Seven Compressor Shootout With Dave Rieley of Vintage King
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Vintage King's Dave Rieley takes to his home studio for a unique compressor shootout featuring the Chandler Limited RS124, Highland Dynamics BG2, Tube Tech CL 1B, Acme Opticom XLA-3, Retro Instruments 176, Retro Instruments Sta-Level and Universal Audio LA-2A. This shootout is meant to show off how each compressor specifically sounds when they are set to nearly the exact same settings. Learn more about all of our compressors here: bit.ly/Compress...
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/VintageK...
Connect with Vintage King: bit.ly/vintageking
Facebook: bit.ly/VintageK...
Twitter: bit.ly/VintageK...
Instagram: bit.ly/VintageK...
About Vintage King:
For over 20 years, Vintage King has done things differently. We've never played follow the leader or settled for just "good enough." With a relentless drive to provide the best experience, products, knowledge, and service, our first concern is always for you and your gear needs. From your first quality microphone to the console you dream about owning and everything in between, Vintage King is about creating quality sound. We're here for you - No matter where your audio travels take you.
Seven Compressor Shootout With Dave Rieley of Vintage King
• Seven Compressor Shoot...
1:28 - No Compression
1:53 - Chandler Limited RS124
2:16 - Highland Dynamics BG2
2:48 - Tube-Tech CL1B
3:12 - Acme Opticom xla-3
3:48 - Retro 176
4:09 - Retro STA-Level
4:31 - Universal Audio LA2A
All of them sound amazing, the LA2A it's just a little more pleasant to my ears. 176, CL1B, RS124 are a close second to me.
Isolated vocals:
4:54 - No Compression
5:13 - Chandler RS124
5:32 - Highland Dynamics BG2
5:50 - Tube Tech CL1B
6:08 - Acme Opticom XLA-3
6:24 - Retro 176
6:41 - Retro Sta-Level
6:59 - Universal Audio LA-2A
Tube Tech and LA-2A are my favorites. Thanks for doing this, Dave.
You bet!
Tube tech gave goosebumps on the music and vocal combo
Man, the Chandler RS124, Retro 176, and the TT CL1B are each so impressive. This is a great shootout, thanks for posting.
Chandler RS124 & Retro STA-LEVEL.
Chandler has the most vibe. Great video.
Great video thanks!
The LA 2A is so subtle yet very powerful. I can understand why I see so many of them. The tube tech was very nice too. I'd buy the retro too, great tone.
Chandler for me is no1. Good, warm, smooth sound. Brings the vibe to the vocal. Tube Tech seems to be clear and bright (!). very interesting comparison. Many Thanks to Vintage King!
My favorite was the Highland Dynamics BG2. I just get more of the emotion of the singer, because it does something nice to the reverb, like it glues it to the vocals and it sounds more 3D-like. God bless!
Retro 176 has a beautiful tone.
I came here to hear some retro instruments compression, but I just fell in love with the sound of La-2a, so beautiful! Very articulate, all the consonants stand out better than with any other compressor here in a very nice way imo, so smooth and the high end sheen is just gorgeous. Damn now I really want one.. Kick ass comparison, thank you for the video!!
tube tech, retro 176 and the la-2a are my favorites, that warm and the nice dynamics sounds fantastic!!!
I prefer the sound of the Tube Tech the most, but they all sound great.
Awesome! Thanks for this. Chandler and Retro for me. (and La-2a to brighten things up)
For this particular vocal performance, Retro STA-LEVEL for me, followed closely by the Chandler RS124. Both of these compressors delicately pushed the presence in the vocal forward in such a nice way. The STA-LEVEL kept the top end more even and the RS124 added a slight top end sheen. Fabulous demonstration Dave, thank you!
They all sound similar
BG2 and LA2A were tops. Had the most emotion and clarity.
Acme is the best here, nice feel of the groove
Every one of these was superb. I found the CL1B was the most transparent while doing the job. The Chandler was a close second I thought. Listen close, it's really good, but there's a bit of a spitty sound the CL1B doesn't have. The 176 was a revelation. It's like the best 1176 you ever heard. I'd use that on more things than any of them, but I'd prefer the CL1B for lead vocals any day.
Retro 176 is the clear standout on program material. It doesn't sound squashed like the others. On vocals I liked Chandler RS124, TT CL1B, and UA LA2A.
