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line compression with the driverack pa+ ?

vzisolovzisolo Posts: 3
edited January 2011 in PA General Discussion
i have the dr pa+ since about one year and so far i´m really satisfied with it!
i play quite often and most of the time i have to set up one of my own soundsystems and it pretty much always works great (from small to big) so first i wanna tell you guys a big compliment with that product!!! and i was one of the first 2000 people who buyed a pa+ so i got the dbx rta mic FOR FREE !!!
so far i would say as more experience i get with this piece as more i like it...

alright, now my question:
i´m a live looping artist (which means i record myself live on stage with several instruments one by one on top of each other)
so i was wondering if i can use the pa+ as a "normal" stereo line compressor.
(eventual. with the limiter and the feedback eliminator)
for me this could be very helpful for bigger events/festivals where (i don´t set up the soundsystem) i just would go straight from my setup´s master out into the pa+ and then into the pa-mixer…

in my setup are more than different 10 instruments which means at the end i´ve got a full sound goin, but, because i do more and more electronic events now, i wish to compress my whole signal a bit to reduce my dynamic range (and sure make my bass constant fat ;- ) and make it more "compareable" with a dj sound.

And i was wondering if the feedback system will work in this usage.
(before a line in of the pa-mixer and NOT after the pa-mixer and the speakers/amps)
is there anybody who can recommend me something to my "problem"
any setting adjustments etc… anything you would recommend me?
something for the anti feedback system like which "mode" i should choose?
i thought i would setup a normal stereo full range preset for it and just use it as it is...
thanks vzi

Comments

  • GadgetGadget Posts: 4,915
    Yes it's possible.. I would think the best what though is to do the compression on an instrument by instrument basis... which the DRPA can do as well...

    Are you saying you record most of the tracks and play them back through a digital player or something?
    Gadget

    BTW this is a USER site.. we are just like you and do NOT work for DBX. I got the first one off the line BTW...
  • hy gadget, thanks for your answer...
    so far i had a few gigs where i have used the drpa as my stereo compressor with a bit of eqíng and of course the feedback eliminator.
    and i have to say i am REALLY HAPPY with the results.
    comp:
    first i started gently with a ratio of 3:1 and the soft knee parameter (forgot how its called in the drpa+) was setted to 4.
    make up gain is just 1,5 db...
    feedback eliminator:
    live mode music mid with 6 free bands


    what i find a bir difficult that it´s always different from pa to pa.
    last week i´ve played on a nice small active rcf system and it worked amazing.
    the sound was constantly fat for such a little system but still with lots of dynamics!
    2 weeks ago i played a big gig on 2 hk projektor systems (in total 4 tops and 8 subs each 600w rms) and it was harder than usual to find a "good sounding" setting.
    sure the system made the whole venue rattling but still i wasn´t that happy with the sound
    the feedback eliminator didn´t remove all of it (next time i´ll set it to the mode with wider filters)
    cause like i tried to explain i´ve got some loop stations on stage and i just record lots of different instruments live on stage.
    so for me one of the most important things to take care of is the volume on the stage.
    (as louder it is as more i re-record the whole signal on every take/overdub)

    anyway what i wanna ask is do you have any recommended settings for me?
    do you think the result is better if i would go through the whole setup wizard (with pink noise, auto eq etc. cause i´ve got the dbx measure mic)
    even if i just go straight into their dj-mixer? (and not in beetween the soundsystem and the main mixer?)
    hope you get what i mean... english is not that easy ;-)
    aah and what did you mean by i got the first on off the line btw???
    didn´t get that.
    thank you very much for you help
    greetings from austria
    vzi
  • GadgetGadget Posts: 4,915
    Cool Vzi, you are the first Austrian I have helped!

    Ok, every system is different. The better the system is tuned to begin with the better. You will find with 10 different systems that you will very likely have 10 completely different sounds.

    The driverack has the ability to get you a bit more parity (sound the same) between systems. The process with the DRPA+ isn't terribly intrusive (like the DRPA was) Just place the mic on the floor on a carpet or towel aimed at one speaker stack (the other shut off/ unplugged) with the mic about 25 feet out... if possible. More distance if the speakers are flown a distance above the deck.

    You don't even need the mixer hooked up for this process...

    I typically like to use little or no makeup gain with compression.(mostly none)

    I typically like to set up some general PEQ's in typical problem areas... For the subs, 60hz and 100 hz (typical hi efficiency points for front loaded subs) and 160, 350 and 3.5Khz or possibly a high shelf with a 6dB/octave slope. The majority of the PEQ's are fairly narrow, but the one @ 350hz is fairly wide to cover typical room resonances between 250 and 500 hz (the muddy sound area. Then let the Auto eq flatten the system (use the -0- or flat response).
    do you think the result is better if i would go through the whole setup wizard (with pink noise, auto eq etc. cause i´ve got the dbx measure mic)
    even if i just go straight into their dj-mixer? (and not in beetween the soundsystem and the main mixer?)

    You could do that but you sure would have far more benefits inserting it between the mixer and the system...

    Gadget
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