Hi Gavin (and others interested)

A dominator is an excellent hardware brickwall limiter. You can drive
it as hard as you want and it will be very transparent. If you
like/prefer this hardware, I highly suggest using a dominator for
peaking management, but a compellor (or even another Dominator) for
compression (or AGC equivalent).

Based on my experience, your first line of processing should be about
levelling the incoming audio. As a starting point, suss your starting
gain on the Compellor (or Dominator) by playing a normalised music
track feeding in. Start with your release time at halfway, compression
at 2:1 (if applicable).

Your incoming audio will appear on the LED, adjust your gain till it
'just' appears. This is a fair indication that your input is coming in
at 0db.

We are looking for levelling, so a thrust of 10 to 14db (or -10 to
-14db if you're looking upside down) is about right for an AGC
equivalent. Have your release at around 2-4 seconds. If your LED is
fully lit, increase your compression ratio to between 2:1 and 2.5:1.
If no visible reduction, reduce it back to 2:1 and decrease your gain.

After this, using a Dominator, you can either lean toward compressing
a few more db, which you can do by setting release to slow and
increase your gain somewhat - but not too much!. This will keep things
dynamic. Or you can lean toward hardcore limiting which requires
faster release, and push the gain to where you feel comfortable. Steer
away from pumping it too much with fast release.

They are both robust pieces of hardware and may take a lot of fiddling
to perfect - but remember to have fun if you plan on using them, as
thats what they'll give you, and be patient. Exercise the "leave it a
day" rule.

Ricky Huntington might even post some of his thoughts if he's asked?

cheers


--- In LPFM_Radio@..., "Gavin Stephens"
<kiwi_rock@x...> wrote:
if you've got PC's to spare.
>
> Although I was wondering if anyone out there uses both the aphex
compellor/dominator together, how hard they drive the gain reduction
on their dominator. Also who's had more sucess with either the slow or
fast leveling action.
>