The Podcast Pedant

So I finally got a hardware compressor.¹ I was beginning to get tired of applying the same software compression in Soundtrack Pro over and over again — and also tired of the occasional clipping which software can’t solve. I wanted to move just one step closer to a “live to tape” scenario, although I know for certain I’ll never really get there.

After a few days of obsessive review-reading and wallet-shaking, I settled on the RNC 1773 from FMR Audio:

The RNC literally stands for “Really Nice Compressor.” You’ve got to respect that level of forthrightness. It’s a no-frills stereo compressor: there’s no gate, no limiter, no expander, no dual mono mode with extra knobs. What it does have are two compression modes:

1. Normal Mode, which acts exactly like a compressor should. I played around with this a little, and it sounded okay. The attack is very fast and hard, which I found a little jarring. Doubtless I could adjust it, but I never got that far, because what I really wanted to try was:
2. Super Nice Mode, which chains three compressor circuits in series for a very gentle, very transparent compression effect that still retains all its power.

If you Google on the thing you’ll find a large number of sound engineers who swear that the RNC is the best compressor you can find for less than $2,000. I got mine for $175 (plus state tax, and with some cables thrown in) at Humbucker Music, whom I will attest are a great bunch of folks. I ordered it on Wednesday, and it was at my door Thursday afternoon.

I’ve used it twice now for podcasting. I wish I could say something like, “Wow! All I had to was turn the thing on and nightingales dropped dead from envy at my feet.” Unfortunately, it didn’t work that way. New sound gear never works that way. Even on Super Nice mode, I’m still working on tweaking the settings just right. My first attempt (for last week’s Escape Pod intro) used a 6:1 ratio, -8 dB threshold, +6 dB gain. I personally think it came out sounding overpowered, way too flat and pushy. For this week’s intro I used a 4:1 ratio, and made the threshold and gain even at 8 dB (which the manual recommends). It wasn’t flat this time, but I clipped frequently. This could mean I need to make my mic gain part of the equation too.

Don’t take this as criticism of the compressor. The RNC does what it’s supposed to, and it really is beautifully transparent. There’s no change at all in the sound’s tone or noise, just its volume, and that’s rare and lovely. I’m being honest with you about my trials to make the point that there’s no magic bullet. The more gear you have, the more skill you need to develop. Once I learn to use the thing properly, then I believe it will add a volume and clarity to my podcast that will make the investment more than worth it. I can already sense parts of that. It’s just a matter of getting all the pieces into place.



1. I should probably write a post at some point about the finer points of compression and what compressors do. For now, if you didn’t already know, take this for a definition: “A compressor evens out the volume of your signal by making loud sounds quieter.” ↩