Hi guys,
 
I know that a couple of regular posters here run mastering houses.  Just curious:
 
Anyone used the Shadow Hills Mastering compressor?  Results?
 
How about the Shadow Hills unit vs. Manley Vari Mu?  Results from the Manley unit? 

I like Cakewalk Concrete Limiter- got it for 10 bucks. 

Not sure how it compares to the 10k Shadow Hills one.

lol.  that was funny. thx for making me feel like a total snob.

I think buying a hardware compressor is still a great idea...   they cost a bit of $, not many folk have em, it will give your recordings a unique sound...   

However..  Do I think a hardware compressor sounds better than software, "just because its hardware." nope..   do I think you will sound more professional than a guy with the PSP xenon?   Depends on your skill level.


If your skill level is pro, and you have got a hardware limiter, do I think you get a unique sound?  Yes



Hope that makes sense...

yep. could not have said it better myself. there is just a little mojo added through the circuits. www.solidsoundatlanta.com

I avoid compression while mastering. I fix a lot of the dynamics manually by working on the waveform itself, and then I need to add only a little bit of limiting to make the track "pop."

i run through the compressor and just compress 1 to 2 db. more for the "glue" than anyhing else. 

bigboi


i run through the compressor and just compress 1 to 2 db. more for the "glue" than anyhing else. 

Since you're not really demanding that much of the compressor, you might consider a UAD 2 card if you don't have one already. It's less expensive than a high-end mastering compressor, and the number of available emulations makes it easy to choose "the right tool for the right job." I like the "sound" (or lack therof) of their plug-ins very much.

iZotope Ozone 5 does a remarkable job for me.  Just sayin'...

Tony