FMR Audio Really Nice Compressor 1773

The RNC has typical controls for a compressor which allows a wide sweeping amount of adjustment. I especially like the Super Nice mode--very, very smooth. The meter seems pretty accurate, but there is no output gain meter, so you really need to use your ears to match gain output. Of course there are not very many compressors that do have an output gain meter, so no biggie. Everything is very obvious and exactly where you would think it should be--no surprises if you have ever worked on any other compressor before.

To my ears this compressor does and is exactly what FMR Audio says: transparent. It compresses the signal very effectively with no apparent color. In the super nice mode it is even better. As I said, very smooth. And did I say transparent?

So far so good. I will always keep it in a rack, so the chance of damage is not very high. I read reports of folks taking these compressors on the road with major rock touring acts and never seeing a problem. Like I said, for me, so far so good.

I tried to send them an e-mail that was a random sort of comment and never heard back from them. However, I was not really seeking help, so my experience here is limited at best. I have heard they get behind on answering emails. They are a very small company in Texas--they do all their own manufacturing. These people are pretty busy. But their hearts are in the right place, so I will give FMR Audio a pass on not having fortune 500 customer service.

I play indie rock/ pop, do recording for other bands, as well as my own and do live sound. I use the FMR RNC for recording and live sound. It is awesome. I love that you can squeeze three of these onto a universal rack tray. Three STEREO compressors in one rack unit. Awesome. Plus they are a clean/ transparent sound with no color, which I like. Oh yes, the price is right, too. A less than $200.00 new, they are a very justified purchase. I read the complaints about construction and no XLR jacks,... Whatever. I have owned lots o gear without XLR jacks. I make cables to go from one box to the next, no big deal. Plastic? Well, that is part of the way they keep costs down and still make the stuff in the USA. I am okay with that. It is not as if the compressor in a metal case can be dropped on the ground and still be expected to work, right? Put the unit in a rack and never think about it again. I would buy another one, and in fact I PLAN to buy another one in the very near future. I also own an FMR Audio RNLA--there you can add some color to the compression.

Very easy to use. It has the usual threshold, attack, release, and output gain controls that most compressors have. One cool feature is the "super nice" button which, when activated, removes alot of the breathing you get from other compressors making the RNC somewhat more transparent than when this feature is not engaged.

I primarily use the RNC as a guitar compressor since it doesn't have XLR connectors on the input or output, making it somewhat clumsy to use with my high-end preamps which do.

To my ears this compressor is not as transparent as other good quality compressors I have used, although it is still very nice. For example, when I play my Fender Strat through it, it rolls off the high end to some extent and makes it sound more mid-rangy. In effect, it makes the strat's single coil pickups sound a little bit like humbuckers to my ears. My Demeter Compulator Opto Compressor, on the other hand, retains the strat's high end twangyness more extensively and keeps my strat sounding like a strat even though it compresses the sound quite a bit.

Also the RNC imparts a slight Solid State sound to the signal, much in the same way that a low end preamp would do. I only use high-end microphone preamps including those in the realm of Neve, API, John Hardy, Designs Pacifica, Demeter, as well as Avalon for recording, and each of these preamps are noticeably more transparent than the RNC. I don't record with junk and have spent thousands of dollars to get excellent sound. For this reason, I prefer not to use my RNC with any of these high end pre-amps because the RNC sometimes becomes the weak link in the chain when used with a microphone and an excellent pre. If you use a cheaper pre-amp, then this would not be a concern. I also don't like the fact that the RNC doesn't have XLR connectors.

In sum, the RNC is strictly a $200 compressor, but is a good value for the money. I strongly disagree with the hype that this compressor is a dragon slayer that compares with compressors in the $2000 range. I don't know who started that rumor but I disagree with it completely. In part I bought the RNC specifically because of this hype and was a bit disappointed when it didn't sound like the $2000 compressor that some have suggested.

It's built well. I anticipate no problems.