BG 2 and RETRO sound AMAZING in the MIX
Great shootout and great selection! Funny that no one cared for the BG2 which I preferred. Would be nice to know which mode they used, American or British. Guessing the latter.
I also really liked the BG2 in this test!
As a vocalist, I much preferred the Highland Dynamics BG2. It added less low-mid thickness and grunge and brought up low level detail more than the others. I also loved the elegant RS124 (too bad that plugin is not available from Chandler/EMI anymore...or Waves...weird that Waves doesn't put that out since they have put out so many others and are clearly the Abbey Road Studios official plugin vendor!? There is a plugin version of the RS124 by United Plugins called the "Royal Compressor"...not sure if it's as good). I'm just not huge on the Tube-Tech CL1B. It always seems to add that muddy distortion around the fundamental. Not sure why everyone loves it so much. I think the Highland Dynamics blows it away on vocals. I wonder how the BG2 was set up...?
They all have a great sound!
Its a toss up between the Chandler, and the Tube Tech. I do have to say I love the vibe of the LA2A too. I'll take all three.
The first RETRO...woweeeeee. also always going to be a fan of these chandler products theyre always such a viiibe
The Highland, TubeTech, and Retro 176 were my favorites. I think the CL1B might be the overall winner for me, so smooth!
Tube tech 👍🏻
This is very well done and very useful thank you. The Chandler definitely take it out, followed closely by the Acme.
Love the Tube Tech.!
I really liked the Tube Tech and the LA-2A.
1:28 - Clean 1:53 - Chandler Limited RS124 2:16 - Highland Dynamics BG2 2:48 - Tube-Tech CL1B 3:12 - Acme Opticom xla-3 3:48 - Retro 176 4:09 - Retro STA-Level 4:31 - Universal Audio LA2A
CL1B was my favorite! It seemed to do the job in a very transparent way, which is cool.
Great shootout. All are phenomenal in different ways.
Chandler RS124! Albeit, they all sound great!
Some seem brighter. Some seem louder. All of them sound good, but the uncompressed signal sounded good already.
Having any one off those should make the majority of us extremely happy. The Acme Opticom xla-3 added beef to the vocal, could be a better bet for bass and kick, The Highland Dynamics BG2 pushed the reverb back into the mix and gave the vocal extra dimension without adding too much beef that was my favourite. What converters were used, everything was popping nicely.
Really like the cl1b
what a good shootout!! thanks for doing this, very nice units. I actually really liked all, but the winners for me are Retro 176 and especially the RS124 (nice vibe and textures) and TubeTech (clean). Chandler seems a bit louder, but in case its really well level matched, the rs124 is just very deep and 3D, nice color. I thought Sta-Level would have more character, LA2A is very nice as usal, but Acme and Highland sound very good too.
LA2A, and the CL1B, and then the Sta-Level
Funny how subjectiv this is ...no one is calling the BG2 his favorite which i like the most. The ACME is the worst in this comparison.
I prefer the Highland Dynamics BG2, they are all great Compressors, but this one got the most porfeul dynamic IMO
Absolutely highlights the fact the performance is everything and the gear not nearly as important as marketing makes us believe.
It would be a great vocal track and work in a mix even if it were run thru an Art VLA......
This is a really representative shootout. I own most of these, and I think this essentially captures the vibe of each properly dialed in, with the exception of the Acme. I love my Opticoms - they don't want to do "slow" without the level knob pulled out, it's not the right vibe. They want to be nasty and aggressive without the pad, normal or fast. Slow's not the thing there. Otherwise great vid. Honestly the only one I don't love is the Sta-Level, but it's the only one of the lot I demoed and never bought. Tone is great, but the way it's thick and pumpy isn't as satisfying as the RS124 or BG2 for me.
now, THAT is a nice snare.
Highland dynamics bg2 fire 🔥, Tube Tech fire 🔥 , optical fire 🔥, sta level , and la 2a best ones ...
Highland Dynamics and Tube Tech for my ears 👂🏾
Thanks for Nice Comparison! :)
What I like was LA-2A and The Most impressived one was Acme Opticom XLA-3!
