Anybody Here Ever Used...

flemingmras · Post by **flemingmras** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:30 pm

...an Alesis 3630 Compressor/Gate on a kick drum before? I'm looking for some basic startup settings for a good fat kick drum with that top end "click" on the beater.

Anyone?

Jon

Post by **VelvetGeorge** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:46 pm

Yuck, I hate 3630's.

But if you must use it. Set it for about 3:1 and the release around 150mS. Then start with the attack at the fastest setting and turn it up (slower) until the click comes through and the meat gets compressed.

George

flemingmras · Post by **flemingmras** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 10:03 pm

OK, how about the threshold setting?

And hard knee or soft knee?

BTW if you don't mind me asking, what don't you like about them?

Jon

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:44 am

I agree with George,

Throw that Beeeotch in the trash and go get a RNC!!!!!

http://www.fmraudio.com/RNC1773.HTM

flemingmras · Post by **flemingmras** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:50 am

I would but it's not rackmountable. Remember this is for live PA.

I need it for that fat kick drum with lots of "click" that just throws you against the wall.

Of course, once I replace my direct radiating subs with Cerwin Vega folded horns this should not be hard to accomplish.

Jon

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:08 am

I would but it's not rackmountable. Remember this is for live PA.

Is kinda true...you'd hafta get a half rack adaptor for it, but the guys over at the LAB (Live Audio Board) swear by these things (say the only way you can beat it is with a $1000+ Drawmer or the like)...

I can't remember which ones, but I know DBX has some nice comps (hell, even the $100 Behrenger comps are pretty decent these days).

Good luck with the Alesis.....

Post by **VelvetGeorge** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:34 am

I hear a signal degregation as soon as I insert the 3630.

I have the RNC - awesome! Best $200 you can spend on a compressor IMO. You can rack two of them in a single space too.

George

rjgtr · Post by **rjgtr** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:58 pm

You know, even if it's crap it's what jon has!

Try soft knee. I find a little compression on the kick goes a long way. With drums, I like to mix the direct sound with the compressed sound. It give a nicer clarity in the high end. Also 2:1 to 4:1 seems to be a good range. It wort of depends on the drummer. If he is getting all click from using a plastic beater, I'll compress the tail more to get some meat behind it.

Gates are annoying to me, but it is best to use a pretty long release time. Otherwise the ring gets cut off and the drum sounds funny.

Being a drummer too, I'm a little sensitive about taking away all the character from a drum kit. It's like playing dobro without the sonic grease.

flemingmras · Post by **flemingmras** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:53 pm

Yeah but lots of drums have TOO MUCH sustain. To the point where I can't turn them up as loud with the ring in there.

For heavy metal type drums you HAVE to gate out the sustain. This is because in heavy music the stick attack is more emphasized, with the low end boom right behind it. If you want more of the hollow loose drum sound then you don't gate them. But gating them tightens up the toms a lot more and brings out more of the attack itself than the tone the drum produces.

However...you guys were right. I auditioned the 3630...not near enough range on the gate and the compressor was just sucking the life out of the signal. I went and exchanged it for a dbx 266XL...which I've used numerous times on kick drums and it works really well. I set the attack at about 2:00, release at 12:00(the gate kicks in before the compressor releases the signal anyway), 4:1 ratio, +10dB of makeup gain, and then as the drummer hits the drum I start raising the threshold until it sounds right. Lots of "click" and plenty of boom...to the point where the kick drum is pinning you against the wall.

I now have 3 266XLs in the rack for channels 1-6 inserts on my board, which gives me enough to process every drum in the kit plus a channel.

Anybody have an recommended settings for compressing snare drums?

Jon