I opened the RNC up and looked inside. There appears to be no electrolytic capacitors in the signal path which is certainly a credit to good design. The only electrolytics found were in the Power Supply circuit. Electrolytics in the signal path can degrade sound quality in as little as a few years so I'm always happy when a manufacturer eliminates their use to ensure that the unit will deliver quality sound for many years to come.

No opinion

In sum, it's a nice compressor for the money, but I have other compressors I like better. I think it rolls of the high end noticeably, although not to the extent of making the unit sound muddy.

I would not buy it again if stolen, but it's still a keeper and I won't be selling it anytime soon.

You'd have to be retarded to build an outboard compressor for home studios, and not include XLR type connectors on such unit. I hated always using adaptors with my FMR compressor...really, c'mon dude...how much to wire in some XLR's. You get what you pay for in this world, and not having XLR's on my FMR is really a joke on the consumer.

Average sound quality for a compressor. British Joe Meek stuff sounds better to my ears.

The thing is made out of plastic. Another sin when it comes to building studio gear. Even the junkiest Behrenger Chinese junk products are built sturdier than this toy.

Who cares about customer service when the product you bought feels and looks like a toy with NO XLR CONNECTORS!

What a pile of junk! I'm so glad I sold this joke of a compressor. Hey FMR...put XLR connectors on your products! HELLO! MCFLY!!!!

If you can't figure it out, then yikes, I am sorry!

I own some nice mics and mic pre amps. I was ready to spend $2,000 on my first real compressor. I had tried several popular budget comps to little satisfaction. Here's what I recommend. If you are in a home or project studio, get your "mojo" from a nice mic and mic pre and use th RNC to transparently control the signal going into your DAW. No need to blow your wad on an 1176 or LA-2A unless you have clients paying for the name brand wow factor and want those colors. The RNC is a marvel. Smooth and transparent. A touch noisy, maybe just a touch. This is now an essential part of my signal path.

Seems solid. Time will tell.

Almost instant email response to a few tech questions. Wow. Try that with one of the "big" brands!

The RNLA is great too. Adds alot of 'ooomph' to badd and vocals.

Go get the RNC and the RNLA now.

Easy, if you know what a compressor does.

A little noisy if you go up with the output.
It is very transparent.
I have Aphex compellor, and the RNC is transparent as the compellor 320A. But the RNC costs 10 times less.
I put 9 because i cannot put a 10 for a inexpensive compressor, but i use it a lot. I record (professional), and you can not imagine, in how many recordings there are RNCs and RNLAs.

In a pair of months, perfect.

They have information in the web. Manuals...
Very well.

For its price, you could not find something better.

The compressor is very easy to use. The knobs do just what their labels indicate, and the LED display makes it easy to see what is happening. Because the Super Nice mode uses three compressors in series, the controls respond differently, but if you use the LED display as your guide and follow the simple instructions that come with the unit, you will get good results. In the Super Nice mode, the controls seem a bit sensitive and seem to have a delayed response with some program material, but if you remember to use the LED display, you should get good results. The results sound so natural that some reviewers whose messages preceded mine said they could not tell if the compressor was doing anything. I assure you that it is doing something (!), but it is more obvious with some recordings than others. If you like, you can produce a thick sound such that everything is at a fairly constant level, which would be good in the car with road noise, particularly with classical music where the dynamic range is large; of course, under normal conditions, less compression would be preferred. I also like more compression when I am listening while involved in various activities around the house, walking in and out of the room in which the speakers are located, because I can more easily hear everything in the recordings. Interestingly, the compressor seems to increase the loudness of the bass track so that it better matches the rest of the music.