Incredible gear
Chandler and Sta-Level are the most colored. If I’m going to spend hardware money then I want color. I can get clean and airy just fine from plug-ins plus I don’t really do pop music so that CL1B just isn’t for me but I get why it’s so popular in music I don’t particularly enjoy.
the RS124 brings a saturated crispness that is just unique .. Tube tech is the more hifi of the lot, BG2 is the warmest ... Prefered for this song is the RS124 ... man what a sound it brings
I took your advice and listened twice and was able to pick up differences I missed the 1st time. Retro 176 sounds very open, the Tube-STA even more open (I like better for this demonstration), Tube-Tech makes it sit perfectly in the mix (like it should sound), LA2A sounds “finished” as well, Chandler to my ears was transparent and intimate though I know it’s mean to be more vibey, BG2 has a low end color that pronounced the plosives and transients not in a good way, XLA3 had ground loop hum so it’s hard to be fair critiquing it. My favorite is the CL1b then Chandler. I love all of them but for this demo, either of those 2 I mentioned I would select.
The Chandler R124 is magical here! It adds warmth and depth! CL1B sounded better to me on the Mix. These Two are my favorites! I can here a lot of Hiss on the Solo Vocals on the ACME. Would be nice to hear a real RS124 against the old Plugin Version from EMI Abbey Road.
Awesome video
My favourites are 1 the tube tech, 2nd chandler and then la2a
Good video! Keep it up!
1. BG2
2. LA2A
3. STA-Level
4. Everything else
5. CL1B
Again, thanks again! They're all great pieces of gear!
Great video - nicely done Dave.
Maybe I'm odd or missing something, but I really can't hear any significant differences... I don't know if it's me or RUclips etc not much difference to the original track or vocals...I'm listening for dynamics change, tonality differences etc but nothing..
However, when listening to other channels such as mixing with the masters or channels comparing mixing techniques I can clearly hear a difference...
To make sure I went on Rick Beato "How the pros use compression - Audio compression Instruments and Mixes" and I clearly heard differences...
In my opinion the original track and vocals did not need any of those units. Besides there is nothing wrong with "slightly" allowing the dynamics of a track to cut through as this makes for a better realistic artistic express and realism of a performance... Maybe its just me
It takes some experience to hear this
Retro and bg2 and the acme opticom have a lovely enhancing sound - wonder what father John Misty uses?
Thank you!
STA -level and Chandler to me.
Thanks for the video! Looking forward to more like this? Maybe??
LA2A yeah!
CL1B: most "invisible" compression... RS124 and very closely the STA-level: best "sound"!
No compression sounds best to me 👌 I think the singer has intention behind the volume changes, and since the instrumental is sparse, it doesn't get buried.
The acme had the most crush and the teletronics seemed to be the most aggressive, really attacking the peak of the snare. The rest had no real remarkable effect, which may be what you want? Transparent compression.
I'd be happy to mix with any one of those....
CL1B and BG2 for me. CL1B is a bit more "tucked and classy" sounding than all the others. LA-2A sounded good, as well.
Tube Tech Cl1b for me. Unquestionable
Can you use hardware compressors on vocals after recording instead of tracking with it on a vocal take? I'm so afraid of messing up.
Chandler RS124 takes it.
I like the Chandler the tube tech and the ACME in that order. THe others are ok but one of them sounds like a hollow tube sound.
Tube Tech for this tune.
They all sound identical.
CL1B #1 + LA2A #2
CL1B, STA-Level , RS124 in that order.
how many compressor do you want ? Yes !
LA2A
Chandler
Retro 176
Highland
@Dave Rieley - What are you using to switch all these please?
Fun.
What's the reverb on the vocals ?
I like the tube-tech the best. I came in thinking I would like the LA-2A the best but it's my second place now. I'm either looking for a rack mount economy optical compressor or 500 series. Has anyone tried the Tree Audio LC1?
CL1B!
my guy
I liked Retro Sta level the best on this vocal and then UA LA 2A.. with CL1B vocals sounded too bright in the mix..
Universal Audio LA2A +++
Tube-Tech CL1B
TubeTech, then the LA2A
it seems like you are adding reverb, not just compression?
I like the first three the best. Bg2 first, Tube Tech second, Chandler third
Only the vocals were run through the compressors right? Not the entire mix?
So much noise on the ACME 🥺
I have a question you have all these compressors what do you do for EQ all in the box? About to buy some hardware was thinking compressors getting a couple or going eq or masterbus!! thanks for the video
La2a and Retro176
Hey sorry if this sounds dumb but how do you get a stereo mix to go through the compressor?
chandler the winner sir...so transparent...
BG2 + LA2A... :)
I think the highland takes it