How to Set Up PA Systems : How to Set Up a Compressor

[kiko3212]

hello sir this really a good video,,but i just want to ask you,on how to make a setting for a live p.a system cause ihave a small live band that is for hire i just want to know how to make a good setting's on compressor limiter,i hope you can help me sir thanks a lot,,

[Aiiemusic]

*EDIT* - How To "USE" A Compressor.

[kickingsaturdaymiami]

ok i am a recording studio seting up a pa system why well i record stuff so why not set up a pa room to hear and feel my stuff thru a pa system before i send it out in short show how to install cables hey not many folks shows this ok

[MrNitemare0]

Compression=Automatic volume control...well put sir.

[kc7fys]

Anybody who criticizes this video might not have a feel for education. I would like it to be a bit more technical--but that's already out there. Simplification is the basis of a sound education. We want newb audio engineers to have that sound foundation. Be patient with them. This guy's a good educator.

[NLGuppy]

lol @ 2:10. it automatic jumps to annother attack time.

Where can i buy it?

[TheShawnFussell]

if you want to use a compressor with your DAW, either use inserts/sends/returns if your interface allows it, or you can go from your mic to the compressor and out to pre-amp/interface. If your using a phantom powered mic, you will need a mixer with 48V before going into your interface because most if not all compressors don't come with phantom power. They are not designed for being a pre-amp. You'd go mic to mixer(48V), mixer out to compressor, compressor out to interface.

[TheShawnFussell]

continued from post below.....the energy of the volume is still there and the way you manipulate the compressor gives you certain dynamic effects. Bass drums, if only 'volume automated', wouldn't punch at all beyond the source (the drum). The best way I've heard it out is this...sound makes a waveform...the waveform has a top and a bottom...compression lowers ceiling at how high the wave can go. Now imagine it as water. The water is still there, just more dense and powerful. less is more, too.

[TheShawnFussell]

lol. People are so mean sometimes. I don't think he's as 'simple' as you think. I think the man knows what he's talking about but he's simplifying for the sack of the noobies trying to grab a quick jump on learning the art of engineering. All in all, before I understood compression, I would of loved to just know what he was teaching here. One thing I would like to add to the noobie watching is that compressors do more than just automate volume. The energy of the volume is still there.,..........

[isrural]

didnt understand decibles decibles decibles!!!!!!!!!!!

[danvee1982]

your a simple man , you should go back to cleaning dishes

[fojeba]

Good evening,

can you please let me know how you connect your external /hardware compressor to your DAW ?

[myname5068]

thx for this nice explanation cuse most of the time the problems in the sround system is from the bad using for the compressor , keep on uploading like this videos i like :D great job :D

[jovocoenn]

best tutorial on compression that i've seen on youtube so far!

great job! (tim & eric style!)

[neonelectro]

This is actually quite a useful video. True, you have to play around to get your sound right 'coz everyone's is different, but this is a good staring point and explains the basics for someone who is completely new to compression tools.

[beholdjennogf]

impressive advice nice one, has anybody sampled L'Oreal's newest range of products? it is quite hard to obtain cosmetics in Foraker yet you can recieve some awesome samples from "Gratis-Makeup-Samples"! there ace!

[selatik1]

Jeez louise, why are so many of these guys so utterly incapable of explaining this clearly?

[selatik1]

This guy needs to choose only one good way of describing something, and then not add two or three other ways of describing the same thing, which is very cumbersome. He should also edit out "ummmm"s, stuttering, and other speech impediments that make understaning this type of material unnecessarily more difficult.

[prunch72]

People i'm getting alot of stressed vibes here, confusion and the search for a quick fix, the only way to understand or effectively utilise sound dynamic processing like compression is to patch it in, run a bass or vocal and play around with it. Extreme compression or EQ settings are usually a sign that something else is wrong either with your channel and amp' gains or your mics and DI's /instruments/singers are rubbish

[je2555]

@prunch72 my mics are rubbish??!!!! (horrified), no no no no no, the SINGERS are rubbish ;)

[coolcooldaddy]

I have an dbx 166xl i need a setting for a rock band the singer?? Can u help me?

[johnsoundguy]

i learned more about the sound in to this video thank you for your effort.and i have a question what is the lo contour / tube /sc mon / i got mdx2600 behringer thanks

[jimbobg65]

Bollocks to this 'Expert' video. 2mins and 43seconds of confusing information for newbies. DO NOT WATCH IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ANYTHING.

[brownbigb]

@jimbobg65 it was not confusing at all. it is actually a pretty decent explanation of the compression basics.

[inlovewithmusic09]

Thankyou very much Sir

I appreciate your effort and contribution...

people like you are true music lovers in a sense that you want it to sound good no matter where it IS....

great !!

[SFHBN]

Thank you!

[zanik00]

Dirty fingernails

[satantheclown]

@zanik00 Yeah but his anus is clean.

[zanik00]

@satantheclown Ha ha ha ha ha ha

[lidesnowi]

Can you show us how to Upset a Compressor!