I bought a Really Nice Compressor for use with electric guitar. After a couple of hours experimenting with it, I felt that a few more hours on several occasions would be required before I really had a good feel for how I would use it with electric guitar. (I have been using two Barber Tone Press compressors in series with electric guitar, and I am thrilled with the results.) I decided that before experimenting more with electric guitar, I would try it on my stereo with recorded music. I do most of my listening in the bathroom while I am showering, etc., and I had wondered how I would like additional compression with the music in there. Of course, the shower creates significant background noise, and I wanted to boost the quiet sounds without having the louder notes too loud. I am very pleased with the results. The Super Nice mode works wonderfully in this way. Also, it makes very percussive music more listenable. Piano, as you know, is a very percussive instrument, and I often find that the louder notes in piano recordings seem distorted and louder than I like. The Super Nice mode tames those transients and makes it more enjoyable without squeezing the life out of it.
I look forward to trying it for the sound track when I watch DVDs. I don?t enjoy startlingly loud explosions, etc., and I often wish the voices of people were louder. I suspect I will like compression here very much, and I wouldn?t be surprised if I buy a second unit, so I can use one for my bathroom listening and one in the living room with DVDs. Heck, I might have to buy a third one for electric guitar, but I want to do some more experimenting with it first.

It appears to be well made, but I have not had it very long.

I have not contacted them.

I play a wide variety of music. I like interesting, beautiful music, regardless of the genre. I suspect this compressor would be very valuable when recording, to avoid distortion. I have not tried it in that application, but it does a great job when I am listening to recorded music. I suspect it will be useful for electric guitar too, but I'll have to do more experimenting with it in that capacity.

easy... couldn't get much easier

there are some pieces of kit that you buy that you immediately become instant friends with. This and my groove tubes brick, are just like that.

anybody who thinks this compresor sounds bad is daft! you would need to spend thousands more to get a better one. no joke. this thing can squash things and suck up the room like you wouldn't believe! yet, it hasn't gotten too muddy or artificial sounding. it breathes real easy. i haven't had much use for the Super Nice feature yet though.

seems sturdy enough. no problems so far...

bought it used and haven't had to call anybody yet so can't say.

i plan on buying another if not 3 more. like i said, would have to pay THOUSANDS to get something better. no joke...

my only complaint is it doesn't have balanced inputs and outputs but really when you are dealing with line level signal that's not an issue. i've never heard much of a difference balancing a line level signal unless its to run cable at great distances (25+ feet). All instrument level signals should be balanced, of course, but htat's just because they are much weaker. would you ever not preamplify an instrument or mic signal before going into this? i think not. I just wish it had balanced inputs and outputs because alot of my other gear does and i'd like to keep my cables consistant.

Other than that i wish it did have a way to separate the stereo signals so you can control them separately but maybe they will come out with a model that does for more cash.

If you are even thinking about a DBX, Alesis or Behringer compressor you need to slap yourself and go pick one of these up instead.

Controls are intuitive. Connections are flexible and clearly marked. Not idiot-proof (as I will explain below), but very well designed.

The unit is always in a linked stereo mode where the left channel controls
the VCA for both sides (I'm pretty sure). It would be nice if you could have two independent sides, but for the money, you can buy two and run each in mono.

There is a convenient side chain loop i/o.

For the money, the sound is truly excellent! The RNC gives you a very wide and useful range of sounds, from subtle and heavenly to drastic as hell. The attack & release slopes are very musical.

While it has unbalanced i/o, the signal path is very clean. The gain that can be added is clean and usable.

The RNC has the fastest attack and release times of any hardware compressor I've ever used. This allows you to make very drastic compression effects. With the "Super Nice"
button engaged, it makes the compression very gentle and "transparent" (seems more like a very slow release, softer knee).

One of the reviews below mentions a "problem" with some audio material. This is due to the user not understanding a fundemental principle of compression. With very low frequencies and very fast attack/release settings, the RNC is fast enough to literally compress every cycle of the wave. This is what causes what that reviewer called "aliasing" or artifacts. If your program has very low frequencies, make sure that you increase the attack & release times accordingly. This is normal and good. It shows that the compressor is capable of running rings around your audio.

At one point there were rumblings that FMR would come out with a balanced, independent channel version. But it seems that never happened.

I have had only one problem. Sometimes when I power up, it is in a "crashed" state. All LED's are lit and no signal passes. I simply cycle off then back on again and it's fine. It's done this ever since it was new. Otherwise it works perfectly, and has for years.

I contacted the company about the "crash" problem twice via email. I never got a reply.

