Karaoke Forums

Hey Good People,

I am thinking of getting an alesis compressor/limiter/gate and I need to know how to hook it up.

Will this be put between the mixer and the mics or will I put this between my mixer and my mains to protect the speakers?

Help!!

Thanks!

Patrick (T minus one month to my debut!!!)

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Patrick
Twinbrook Sound
Waltham, MA

More background...

The unit is an Alesis CLX-440 and it is a 4-channel.

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Patrick
Twinbrook Sound
Waltham, MA

You'll hook it up to your vocal channels via the insert on the channel. You will need a 1/4" TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) plug to 2 1/4" TS plugs. You don't really put a compressor on the mains, you would use a limiter (which the Alesis CAN do, just not very effectively).

Ok just seen your 2nd post while typing. The CLX-440 is a dual channel, not 4 channel. It also may be a little more than you're going to need. If you aren't familiar with compressor settings, this one could really be complicated. You would be better off with something like the dbx 166XL. Little more user friendly.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Lon,

A soundphile friend of mine told me not to get the dbx because it 'breathes". What about the other Alesis model the one that goes for $149?

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Patrick
Twinbrook Sound
Waltham, MA

Any compressor, especially the cheaper ones will "breathe" if set incorrectly. The dbx 166 or 1066 are a better choice. The 266 is essentially the same components as the Alesis 3630 but the 266 still sounds a little cleaner. The 266 may be what your friend was referencing with. I use both & the dbx is a far better sounding unit when compared side by side.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I agree with Lon 100% on the DBX products.. I have the DBX stuff for live.. and the Alesis stuff in the Studio..

Pat.. Go with the DBX Stuff the 166xl is the simplest to operate and the biggest bang for the buck. the 1066 is great but why complicate the set up when you don't really have to.

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Brian D.
(BHB)

I actually just a new new quad compressor from behringer and It's great. I now have all four of channels compresed and it has really made a big difference in my sound. Best of all Behringer stuff is cheap! It's hit or miss on most of their stuff but this one was a big hit.

The Behringer Quad is ok for the price - a little noisy IMO, BUT, any compressor is better than nothing at all.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Patrick,

When they refer to a compressor as noisy or it breathes is in context of a studio environment. In a live setting you will rarely hear the breathing and color of a comp. DBX is good, Behringer Composer is good, and even infamous Alessis 3630 is ok for live settings. Keep in mind that in most Pro or even Semi-Pro studios, these units are best used for doorstops and/or paperweights. However I've seen them used in live rigs for tours such as Ozzfest.
The thing you want to focus on is not the brand or comp. you buy, but the knowledge to use it effectively. You will mostly use the limiter part of a comp. in the beginning, so focus on that first.

A good soundman can make a pile of crap equipment sound better than a bad soundman with a state or the art system.

I forgot to put my two cents in regarding the original question.

"Will this be put between the mixer and the mics or will I put this between my mixer and my mains to protect the speakers?"

You DO NOT want to put the comp. between the mixer and mains. Doing this will take control away from you, and you don't want to compress the whole mix.

This leaves you two options:

Conecting it on an insert on your mixer(like Lon said), this is a good option if you have a good understanding of the use of inserts, sends and returns on your mixer. If you don't yet have this part of your mixer well versed, I'd stay away from this scenario.


Conecting the comp., inline(mic - comp - mixer) will work.
It's easy to set up and the unit will work independently of your mixer.

I use comps inline, I leave my inserts open for other uses such as effects and recording individual channels(tracks).