Outboard Compressor Insert

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This topic contains 28 replies, has 8 voices, and was last updated by Profile photo of Mike C Mike C 4 years ago.

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  • #50600
    Profile photo of Alrod
    Alrod
    Participant

    I am pleased with the built in compressors on the QU-16. I would however like to on occasion hook up my outboard comps (WA67, LA2A). How are you guys connecting outboard comps since the QU-16 doesn’t have dedicated analogue inserts? I know how to connect my outboard reverb & delay. I guess what I am hoping for is a way to connect the comps as inserts and not as effects. Is this even possible?

    #50601
    Profile photo of cornelius78
    cornelius78
    Participant

    Close as you can get involves burning mixes and channels. Ch1 (un-assigned from LR) feeds Mix1 (pre-fader) > Mix1 feeds outboard > outboard returns to Ch2, Ch2 gets eq, Ch2 feeds LR + mons.

    #50602
    Profile photo of Alrod
    Alrod
    Participant

    I can actually afford to burn some channels. I say this because I would only use the compressors for the smaller acoustic gigs where it would basically be two acoustic guitars, two vocals, and maybe some percussion and backing tracks running through the board.

    With the setup you describe above, you say “close as you can get”. Is that to say that it is not an insert? What is the difference between that set up and using the ST1 / ST2 ins?

    #50603
    Profile photo of GCumbee
    GCumbee
    Participant

    ST 1-3 are stereo and fixed hard left and right. You would need to connect to both L&R inputs. I really wish AH would add a mono blend to those channels.

    #50604
    Profile photo of Alrod
    Alrod
    Participant

    Ah, ok. I think I am starting to see the picture. I wish I was as smart as the majority of you when it comes to mixers.

    In any event, I am guessing that running my single channel comps through the process described above is as close to an insert as the QU-16 will allow. From a sonic perspective, what, if anything, am I losing by not having the ability to run through a dedicated insert (besides losing channels). If there is no sonic difference then I guess all is good. If there is a sonic difference, then perhaps I should scrap the whole idea. Thoughts?

    #50605
    Profile photo of cornelius78
    cornelius78
    Participant

    They’re not “true” inserts in that they don’t return to the same channel/mix as inserts on an analogue console would, hence having to burn mixes and channels. On an analogue console, normally it’s only the gain, polarity and possibly hpf that would affect what is sent outboard. Using the qu, you can end up with multiple gain stages and eqs affecting what essentially becomes the insert send (depends on where you tap things,) which is why some purists would argue that it’s not a “true” insert. There’s also the fact that using a mix instead of a proper insert socket means there’s a summation process (though in this case it’s only summing one channel,) whereas on an analogue desk you’re tapping the channel directly: no summation involved; yet another reason it could be considered not a “true” insert. The above reasons are why I used the phrase “as close as you can get.” It’s all semantics.

    Using the stereo ins vs the mono ins is much of a muchness, it’s more a question of whether you use the outboard in a send-return config or a quasi-insert config (though it’s easy to argue that it’s more accurate to call a quasi-insert config on the qu a send-return config.)

    @gcumbee
    You know the left socket (at least on st1 & st2) is normaled through the right, so if you only plug something in to the left socket you end up with that same signal on both sides. Handy for when you’ve got wireless receivers @ the mix position with line-level outs: you can save a preamp. I think panning is a problem though.

    #50606
    Profile photo of cornelius78
    cornelius78
    Participant

    The only sonic difference would be the latency caused by the extra da-ad conversion on the channels with the inserts vs channels that went straight to LR. 2 guitars strummed at the same time, one with an insert, one without, the one that goes out to your comp then comes back in could hit the lr bus a couple of ms behind the guitar that didn’t go through the insert. Whether that couple of ms is a problem or not is a different matter.

    #50607
    Profile photo of GCumbee
    GCumbee
    Participant

    Thanks. Didn’t know that. I have only used them as stereo. I have used ST1-3 on the AR2412 as mic ins and they are hard left and right. That’s where a blend control from wide to mono would be nice.

    #50608
    Profile photo of cornelius78
    cornelius78
    Participant

    Not sure if it works when using the ar, but def works when using the local ins on the rear of the console. Not sure about st3 though, given it’s one socket vs the 2 separate l & r sockets that make up st1 and st2. I agree that the wide-mono control would be handy. I have a feeling that extra options for panning stereo channels on ilive were added via firmware updates, around 1.7-1.8, iirc, so perhaps there’s hope yet.

    #50609
    Profile photo of GCumbee
    GCumbee
    Participant

    The left jack must be a shorting jack. Much like many analog console always had. Left only bridged to mono. The AR can’t do that.

    #50611
    Profile photo of [XAP]Bob
    [XAP]Bob
    Participant

    No, but you can patch the same input to both L&R to get the same effect…

    #50613
    Profile photo of Alrod
    Alrod
    Participant

    Wow, you guys are brilliant! I wish other forums were like this one. Strait up and to the point answers with no drama. It is obvious that you know what you are talking about. It’s also nice to learn something new 🙂

    Thanks!

    #50614
    Profile photo of GCumbee
    GCumbee
    Participant

    We don’t have time or patience for drama. 🙂

    #50620
    Profile photo of [XAP]Bob
    [XAP]Bob
    Participant

    Drama comes after the sound check, not during it…

    #90073
    Profile photo of alexman
    alexman
    Participant

    Hi guys,i’ new on the A&H family and I have the same problem, I’m trying to connect my outboard eq and compressor to my QU-16 and I can’t do that, don’t work. I can hear my changes of the audio file on ST1 channel but I can’t record that. Please can anybody explain me how can I do that. Thank you in advance….

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