It is by far the best value in a hardware compressor there is. Though, without any manufacturer customer support, make sure you either buy through a reliable & helpful retailer with good support, or don't pay too much. With it's small size and very flexible sounds, you can and should take it with you for every recording and live sound gig you have.

standard controls in normal mode a little tricky in Super but fine in the studio

it's racked {2 in a funk logic tray and 1 in a RNC/RNP funk logic tray} I have Drawmer,Avalon,Dbx,Joe Meek,and Neve comps here so i can get a wide range of comp sounds.Thr RNC is the only one that you cant "hear" so it has a special role in our studio. Supernice is amazing even though the controls act a little funny. Try that on your acoustic guitar tracks,{I use a Neumann Km184 to API 512c preamp into the RNC} and it really keeps the feel of the performance while smoothing out the transients just enough to keep your quiet passages above tape hiss and your loud pops out of Digital DistortionLand, whichever format you use. Nice on MS pair for drum room as well, but you need to use 2 because you cant access both channels via the controls. Anything where you want to smooth out your tracking it shines on, but if you're looking to really crush something and make it sound funky you're kinda outta luck. Not really a problem though, as this is not what this is meant for. Acoustic stuff{except upright bass}, vocals, ambient mics, overheads on a quiet kit etc. really sound like what they sound like before you comp them,just a little smoother. Careful with your bass guitars and kick drums 'cause the release times are pretty fast on this guy. Havent tried it on a 2buss except for live recordings linked to the RNP because of the whole unbalanced deal, but we feed 2 KM184's into the RNP, comp them with the RNC to avoid DIgital dist. and mix that in with the board feed at 80/20 board/mics and get a really clear and punchy DAT of live shows in one rack space. First time i used supernice i had to check waveforms to make sure it was really working and it was, so i was able to compress a little harder than usual without any artifacts! Thats SuperCool.

Plastic box but pretty tough, cant vouch for the wall warts though. I have 3 and have used them mostly in racks so no problems yet {2 years} but i would never out one on the floor. We had one on our D.J. live for a while but the knobs kept getting turned and we got tired of resetting them, but it held up in a backpack for 4 months even with a few trips to the floor.

Dealt with the designer, talked for over an hour before my first purchase, great guy. Though one was broken and they overnighted me another at no cost but it turned out it was a bad cable and i felt like an idiot. Sent it back and all was well except for the shipping costs incurred 'cause i didnt check my cables!!!! Bought 2 more after i had the first one a month and ordered the preamp before it was even available because of the good experiences i had with FMR

Just love these things for what they are. easy to use so you can get to the tune, super clean and transparent, does what the tube and optical stuff wont and in the pro audio world it's damn near free! Wish it had a Left Right switch so i could access each channel and had a balanced upgrade or something, but the wall wart does not bother me as much as most people cause its racked. Fine product, AMAZING price, and a whole other flavor for tracking. I dont use them during mixdown though. Thts where you want to add flavor, and if the track is dynamically all over you either messed up the tracking, the player cant play, or you ride the fader in my world. If i was still on a 4-track or something this is the comp to get bang for your buck wise.

Pretty basic to use. I only use it on vocals prior to going to the PA for live shows. Easy to get set up and works great. One issue I have with it is that it supposedly has 2 channels (which are controlled by one set of knobs). Not really true. It has one channel with two inputs. I tried using it with one supposed channel for vocals and one for drums--whenever the kick drum boomed, the vocal level went down. They're not separate channels. Also, the knobs are no longer intuitive when in Super Nice Mode.

I only use the normal setting. I find it easy to use and very transparent. We record most of our live gigs, and the signal is smoothed out nicely, but there is absolutely no coloration or noticeable sound change. This is just what I needed.
I haven't found much success with Super Nice Mode (or whatever they call it), so I stick with the basic operation.

Had about two years and no problems.

Never had to deal with them.

The features are basic, but sound is very transparent. I'm very pleased.

Not too difficult, but like all compressors, it needs some dialing in of course.

