› Forums › Music › Sound Engineering › attenuator pads vs compressor / limiter
- This topic has 5 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated March 14, 2013 at 7:29 am by cheeseweasel.
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March 13, 2013 at 11:33 pm #1055360
I just bypassed out a 4 channel Behringer compressor/limiter at our community radio station because it is kaput and was letting in mains ripple (I’m sure all the electro caps are fucked and bulged out and would have de-racked it but that studio was still on live playout so that isn’t possible. There is a further compressor/limiter just before our Band I link which mean we don’t sound too rough but I still don’t like the idea of feeding in the program audio that loud into the TX chain).
1st 2 channels were program output from the mixer, last two were presenter and guest mic (Audio Technica AT2020). ButI am constantly having to warn the presenters to keep levels sensible and not talk too loud. Some of them are managing to pin the PPM meters to 7 at our CTA rack even with the trim pot on the mixer at -15dB. However, most of you are probably aware of my views regarding the excessive/inappropriate use of compression and limiting (after all, you would not ride your bicycle still with stabilisers as a grown adult) 😉
I’m inclined to just stick a -10dB attenuator between the mics and the desk rather than having 2 sets of compression. Especially as we have fuck all budget and those things are £3.50 rather than £120.
Is this a good idea and do these things let the 48V for the condensor mics through? (I’m used to dynamic mics where this isn’t a problem).
March 14, 2013 at 12:07 am #1269183It’s a shame the AT2020 doesn’t have a pad built in.
I think your knowledge of electronics is vastly greater than mine, so not sure I can offer much help here, but I would imagine that most simple pads are purely resistive so would allow the 48V through with no problems. It does seem like a bit of a bodge though. Is there maybe some way you could rig the gain pot so it can’t travel beyond a certain point if presenters keep fiddling with it?
I think personally I would replace the compressor anyway as there’s something to be said for compressing the presenter’s voice to make it sit on top of the music and make things easy for people to hear at work/in the car, but maybe your main stereo comp is already serving this purpose?
I actually have a 4-channel Behringer comp (MDX4600) kicking around in my room that I’d sell you for £60 if you want as I never use it?
March 14, 2013 at 12:17 am #1269180thanks for the offer – got a station management meeting tomorrow so will mention this to them, especially as the 4600 has the noise gate built in which will come in handy as the weather improves and the air conditioning gets switched on, though like most community stations they are really stuck for funding (I’m keeping that station on air with kit that would end up in the WEEE skip in many places…)
the gain pot is fully to the left, the desk is a Soundcraft/MBI series 10 which is older than some of the presenters and was designed in the days of dynamic mics so its way easy to overload the preamps with a condensor mic…
March 14, 2013 at 12:32 am #1269184If there’s an issue with the mic amps on the desk being clipped then a pad is surely the way to go, probably of the XLR-barrel type that sits in-line with the cable.
March 14, 2013 at 1:03 am #1269181yep they were the ones I was thinking of, as we will still need that even when the compressor/limiter gets replaced. Where do people get the idea into their heads they have to swallow the fucking mic to get heard? X-factor or somewhere like that?
March 14, 2013 at 7:29 am #1269182Drop the limiter and sausage off that bass. COMPRESS IT 6 TIMES AND COMPRESS IT AGAIN!
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› Forums › Music › Sound Engineering › attenuator pads vs compressor / limiter