To vinyl users..

[3db]

Are any of you using a compander in your system? If so, what kind is it, where did you buy it from and how much do they go for? I'm wondering how expensive hey are. Thanks

 

[fmw]

If you need more compression and/or expansion of dynamic range then the dbx products are considered the state of the art among affordable units. You can find them at any pro audio outlet such as http://www.sweetwater.com

Fred

 

[skizzerflake]

Given that vinyl is the organic bean sprouts of the audio world (straight line with gain and all that), it seems out of character to hook up to an artificial device to modify the dynamics. Why would I need one? Original dynamics of a good recording not enough?

 

[croseiv]

Why would I need one? Original dynamics of a good recording not enough?

Exactly!!!

 

[MDS]

I have a slightly different take on this...

If the goal is to compress or expand a recording it is best done in software and not on the fly with a physical device.

Record the vinyl to a digital format and then use a good audio editor to get it the way you want. Save it...and be done with it.

Also note that a 'compander' cannot put back what was lost anymore than the current vogue of 'compressed music enhancers' can put back what was lost due to compression (either dynamic compression or lossy compression). The result can be satisfying to the ear but in no way approaches the original.

 

[fmw]

I have a slightly different take on this...

If the goal is to compress or expand a recording it is best done in software and not on the fly with a physical device.

Record the vinyl to a digital format and then use a good audio editor to get it the way you want. Save it...and be done with it.

Also note that a 'compander' cannot put back what was lost anymore than the current vogue of 'compressed music enhancers' can put back what was lost due to compression (either dynamic compression or lossy compression). The result can be satisfying to the ear but in no way approaches the original.

I would agree that software is a more flexible way to handle it if you don't want to compress or expand on the fly.

Almost every sound recording is compressed. Recordings on vinyl records were all compressed pretty severely just to be able to keep the stylus from jumping out of the groove.

Dynamic range expanders were all the rage back in the 60's and 70's to help restore some of the lost dynamic range. The problem with them was that they produced sonic artifacts. The major one was called pumping caused by changes in the expansion level of the equipment as it operated. Many audiophiles felt that the pumping was worse than the compression was in the first place. Today's expanders are better than the ones we had years ago but they are certainly not free of sonic artifacts any more than compression (digital or otherwise) is. My own project studio is all digital and my dbx compressor/expander works completely in the digital domain. It really does a pretty decent job if you don't overdo it.

Many people, by the way, don't like the sound of uncompressed music recordings. My wife is an example of that. She would rather hear a compressed recording of a Beethoven symphony that go to the auditorium and listen to the orchestra live. So be sure dynamic range expansion is what you want before you spend any money on it.

 

[3db]

thanks fmw

Thanks for taking the time to explain it without asking me stupid questions like
"Why would I need one? Original dynamics of a good recording not enough?" followed upwith an intelligent "exactly"

I admit I was only 18 or 19 years old back in the early 80s when I heard my friends setup who ran his stuff thru a dbx. I didn't have time back then to a real sit down comparison of having a compander in and out of the system.

I did look at the dbx website and its all pro-audio stuff now. It would appear that the compander idea for home audio died when the format changed to CD.

 

[fmw]

Thanks for taking the time to explain it without asking me stupid questions like
"Why would I need one? Original dynamics of a good recording not enough?" followed upwith an intelligent "exactly"

I admit I was only 18 or 19 years old back in the early 80s when I heard my friends setup who ran his stuff thru a dbx. I didn't have time back then to a real sit down comparison of having a compander in and out of the system.

I did look at the dbx website and its all pro-audio stuff now. It would appear that the compander idea for home audio died when the format changed to CD.

CD is capable of handling a significantly broader dynamic range than vinyl so expansion isn't as popular as it was in the vinyl days. Digital recordings are still compressed but not nearly to the extent they were with vinyl. Personally, I use my dbx for compression like most recordists. I'm not sure I've ever used the expansion side of the unit other than to test it. I even wonder sometimes why I bought the dual mode unit in the first place.