Have you tried 2 harlow pedals yet? 
1 Like
Compression-wise, I’m having really good results with squeezeing the compressor in AR MK2 and it sounds great on the beats I’ve made with just the right clicking.
When I get the money I’ll probably go for the Oto Boum.
1 Like
I’m curious about the Keeley Limiting Amp pedal (GC-2). Anyone have experience with it?
Edit: mono, so not sure if OP wants to invest in two …
I heard some pro techno guys don’t use a limiter at all when playing live. Every venue with a real sound system has their own limiter. So you might not need a limiter. But of course you’ll have to have your levels under control a bit which can be diffucult if you improvise a lot.
1 Like
Of course, a venue PA has limiters, EQs etc. But that 's something else than EQíng and compressing your mix. On the mix it’s to make your material sound good and you have control over it. On the PA it’s to translate any material as good as possible on the given equipment and space (and sometimes it’s actually limiting the possibilities because of complaining neighbors etc). I’ve found that my mix levels were varying too much when I played a gig recently. I’m considering putting a limiter on it so I know I have a ceiling I can push against and not worry too much about it. The PA limiter will provide a ceiling as well but you have no control over (the sound of) it. You don’t know at what level it kicks in and how hard. I prefer to have that control. The PA sound engineer will then take that signal and make the best of it on the PA.
I’m sure this is not required by experienced artists with clean sets. I have neither of that 
2 Likes
Yeah that’s true. It really depends on how preconstructed your set and how even your levels are.
I remember reading somewhere on elektronauts that somebody used the fmr rnla parallel on a seperate channel of the mixer which led to a nice and punchy mix. Though i don’t know how he took care of level spikes on the main channel.
Yes!
Had a bit of a hiccup as the original 2nd pedal I ordered had a blown out input section, so had to return it. Then I was on the fence again about really needing a second, but I decided I want to do more realtime use of them in stereo, with OT and/or DN.
Found another one used, and aside from very worn knobs (Bogner is sending me a replacement set), it matches incredibly well to my first pedal.
It’s been fun keeping them on the OT main output, really beefing up the OT.
Currently have them each on Drumatix Snare and Drumatix Clap/Rim outputs. The separate tonal variation in this configuration has been nice and is helping me finish a few works in progress I had on the Drumatix.
Was worth it, in the end.
3 Likes
How is the compression? Seems to be geared towards sustaining guitar.
I’ve been looking at adding a pair of Klark Teknik KT-2A to my setup (not portable though) for some transformer flavour. Seems similar?
It is more similar to the KT-2A than most, I think.
But still, the Harlow compression is pretty unique. It does have a bit of an optical compressor vibe to it, but they haven’t really advertised what is going on specifically.
The attack speed is a little slower like an optical compressor, so on its own it is not ideal as a limiter, in the traditional sense.
However, combined with the transformer saturation, it does limit, but in its own unique way. I like the way it takes the peaks and rounds them out harmonically.
The tilt EQ is pre-comp so how you have it set is an important consideration if using the compressor, and the envelope follower on the release stage isn’t half bad.
I generally use the compressor on the Harlow as an added extra to the saturation. It reminds me of the OP-1 and Vulf compressors. So it is as much an effect as it is a dynamic control utility.
For most uses, I only use the compressor at about 1/4 to 1/3rd the available knob range. The harder you hit the input transformer, the less hard you can hit the compressor without it behaving badly, and I generally favor the transformer saturated sound over the traditional compression sound. It depends on what I am feeding it. For just a stem or instrument, I’ll saturate less and compress more. For a drum bus or a whole mix, I’ll saturate more and compress less.
KT-2A has both input and output transformers, so combined with a pad/attenuator on either stage or both, you could get a few different saturation flavors, along with a more controllable compressor (than the Harlow’s) in the middle.
The next time I have it set up on the Octatrack main outputs, I’ll do a video.
I did not get it with running so much through it in mind.
Initially I thought it would just be a solid snare bender for my Drumatix. Saturation, comp, and eq are all things the Drumatix snare benefits from. It’s a great snare tone bender, but to my surprise it can do so much more.
2 Likes
If anyone wants to hear the flavor of saturation of a Deco vs a Harlow…
I have a Deco on loan from a friend.
Made sure the secondary functions were totally flat/full bandwidth.
1st. : Acidlab Drumatix --> Deco --> Octatrack --> Ultralite MK4
2nd : Acidlab Drumatix --> Harlow --> Octatrack --> Ultralite MK4
Yea, some OT FX in there (dj eq, comp, dark reverb) because that’s how I have things wired at the moment, preparing for a live gig with Drumatix+Harlow+Octratrack (a combo I am very happy with, btw)
5 Likes
So I have learned that the Oto Boum is not for me because of various issues with it and I believe I need clean and transparent compression/limiting. (Described in the New OTO machines FX thread)
I think I’ll return it and now I’m considering getting the FMA Audio RNC since many people here have recommended it for transparent compression. Some user review said it does avoid the pumping artifacts and that is important since I’ll be using it on the master after Octatrack. I guess I will have to order it and try it as well since it only really shows if it’s right when you try it hands on, but any comments on this or other suggestions are welcome.
