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Alesis 3630 Compressor Limiter Gate |
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The Alesis 3630 is a stereo-dual mono compressor and limiter with a stereo gate. It's a great inexpensive stereo compressor. It's a decent unit but isn't the best for mastering. Being a sub $100 US compressor if offers an excellent cost vs. performance ratio. Great for live gigs or guitar, bass, even vocals. It's a good compressor for home studios and can take quite a beating. It's a 19" rackmount (width) but its depth is somewhat shallow around 4" or so. They don't get very hot (temperature wise) and use a wall wart. This has a limiter and compressor as well as a gate. It can be run in stereo or dual mono. The main difference is that when in stereo mode both channels are controlled by the left channel. The dual mono mode allows you to adjust each channel independently of the other. Guitar players and bass players can also use this very musical compressor. The front panel is broken down into two parts; there is a compressor section that includes knob controls for compression threshold and compression ratio, as well as the attack speed and release speed. There is also an output control to boost or cut the volume. This knob is post compressor. There are two different types of compression to choose from. If you select the Peak method then you can catch even the faster transits. Use the RMS setting for a more evenly controlled sound. There is also a hard-knee and soft-knee switch. Use the soft-knee for most applications. The 3630 compressor comes with a Tip-Ring-Sleeve connector that allows you to use the compressor as a ducking device. Ducking is used in radio a lot - It's used to reduce the level of the music while the announcer is speaking. The announcer’s voice signal would be plugged into the input of the TRS input while the music would be connected to the compressor as usual. This can also be used to create strange effects. The TRS side chain input can also be used for de-essing signals. This is especially useful on vocals where the "SSSS' sound sometimes becomes overly apparent and a de-esser is used to fix it. The Alesis compressor's metering is top notch. They are very large and bright. You can select between viewing the Input or Output or Gain Reduction. One final thought is the 3630 stereo or dual mono channels can be linked. This is useful for stereo mastering where you don't want to have said the left side being more compressed than the right side. If this happen then you would notice the stereo image moving when it shouldn't. This is great inexpensive compressor that is worth the price. Features
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