scrofani Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Has anyone noticed that Logic's Silver compressor sounds completely different from it's standard compressor and in fact, is a worthy contender in some situations where the standard comp doesn't seem to give the sound you want? Recently inspired by some sonic tests of different comps on a website, I did a little comparison myself using a 1KHz test oscillator and a frequency spectrum analyzer both before and after some compressors in Logic and other prized AU's. Logic standard compressor was the cleanest. Even under very extreme settings (high ratio, peak compression, short release times, low threshold). The frequency spectrum after the comp was the same as before the comp (a spike at 1KHz, obviously). I even swept the spectrum from 20Hz up to 20,000Hz and it remained clean. This, of course changes if you engage soft or hard clipping in the comp settings. Then some higher harmonics are generated and appear in the spectrum - typical of the square-wave buzziness of clipping where waves develop sharp corners etc. People (not here) seem to like to bash Logic's compressor but at least according to this test it seems pretty darned surgical to me. I mean that in a good way. The silver compressor behaved very differently and almost always gave me added harmonics and even some sub harmonics as well. That's not necessarily a bad thing since what we prize as "colouring" in a comp can be some of this added stuff. But nonetheless, they looked (and sound to me) like two very different comps. I couldn't get logic's standard comp to mimic what the silver comp did to the frequency spectrum no matter what settings I chose, thus validating what my ears hear. And I personally find the silver comp to be a refreshing more vintage-esk comp for use in Logic (except for the fact that I always need to insert a gain plug after it to boost or attenuate). Has anyone heard the ramped up compressor in the new Soundtrack Pro which I'm assuming will make its way into the next Logic update? With opto release mode and others, I'm wondering if that baby sounds even more flexible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Hey scrofani, thanks for reporting your findings! Very interesting. So maybe that's why I always loved Logic's compressor? Although I always thought it gave me some coloring, some "thickness". I haven't used the silver compressor in ages.. this post makes me want to give it another try! Thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin-Ch Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I use the Silver Compressor a lot. I even find its default setting is often perfect for kicks, snares & basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Glad to hear you often like the default setting for drums and bass. I have silver compressor in my older (emagic) version of Logic, and because I don't have a lot of time to spend creating these days, pre-sets and default settings are my friend. I will try it on my current project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
instantpop Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Awesome findings, scrofani. I also really like Logic's compressor but will certainly have to take a look at the Silver Compressor now, too. It's nice when someone takes the time to do this and has some nice data to back things up. Good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphido Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 BT always said Logic's Comps are better than other expensive plugins. I like the precision of these plugs and its easy use. May be I would add some vintage features. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guavadude Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Don't forget to try the Soft setting in the standard comp. It makes a world of difference and adds a nice vintagey low mid thang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wip Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 this is very nice info indeed! i've never used the Silver but i will now. thanks! k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamworkmammal Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 i love the sound of logics compressor with "soft' enabled. i picked that up from BJ, a former frequenter of this forum. sounds a lot more natural. whered he go anyway? same with ischwartz. not that david hasn't picked up the slack ten-fold, but still.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ski Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 i love the sound of logics compressor with "soft' enabled. i picked that up from BJ, a former frequenter of this forum. sounds a lot more natural. whered he go anyway? same with ischwartz. not that david hasn't picked up the slack ten-fold, but still.... iSchwartz is here, but goes by the name of "Ski". Glad to have seen this thread. Going to try some of these things out. Yesssss! Best Regards, -=sKi=- 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonphoenix Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Yeah I never saw anything wrong with Logic's Compressor, the manual states that it has been mode after some of the finest analogue gear, but whether that is "vintage" analogue is still yet to be determined. But after hearing the results from these observations I'm more lead to be it is a "modern" analogue compressor. But to be honest, that is more handy, because it is more flexible and can be haves transparently when needed. Thankfully, Apple seems to have bolstered their Compressor stable with new models. The sound of it just has my mouth watering for the next version of Logic!! It's also great in the fact that it doesn't promise to make any 3rd party purchases obsolete. So you're sure not to have wasted your money, but it would seem it gives you enough colors to make just about anybody happy. Pity those algorithms don't seem to be available in the Multicompressor, but at least they're are present in their Surround Sound edition. Here's hoping the offer a few modelled EQ choices as well, much in the same way they did for the Compressor, but since Soundtrack Pro doesn't have this feature, I'm not holding my breath. Hands up who here seriously thinks it's not fair that Soundtrack Pro users get to play with Logic's new toys well before Logic users get to!!...LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrofani Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 And I want to know if anyone has heard those revamped plugs in Soundtrack Pro. Anyone have it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrofani Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 Speaking of Logic's compressor, I just posted a CST (in appropriate forum) with comp settings and a little eq to get close to a Manley smashing a mix bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonphoenix Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Sp how did you go about achieving that Scrofani?? Do you have a Manley, or a plugin emulation you could compare with?? Sounds interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrofani Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 I just did it by ear comparing to a mix that was run through a friend's Manley. Then I A/Bd it blindly for a few people. It's not identical but it's close - of course only for that mix with those settings on the Manley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonphoenix Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Yeah I get ya' I'm right into the idea of doing things like myself... if you can't have the real thing you might as well shoot for 2nd best. And in the end if you told everybody you used a Manley for your recording... they will believe you. In the end it's the creator that can only really pick up those subtle differences, because every body else has nothing to compare it too. And now you have a CST you can reuse anytime... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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