Howdy, folks...I need something to keep the occasional hot blip or wiggle from creating crackling distortion while recording, and this seems to be what limiting is all about. So, can all the little budget dbx's, Behringer's and Alesis's do an equally good job at what seems to be just an add-on to (or off-shoot from) their main task of compression--which I don't need? Or is it gonna be worth it to wait and spend more than the $250 or so I'm hoping to get away with? Thanks for any suggestions...and if anyone's at NAMM and happens to see Craig, tell'im I miss the old SSS and find out what's happening !!! Thanks a bunch dpc

-- David Coffin (dcoffin@taunton.com), July 07, 1998

Answers

Since limiting is technically a compression ratio of 10:1 or higher, you may want to consider a compression unit like the RNC compressor, which is at http://www.fmraudio.com and was reviewed in the Feb. EQ by Craig.

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), July 09, 1998.

Thanks. Ken, for the RNC idea, but these were the first folks I contacted in my search (i don't read sss for nothing!;-), and the designer of that piece advised against it, saying it was too slow for what I wanted. I've gotten two types of answers in my quest: Sure, get an Alesis, dbx, whatever...they'll all do good limiting-and-Forget it, you need look-ahead, brick wall limiting to keep the overloads completely surpressed. I wish I could hear the difference, and I don't like the idea, but I'm inclined to believe the second group...The lit on limiting is certainly confusing, since they all sound (on paper) like they'll do what I need. dpc

-- David Coffin (dcoffin@taunton.com), July 11, 1998.

David wrote: >> Howdy, folks...I need something to keep the occasional hot blip or wiggle from creating crackling distortion while recording, and this seems to be what limiting is all about.<<

Tell me what format you are recording on. And what do you occassionally distort? Could it be "DIGITAL?" (spoken in Dana Carvey's Church Lady voice.)

-Lynn Fuston

3D Audio Inc

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), July 11, 1998.

Thanks, Lynn, for your interest...I am indeed doing digital, both to a Phillips CD-R and to a kinda weird Pioneer cassette recorder that has digital noise reduction of some kind and definitely distorts in that unpleasant digital way. My current solution, which may be working fine (it's introduced all kinds of new options and level tweek questions, which is why I'm hedging), is to remove my Ensoniq DP-Pro from its place in my send/return matrix, and place it between the Mackie control-room outs and my two recorders...and switch it into look-ahead limiter mode (complete with 25ms delay). As I say, when I get the other levels adjusted, I'll know for sure whether it's helping, but I guess equally important is that none of the gear going into the mix (including the DP-Pro) is being overloaded at its inputs, or internally...right? Thanks again! David Coffin

-- David Coffin (dcoffin@taunton.com), July 15, 1998.