I do like quite extreme compression at times so I hope the RNC will do that. Must I use it with HP sidechain to do this or is it easily accomplished with the Really Nice mode?
I’m still considering as well, and wondering about the differences between the RNC and RNLA for main bus compression/limiting.
I found this comparison here but one has to wonder what’s really being tested. We don’t get to hear the dry signal and it compares the 2 at the same settings. But that’s not how we would use them. We’d dial each in for best results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gnTP9A3EM0
Anyone know of better comparisons?
Here some more discussion: FMR RNC or RNLA on master
1 Like
If for live use one should probably keep in mind that the venue will probably have its own limiter. If it doesn’t, it’s probably a place where accurate compression/limiting doesn’t need to be a priority.
Fwiw I have an RNC and love.it. It does such a good job for the price. I a as under the impression that while the RNC can do limiting as well, the RNLA colors the signal nicely.
Without transparent mode the RNC colors the signal too, but I suspect the RNLA does a better job. I myself chose the RNC in order to always have transparent compression as opposed to colored limiting
1 Like
That’s a different use of limiting. The venue PA will have one to maximize and/or protect the equipment. I want to use it to keep my mix levels in check and avoid large fluctuations. I’m already adding a lot of distortion with my AH en AR, so perhaps the more transparent option is wiser for me.
2 Likes
I expect the RNC can do this for you. Both ratios are 25.
This is exactly why I chose the RNC too. While I don’t have an AH yet, I imagine the two would make a hell of a mix / master pair and with the AH I have more control over the coloring.
2 Likes
…only no brainer and beyond all doubts solution is this hardware rack unit from waves…the maxx bcl…
clear knife sharp brickwall that can’t be bothered, no matter what signal it has to treat, while a nice shaped, perfectly tailored low end lets u shake and rumble any kind of location/pa , while all transparency go hand in hand with all transients to blow ur senses…
but that’s hi end full on…also pricewise…another solution is the allen&heath qu pac…a 16 channel digital small footprint mixer with a very versatile fx suit, that can limit easily as standard…and gives a perfect backend for any kind of sonic situation…stage, studio, recording, converting, monitoring, mixing, finishing, installation…u name it…
1 Like
Haha Waves Maxx BCL… €3000 or so? I’m sure it’s great but that’s a completely different league!
Re digital mixer: I want to keep it analog. My mixer is the hub to send signals all over the place. With a digital mixer that 'd mean many AD-DA conversion steps with inherent delays, and thus audible phasing and artifacts.
…not with the qu pac…it’s made for all this…and they really know what they’re doing…solid converters and per channel free adjustable anti phasing delay on board…industry standard for all live and studio configuations…
and i don’t think u would need all these easy to handle anti phasing solutions anyway…since u don’t have to serve a full band with drums and stuff…all u need is solid fine tuning for no matter what monitoring and a phase truu balanced master out…
it’s a serious backend for all situations for 1300 bux…pay once, be happy for the next ten years…and it really has a small footprint since it’s missing all faders but worx smoothly via an internal touchscreen…with lot’s of free configureable buttons around it…that can always give u instant access to ur favourite shortcuts u might need…so u can even have ordinary play/stop/record buttons ready to go for the internal recorder or any external playback situations…all .free routable in any directions and cycles…and whatever u record…no need for computers…BUT any recordings can be treated in the box or any computer end of the day anyways…
send and return games as much as u want, ten additional balanced analog outs, 4 different complete mix stages, four fx slots with free access to an open libary of heaps of dedicated fx plugins, recodings up to 18 independant channels…puh…no analog console can offer that much within a space and price wise footprint like this…and only real good hi end analog consoles still sound better than any digital mixing…
Other than lack of input knob, which is easily remedied by using the output knob of the device feeding into it, the Platform seems like a solid solution. It looks like the drive section can be very subtle if you want it to be.
I may have to sell some unused pedals and other bits and pick one up to see just how solid it is.
Ok thanks for the details. I run an AV rental company and own several Soundcraft and Digico digital mixers, and Midas, Soundcraft and Mackie analog ones. I know well the capabilities and drawbacks of each type. For some live performers it will always be a no-go to have to deal with touch screens, pages and menu s. The advantage of having built in fx doesn t weigh up against loosing hands on control. For others that trade off will be perfectly acceptable. For my personal live performance work i need the hands on controls. For live sound engineering work i prefer digital because it s just so much less equipment to transport and set up.