Another master bus compression thread

[Jack Ruston]

[Pangloss]

Just wondering..

Has anyone used any of the mid-range Drawmer compressors (like DL241 or DL251) for mix bus work? If so were they any good?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Peter Conz Connelly]

Just wondering..

Has anyone used any of the mid-range Drawmer compressors (like DL241 or DL251) for mix bus work? If so were they any good?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

The DL's are GREAT compressors and at their current 2nd hand value, a steal. They've been industry workhorses for many, many years. I had the DL251, but sold it as I mix in the box (for now) these days.

Cheers,
Peter

[Steve Hill]

I should perhaps make clear my personal view that up to a certain price point, for master compression/EQ etc you are going to get the best value out of plug-ins (UAD being my favourites here); beyond that price point, only hardware will do for its ability to add something special.

I'm not totally sure whether anyone can say exactly where that price point is. If you go down the UAD route you're probably looking at something like £1,000, maybe a bit more. If you're looking at hardware, I'd say as a bare minimum you'd want a decent (£750-1,000) compressor - something like a Drawmer 1960 or 1968, and a decent (£750 -1,000) EQ - maybe a Drawmer 1961 or a TL Audio EQ2?

I've been hoping for a while to get a look at the DAV BG6 compressor limiter (£450 + VAT) because if it's as good as the BG1 pre-amp it's going to be terrific value for a two channel comp. But I know no more at this stage. Anyone else?

I hasten to add these are not my all time favourites, just some of the (relatively) cheaper models which will at least do a respectable mastering job without showing you up.

My main point is that unless you've got a couple of thousand to play with (upwards) you're probably better off with plug-ins at the moment.

[Pangloss]

Peter, Steve,

Thanks for that. It was actually the second hand prices of these that units first made me interested in them. However, I take in what you say Steve about the entry point for hardware mix bus compressors being slightly higher than this. I might hold out for a good deal on a 60 series.

(snipsnip - sorry for hijacking the thread - I have recently started doing all my mixes out of the box and so this thread was well timed for me).

[Jack Ruston]

Following on from what Steve said: In the 1k price bracket the Portico 5043 is REALLY hard to beat. It seems to work well for a wide variety of material, it does enough without being so 'outspoken' that it restricts what you can use it for, it's also good for tracking, and it's cheap. In a situation where money was not a factor, I returned an API2500 in favour of the portico.

Jack

[Steve Hill]

I should not have forgotten the Portico, J. Anything with a Neve label at an affordable price is usually worth a listen!

[snipsnip]

Thanks for your input guys. Im expecting to pay around £1000 - £2000 per unit, but would be looking for stereo units for that money.

I personally mix on a desk, which is why software is no use to me

Cheers