" factor that you'd get from some "analog-modeled" GUI. People will argue that in a mix, nobody can see your screen, but sometimes that GUI can totally change the way you interact with a plugin, and can even have a "placebo effect" of sorts when comparing the sound to another plugin.

Aesthetics are incredibly important, even if it's form over function. Or else, we'd all wear the exact same outfits. I mean, just look at Reaper themes (and WALTER).
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Old 10-30-2017, 07:06 AM   #12
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Aesthetics are incredibly important, even if it's form over function. Or else, we'd all wear the exact same outfits.

IMHO, aesthetics are incredibly distracting!
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Old 10-30-2017, 07:30 AM   #13
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Aesthetics are incredibly important, even if it's form over function. Or else, we'd all wear the exact same outfits. I mean, just look at Reaper themes (and WALTER).
I'm fine with functionally pleasing aesthetics but to be accurate, our brains prioritize sight over hearing when presented with both; so it is always a good idea to spend as much time as possible with zero visual clues. I also think there could be slight conflation there with style (outfits) and making audio actually sound good.
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Old 10-30-2017, 09:23 AM   #14
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I'm fine with functionally pleasing aesthetics but to be accurate, our brains prioritize sight over hearing when presented with both; so it is always a good idea to spend as much time as possible with zero visual clues. I also think there could be slight conflation there with style (outfits) and making audio actually sound good.
In the land of hobbyists, "i had fun making this" can be more important than "this actually sounds good," and what constitutes good sound is rather subjective anyway. Some people think that only 24bit/192KHz sounds good. Most knowledge is limited to ones' experience, e.g. "I think dbx 160 is the best compressor (because it's the one I am the most familiar with)."

The tool that gets you the results you want is the best tool. Some of us have a problem in this luxurious modern age, where we have started collecting plugins/gear as the hobby itself (GAS, colloquially). If digital effects are more or less the same (the EQ does what EQ is supposed to do, etc), then my primitive brain wants the one that looks the prettiest, and is the most intuitively laid-out, regardless of the sound.

But I am more of a writer/composer/musician and not so great when it comes to the mixing/mastering aspects. As such, I am not the kind of person who can objectively analyze why X is better than Y or Z when it comes to plugin quality, oversampling, and all that stuff. I just want the thing that gets me from point A to point B with the least resistance. And UI/UX is a really major aspect of that, for my workflow anyway. I've still got an Antress plugin or two squirreled away in my 32-bit vst folder.
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Old 10-30-2017, 09:55 AM   #15
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In the land of hobbyists, "i had fun making this" can be more important than "this actually sounds good," and what constitutes good sound is rather subjective anyway.
"Usually"... the person making the music, is interested in what it sounds like at the end of the day - the ^exception is fine but I didn't gather this question was about the exception. IOW, of course it's fun to look at great graphics and interfaces when mixing (or whatever) but that is typically low on the final goal list for the majority of people mixing and rendering the result.
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Old 11-07-2017, 11:48 AM   #16
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I have a Gates Level-Devil from 1959 in my rack, and I haven't found any plugin that can do what it does.

It will:
- Boost weak signals by up to 15 dB
- Compress strong signals by up to 25 dB
- Pass everything through really nice transformers on the way in & out
- Help heat my basement (the thing has about 15 tubes for a single mono channel)

It has no controls except for a switch to disable the 'boost' function and a power switch.
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Old 11-07-2017, 12:20 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Philbo King View Post
I have a Gates Level-Devil from 1959 in my rack, and I haven't found any plugin that can do what it does.

It will:
- Boost weak signals by up to 15 dB
- Compress strong signals by up to 25 dB
- Pass everything through really nice transformers on the way in & out
- Help heat my basement (the thing has about 15 tubes for a single mono channel)

It has no controls except for a switch to disable the 'boost' function and a power switch.
We have a Gates SA-39B at the studio where I work. Nothing is like it, for the reasons you state but also because it makes a DI bass sound like the greatest bass guitar on the planet. (Yes, some hyperbole but it’s so smooth and does something nice with the low end!)
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Old 11-07-2017, 12:26 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Philbo King View Post
I have a Gates Level-Devil from 1959 in my rack, and I haven't found any plugin that can do what it does.

It will:
- Boost weak signals by up to 15 dB
- Compress strong signals by up to 25 dB
Isn't ReaComp able to do both point?
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Old 11-07-2017, 06:18 PM   #19
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Isn't ReaComp able to do both point?
At the risk of looking stupid; can ReaComp boost a weak signal? In my newbie world ReaComp reduced louder signals... No?
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Old 11-07-2017, 06:59 PM   #20
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At the risk of looking stupid; can ReaComp boost a weak signal? In my newbie world ReaComp reduced louder signals... No?
Sure. That’s what most compressor are design for, downward compression...to reduce louder signals. That’s why they are also usually come with make up gain after the compression. In ReaComp that’s the Wet slider.

If you bring back your level to where it was reduced, you get the weak signal louder...No?
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Old 11-07-2017, 08:02 PM   #21
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Sure. ThatÂ’s what most compressor are design for, downward compression...to reduce louder signals. ThatÂ’s why they are also usually come with make up gain after the compression. In ReaComp thatÂ’s the Wet slider.

If you bring back your level to where it was reduced, you get the weak signal louder...No?
Hmmmmm... You got me on a loop here; not sure about the logic, but can't deny.

I was under the impression that if I increase the makeup gain it would be exactly the same as increasing the volume of the track in the mixer, which would make the entire signal coming out of the compressor louder. In other words, cranking the makeup gain would not really make the weaker signals louder relative to the others, but would make everything louder; therefore changing nothing in the compression factor.

As opposed to say, something that would make only the weaker signals louder, but not affect the louder above a certain threshold value. Which is sort of what a limiter does if you put a ceiling, no?

Afff, I'm so not technical.
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Old 11-07-2017, 08:59 PM   #22
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Hmmmmm... You got me on a loop here; not sure about the logic, but can't deny.

I was under the impression that if I increase the makeup gain it would be exactly the same as increasing the volume of the track in the mixer, which would make the entire signal coming out of the compressor louder. In other words, cranking the makeup gain would not really make the weaker signals louder relative to the others, but would make everything louder; therefore changing nothing in the compression factor.
everything louder because the dynamic range decrease, the weaker and and the louder signal both become louder (than the compressed signal). If a compressor is the only fx on the track, then increasing the volume in the track would give you the same result. But on the chain, that's another story.

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As opposed to say, something that would make only the weaker signals louder, but not affect the louder above a certain threshold value. Which is sort of what a limiter does if you put a ceiling, no?
something that would make only the weaker signals louder, but not affect the louder above a certain threshold value is the principle of upward compression. which is different design from reacomp.

well, limiter is technically is a (downward) compressor with big number of ratio. the more ratio the more limiting it gets.
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Old 11-09-2017, 10:42 AM   #23
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We have a Gates SA-39B at the studio where I work. Nothing is like it, for the reasons you state but also because it makes a DI bass sound like the greatest bass guitar on the planet. (Yes, some hyperbole but it’s so smooth and does something nice with the low end!)
Yes - It is magic on bass. It also does great things for vocals, assuming good mic singing techniques are used.
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