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Aphex Comps - Which are the good ones?
(Analogeezer)
I am thinking about adding another compressor to my collection and I started
thinking about the Apex line.
Umm, I thought Apex was a line of cheap Korean VCRs... g
Geez, Expressor, Compellor, Dominator, it's hard to keep them all straight.
I've heard some of them totally suck and that others are really cool.
The rep of Aphex stuff is based on good sounding VCA's, which are very
transparent. You're thinking about adding another compressor, is it for a
specific appplication? The units you mention all do different things.
The Compellor is more of a leveling device than a compressor as most people
think of compressors. It actually brings up low level program towards where
you want it to be rather than merely squashing down loud levels and then adding
gain. And the way it responds to program isn't like a lot of compressors
either, where at a certain bass frequency point the compressor reacts
more(typical DBX thing), it's more evenly tuned, and sometimes it seems the
middle range of what you send it comes out just a tad more "forward" sounding
than it went in. If you wish to squash the dynamic range of acoustic or
classical music for broadcasting a Compellor is a pretty nice way to do it.
Film guys love to run dialog through them, and I have worked in broadcast
joints where the studio/gear combos sounded way bad until a compellor was put
on the 2 mix. Great for applications where other kinds of dynamics devices
have too many drawbacks. I like them.
The Dominator is a brick wall limiter. I have seen them used in
Cablecasting to prevent overs in audio transmission, in PA applications to
prevent people from blowing up a PA system and in studios (covertly inserted
inline) to prevent clients who love certain bass heavy material from blowing up
the good monitors. I would probably feel better about an in-ear monitor system
knowing there was a Dominator between the program source and my ears.
Never used an Expressor.
Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Fox And Friends/Fox News
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits
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