Inexpensive Tube Compressor?

I'm going to be mastering some tunes of my 1960s instrumental band for a Cd.

I'd really like to run these thru a tube compressor for "that 60s sound".

Without spending an arm and a leg , is ther an inexpensince tube unit out there that will do the job? I dont want to spend a lot of money because i'm just doing the one Cd.

Any suggestions are appreciated!!

thanks,

Mikey

 

First, define "inexpensive," and then ask yourself how much "an arm and a leg" is worth...

sorry...

You need an LA-2A, or something similar, for the real tone. But you can't afford one, and you don't need to buy it, just use it.

Dude! You're in NYC...hit up some of the rental houses! They'll be happy to take your money...

Edit...too slow typing...Steve beat me to it!

OTOH, if you want to buy something just to play with, try something like the ART PRO-VLA, and see how close you can get. You may need more than one "layer" of compression and/or limiting before the song works the way you want....Again, what is the budget?

I bet Steve could run it through an LA-2A for you...

Yeah, I know...no money for REAL mastering...(try the plugin?)

Peace.

best of luck,

 

Rent a Fairchild.

IMHO, don't waste your money on cheap gear. I haven't heard an inexpensive compressor that thrilled me too much for a two mix. Most cheap tube compressors aren't really that tubey sounding anyway. Besides, they're going to be a VCA compressor and not an optical, which is probably the sound you're going for.

If you want something zany try one of those cheap ($300) JoeMeek compressors, if you can find one. They had two versions MC2 and C2. They'll give you more of the sound you want than any hybrid tube VCA compressor. Pretty neat boxes despite their size and value. They seemed to handle stereo material much better than the large Meek boxes. The secret is with the attack time.

 

Most inexpensive tube compressors use a "starved plate" design, which lacks enough voltage on the plates to actually do anything. You'd be better off using a plug-in (and actually, I really like the Ultrafunk plugins, especially the compressor).

There are probably a billion rentable LA2s or 1176s in your area (don't forget the 1178... a 2-channel version of the 1176).

Good luck!

 

You might be able to rent one of those cheaper than two 1176's. I have one (as well as four 1776's ). Love it!

 

How exactly does a tube compressor work? What's a VCA compressor? What's an optical compressor?

I'd prefer a brief note rather than pointing me to a URL. I like the way you fellows explain things.

 

(Opening a large can of worms here, and I may need an extra-large can to put them back in...)

Geoff,

In general, a compressor is an amplifier whose gain decreases as the input level is increased. (With thanks to JM Woram and the Recording Studio Handbook, 1982.)

A tube compressor works in exactly the same way as a solid state compressor, but because it uses a tube amp, it has a different "feel" in the way it reacts to the input signal. (Please excuse my non-technical explanation.)

In any case, this is a very important part of the tone of much vintage music, and is one of the elements that Mikey is attempting to replicate in his mastering project.

A VCA is a "Voltage Controlled Amplifier," whose gain is a function of an externally supplied DC control voltage. (Again, with thanks to Mr. Woram.)

Painting with a very broad brush, in the recording studio world, VCAs in general are considered to be "a cheap solution, and not very good sounding. Avoid when possible." (In my own words.)

An "optical" compressor uses a very old-fashioned method of gain reduction, called an LDR, or "Light-Dependent Resistor."

Essentially, the compressor has a light bulb in it. As the input signal gets louder, the light bulb gets brighter, increasing the resistance in the LDR, and thus causing the gain to be reduced.

Primitive, yes, but this type of compression also creates a distinctive and desirable tonal coloration. It's all about the tone, and whatever it takes to get there.

hth,

 

Thanks GT - succinct and with great clarity. I'm obliged,

 

Thanks to all , especially Steve , for the input. I really appreciate it!!!

Mikey

 

Guys, heres the update:

I am now the proud owner of a Joe Meek MC2 compressor. The price was right and now I'll own it and can use it on future projects. From what I've read about this unit, its pretty close to an optical compressor in performance. It should do the job I need.

Many thanks to all for your help.

Now all I need to do is rent three floors above a London Leather shop and call it 304 Holloway Road....

 

Good choice Mikey! It is an optical compressor. All the old Meek stuff was.

Hope it works for you. Just adjust the attack knob until things sound the way you want them to. Too slow of an attack will cause these things to pump and too fast will cause them to clamp down too hard. I always keep the release fully counter clockwise (fastest) since optical compressors are slow.

 

There's also VCA compressors but they react very differently than Optical and Variable Mu types which are much smoother. Most cheap compressors are VCA's but there are some great VCA units. The most popular (and best IMHO) is the SSL compressor. Still, most VCA compressors are, for the most part, crap.

 

Oh, you said good compressors. Gotcha!

 

Thanks Yesman, and Steve for the help. I think this unit is going to do the trick. Heck , if It makes my insto tunes sound anything like Joe Meeks sound, I'll be estatic.

Wish I had a spring reverb unit made from a heater spring.....

Seriously tho, thanks fellas.

 

Mikey,

What was the name of your instrumental band?

I played drums for The Original Onions. We began playing stuff like Apache, Music to Watch Girls By, Shot in the Dark, etc. Then we started writing our own tunes. THEN, we played an 80s cover night at a local club, and we became known as the surf band that played 80s songs. We did "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls in the style of "Pipeline." We did Blondie's "Call Me" and The Pretenders' "Back on the Chain Gang."

Probably the most fun I ever had playing music. Too bad the lead guitar player moved to Chicago, leaving us without the inspiration to continue.

None of the cover songs are there, but you can check out some originals here:
http://artists.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Original_Onions/