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difficult to make it sound bad. I have a pair that I had recapped and the quality of sound that it produces on a lead guitar and solo is mind-blowing. It handles the guitar signal flawlessly, without losing the tone or dynamics. This is something of utmost importance—you don’t want to disturb the tone you worked so hard to get recorded! I generally use it on various guitars during a mix to control everything at the final stage. Purple Audio MC77: Do you like the classic FET sound of the Urei 1176? Well, think of the MC77 as an 1176 on steroids. This bad purple monster kicks some serious booty! It has the identical controls of the 1176, but has a fatter squash. Just like the 1176, the front panel has two large knobs, two small knobs, a meter and two columns of buttons. The large knobs adjust input and output level; the small knobs adjust attack and release times. And yes, it has the all-buttons capability to really get that crush for drums. In fact, when I record drums I put a mono room mic through it and push all the buttons in to get a pseudo Bonham sound. But I love using it on guitar, especially crunchy rhythm guitar to give it some girth. It also shines on bass to give some presence in a mix, without the muddy effect. I usually track using the MC77 on rhythm acoustic guitar to control the transients, while bringing out the attack of the pick on the strings. Now the MC77 is a bit more colored sounding than the LA-4, but used in the right way, it has wonderful results in a mix. Anthony DeMaria 1500: The brilliance of Mr. DeMaria comes all out in this fantastic sounding limiter. Similar to the LA-4, the 1500 utilizes Opto attenuators to create “invisible” compression. It’s a 2-channel, all-tube design, with phenomenal dynamic range. It has eight vacuum tubes giving it unmistakable richness and depth. This unit has an incredible cross-platform use from being a beefy buss compressor to limiting individual instruments. I love using this on guitars; the tubes add fullness without coloring the signal. On acoustic guitars—forgetaboutit! It makes them stand out with a creaminess of tube circuitry. I usually route 2 rhythm guitar tracks through them in stereo to achieve a warm presence in the mix. The only thing you have to be mindful of is your headroom; you can’t push them like the 1176 without getting undesirable distortion. So for those of you who record directly in a DAW with amp modeling plug-ins, this would be the ideal compressor for you to have at mixdown, to warm up that cold digital signal. Anthony DeMaria 670: This is the Rolls Royce of limiters; some may call it the “Holy Grail” of compression. It is a reproduction of the classic Fairchild 670. At 9 rack spaces (including power supply) and nearly 100 pounds weight, it is truly a beast, but sounds unbelievable. On guitars it adds such an incredible punch and clarity delivered from the 18 tubes and 14 transformers, really putting the F in Fat! It’s handmade like a tank with “military strength”; every detail has been scrutinized to perfection to recreate the original. Surprisingly, it’s very easy to use, having only four control knobs, input gain, ratio, DC threshold, and a fine-tune threshold. These last two controls are interactive with each other, a fantastic idea. You can set your threshold point and then use the fine tune knob to dial in a compression point you are seeking. The saying “a little goes a long way” is very true when using the ADL 670 on guitars. You don’t need to see the VU meters moving about to get the compression effect. On rhythm guitar the limiter gives punch, especially if you a have real crunch tone. But the great thing about this limiter is that it delivers a velvety, smooth sound overall that creates fullness in the track for guitar. Final thoughts Overall, I believe the trick to using compression, after learning how a compressor works in theory, is to experiment with different compressors on guitar and seeing how each interacts with the track. Some compressors just don’t do it for a guitar track, no matter how hard you try. Keep in mind that compressors are designed to keep the dynamics under control in a track, so be very careful not to overuse them on guitar, or you’ll hear the pumping or what is known as “breathing” of the guitar track—when you do, it’s time to back off the compressor. The most important factor for me when choosing a compressor for guitar is how it will enhance the guitar without coloration to the tone. There are some guitar tracks you may never need to compress, like a high-gain lead tone. The tubes of the amp have already done the compression and the higher the gain, the fewer dynamics, because the preamp gain stage in the amp is doing just that—compressing the guitar tone with the gain sound. Be careful to always monitor the VU meter during gain reduction as well, because it is very easy to overdo it. Generally –3 dB is a safe place to be, use your ears and you will be fine. Use your ears, experiment, and have fun! Brian Tarquin (tarquin@recordingmag.com) is an Emmy-winning recording engineer and guitarist, who runs the guitar-centric label Bohemian Productions based in New York (www.bohemianproductions.net). RECORDING MARCH 2010

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Recording - March 2010

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