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What are your Zaxcom compressor settings?


mojofunkster

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As far as settings, what you're recording is more important than the gear you're using.

But, since you're being general, I will be too...

Generally speaking, you don't want to actually use compression for location mixing.  When in doubt; leave it out -- then adjust your levels so you never hit the digital brick wall.

I work a variety of different gigs, and for the most part, I set the transmitter's compression as only a safety at the far reaches of my dynamic range.  That basically means I set it so it is hardly ever in play -- except that it might allow me a couple of extra dBs and a smoother limit on a rare peak or two.
 

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On 28/03/2017 at 10:58 AM, mojofunkster said:

 

I'm pretty new to zaxcom and I'm curious what settings people recommend for the Dynamics settings.

 

Thanks,

SW

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Fair enough question, was about to ask it myself. If in doubt leave it out doesn't really work with the latest series of zax trx's as the "dynamics" settings also relate to how never clip works also so would be interesting to see if many out there are using custom settings or just run with the factory defaults etc.

C.

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Rather than dismiss a voice of experience because it doesn't fit some preconceived notion of what you've decided should be an appropriate answer, perhaps you'd be well served to learn how it applies. 

In this case it applies directly to Neverclip systems -- which is what I use a good percentage of the time.

Neverclip was developed in no small part in order to avoid the need for the nonlinearity of compression.

 

 

 

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I don't know if this is directly applicable to Zaxcom compressors but I recall having a conversation with Bruce Bisenz about limiter settings for production audio. We were setting up the limiters in a Cooper mixer and he recommended (if I recall correctly) a medium-slow attack with release "as fast as possible." 

David

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8 hours ago, Matthias Richter said:

for Neverclip to work you DO NEED compressor working! That's from Howy. Otherwise you dont overload your mic pres but the TRX  would not record / transmit the hot signal.

So I have mine at -3dB, ratio 20:1, fast&fast. 

Which goes along with what I'm saying.

Yes, in a Zaxcom Neverclip transmitter, the compressor is always on.  That seems slightly counter-intuitive as, like I mentioned above, Neverclip was developed with the intent to avoid the need for the nonlinearity (i.e. signal alteration, or distortion) of compression.  But, having it in the circuit doesn't mean you have to, or even should, actually compress your signal. 

Note that Matthias' settings only kick in as he approaches digital zero, which is easily avoided with Neverclip.

What often leads to confusion, is that while Neverclip does extend the dynamic range, it does not do so by allowing a signal to go beyond digital zero -- the digital brick wall.  A brick wall is a brick wall and if they hit it, your ones and zeros shatter into tiny unrecognizable fragments of broken bits. 

In simple terms, Neverclip extends the dynamic range downward.  That means to take advantage of it, you operate with a nominal level further below digital zero.  This, then, is how you can have a compressor in the circuit and never -- or, at least, only rarely, actually use any compression, as you can adjust it to only kick in well beyond the signal range you normally need.

My settings are different from Matthias' but they still accomplish the same result.  To do so, one simply avoids pushing the signal hard enough that any compression kicks in -- except, perhaps, only in the most extreme, and rare, cases.

 

 

 

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  • 2 years later...

I've just upgraded a TRX900LA (S/N: 3796) to newest firmware (v9.86). Since then the Tx is working like the threshold is very very low no matter if I changed it even to zero. And I've changed multiple times all the Dynamics parameters to try to solve this, but I just cannot fix it. Does someone have an Idea of what can be wrong ?

 

mine:

speed: normal

attack: normal

cmp ratio: 4:1

cmp thresh: -4dB

cmp knee: 2dB

exp ratio: 1:1

exp thresh: -70dB

reduce -2dB

gain: 0

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for me I use a 2:1 ratio with fast speed and attack, threshold of -9 and 3dB knee.  With such a low ratio, it provides a very transparent vocal leveling when levels get hot.  Is it better to not use compression for location mixing?  perhaps yes, but this theoretical question is sort of unrelated to the reality of the fact that whenever your levels do get within 10dB of clipping (and use "gain in hand" to increase gain on the mix buss), would you rather have a signal very close to clipping or a signal that is gently rounded off?  The answer to the theory is of course, it is better to not use compression in production mixing, BUT... a bit of transparent compression is better than clipping the mix buss.

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