[daryl152]

its about time that expert village has a good video haha thanks!

[RisingEdge111]

nicely done. thank you.

[dekarateman]

where and how do you really connect a compressor limiter,EQ and guitar effects into a mixer.NOt set up but connect in mean cable connections.

[FlipG59]

A compressor is usually placed to control the signal level before it hits anything else in the audio route. The mixer should have an 'Insert' socket and the compressor should be routed though this. A compressor controls the dynamic range of a sound ie. makes loud sounds quieter and quiet sounds louder.

This video is an excellent explanation of the controls though it would be good to have an audio demonstration of the effects produced when parameters are changed.

[sifs4]

nicely explained thanks.

[RoteKampfSocke]

i know , its hard to keep it simple , but there is no "all purpose" compressor setting. i am sorry , but this is simply not true .

If there would be something like that , these units would all be sold without most knobs..

[castorriver]

I love my dbx266xl.

[ATLMusiq08]

I have one and i'm trying to figure out how to set it! i use it for my church and i need to get it situated quick!

[castorriver]

Just remember that less is better. There are directions in the manual and when you try those settings at first it might sound like the unit is 'off'. But if you listen closely you can hear the effects.

[misanthroposy]

Hey I was looking at getting one of those dbx but I had some questions first. I know what a compressor does but the limiter I don't really understand. I'm just wondering my amp head puts out 200 more watts then my cab can take. Can I use a limiter to make sure the 200 extra watts never gets sent into my cab doing speaker damage or does it work that way? I want a rackmount compressor for my bass rig. And just want to make sure that I need use to much power from my amp and blow the speaker.

[Jaws5519]

Sounds like what you need for you bass rig is a Attenuator (weber mass 200, or the thd hot-plate).

[crackshotnoodles]

dont worry, the louder you play the more power your speaker will need and it will draw whatever it can to get that extra power from the amp, i presume your amp is 4ohm being a bass cab as the lower frequencies draw more power. A limiter is for speaker protection, You set a threshold and if the sound gets above that threshold it "limits" or takes away the dangerous sound

[misanthroposy]

@crackshotnoodles Thats what I need though is speaker protection. Because the head I'm getting pushes out 800 watts and the cab I have only handles 600. Too much power for my speakers and in the fututre I don't want anyone to screw around with it and turn the volume to high and blow my cab.

[ChristopherDowning]

Very unlikely that your amp is actually putting out 800 watts or your speakers can take 600 watts. So you basically have to use your ears. As soon as the sound starts to clip (sounds like distortion is starting) turn the volume back a little and that's it.

[lighttech258852]

KLo555, i agree with you that Klart Teknik is FANTASTIC, but Dbx Make some good Compresors....

[adamsoundguy]

DBX 160's are great units so are drawmers and the KT's

[Tevin85]

Just to Start you out, You will "Need" a Microphone, A channel Mixer, and depending on what software you're using, you may need an Inteface, If u want your vocals or instruments to sound more cleaner and smooth, you can buy a Preamp And a Compresser or just either or...

[velasq12]

i think the best way to understand compression is to play with it, understand it until you know what it can be useful for

i never used a compressor, but sure seems interesting to know about it

[klo555]

Its not compression until you are using Klark-Teknik, - everything else does nothing.

Phonic doesnt count as compression.

[ozzygen02]

Blah blah... its not what u have, its what you can do with your $ possibilities.. if you can make a phonic sound great, what could u do with a klark teknik.

Everything (not just everything else) might do nothing in untrained hands

[puretone30]

I have to disagree with his very last statement. While compression does, in a way, allow for the control of output volume, that is not the essential function of a compressor. Riding the faders is a better form of "volume control." A compressor reduces dynamic range! You want to know why a good engineer can pull of a show and a great engineer can make you think you're listening to a (good) CD? He knows how and where to use compression and EQ!

[supernaturalguru]

nicely put.

For example i know a sound engineer and when we were at a gig he used the compressor to stop the ring off the cymbals coming through it would sound piercing,

[diego13x]

rate 5, is good for noobs

[kontour3]

What sort of instrument would you use a three second release for? it seems quite a lot...

[djjdub]

can you get more in dept of why you would mybe need a compressor?

[Alcohollicaa]

very simple. all it does is it hides ur feedback,and reverb tails. if u play live shows or record music this would probably be extremly helpfull to the player.

[odavila78]

that is only one application Alcohollicaa but not the primary use for one. Dj JDub, I can imagine you're probably a mobile or club Dj and as one you can use a compressor to protect your amplifiers from accidental, or not, clipping. Of course you can always turn your levels down at the dj mixer and that is why i say accidental. During blends the levels do tend to increase so it'll be most helpful in the middle of a blend. This is probably a more practical answer for you as a dj.

[Hugofski]

does all of this equipment affect the voltage or current? Or does it depend on what it is affecting?

[sleepingstaff]

cheers mate