Great, especially supernice mode. There is however a digital noise that *can* be heard. People here tell that this is impossible, because the signal path is all analog. It seems these people have never heard of electromagnetic radiation. The thing is the following: at very low input levels, you can heat it 'switch'. The sound is reproducable and does not depend on release, ratio or attack settings. It does depend on input level (should be really low, under -30dB to hear the noise) and gain (should be quite high, above +4dB). I wrote to FMR audio about it with detailed settings, instrument used, description of noise and the reply was...none. They must know about it. It is however, not really an artifact, because the RNC wasn't designed to handle such low levels. Make sure the input level is such that you don't need to go below -20dB and you'll never hear it. The effect is caused by the digital switching in the analog compressor levels and you literally hear the switching in several small steps.
Otherwise, the sound quality of a properly fed signal is very good indeed. Save for a little loss of high-end, it is almost inaudible in coloration, only in the envelope of the amplitude...

Sure looks reliable

As i told you- no reply to an otherwise detailed mail. Of course: they can't deny it and on the other hand if they confirm it, the hype may weaken...

I am really happy with!

If have any clue how compression works its a no brainer. The digital controls are very precise. No manual so to speak, just a quick-start guide of a few pages. I had my vocals dialed in within 5 minutes of receiving it. Used it at a gig the next day. To make it easier to use one would have to dumb it down. It has all the controls you need.

Tansparent. Used it on live vocals. Very quiet with no noticable added noise. I cranked up the PA just to see if it added any hiss. . . heard none. A couple of people have posted here about digital artifacts but they seem to have their head up their amp because it's an ALL ANALOG SIGNAL PATH thus digital artifacts are impossible! I'm somewhat of a tube snob with amps and preamps but a tube always colors the sound somewhat and I certainly don't want that in a compressor.

I could gig without a backup because its loss is not a showstopper. Seems solid enough. The metal box could support a man's weight with no problem. It could certainly take a knock better than any tube based compressor.

Never dealt with them.

I'd replace it if it was lost. My only gripe is that it has unbalanced in/outputs. I don't like hanging a big XLR/phone adapter from the jacks. An on/off switch might be nice too but I suppose the simpler it is the fewer thing could go wrong with it. For the money though it is a great value.

Easy!

This thing doesn't color the sound, as noted several times below, so it can be used on lots of things. Don't pass it up because it doesn't brick-wall limit. It appears not very many people know what radio stations do to program material. If you wish to achieve greater loudness, the worst thing you can do is to squash the dynamic range of your recordings: radio station processors will see your recording as one big long peak and will drive down the volume -- the very opposite of what you want to happen -- and will distort it in the bargain. Do yourself a huge favor and go here: http://www.masterdigital.com/24bit/radioprocess.html Today's record industry people and artists want CD's to "sound like they do on the radio." That's because the radio stations slam the signal to the wall and brick it to achieve a louder sound. If you try to preempt this process, you're in huge trouble. Besides, music is meant to be dynamic. If it's all one level, it fatigues the ears and the life goes out of it. I use my RNC in the production of radio commercials, and I use the Super Nice mode on everything. I also use very nice front end gear plus the secret black box made by Sound Performance Labs, the Vitalizer. Spike Lee ran Denzel Washington's voice through this machine in The Autobiography of Malcolm X to give it greater transparency and character. I like life in music and ads, not squash.

No problems.

Mark is a true pro.

Very good for my use. I speak for the sound only. It's great that it's inexpensive, but nothing is a bargain if one doesn't like it.

Know how to use a compressor ? Then you know how to use this

I used this thing in a friend of mine's studio on vocals,drum over heads, and as a stereo bus compressor. The price/performance ratio on this thing is absolutely STUPID!!!! When used as a vocal comp. I had to tweek it the most but soon found a setting where it rode the vocal evenly and consistently whithout drawing any attention to itself. On drum overheads I mashed them whith 6 to 8 db of solid compression and all it did was suck a little more of the room in while at the same time giving me a more balanced image of the kit. On the stereo bus I used the super nice mode and instantly wanted to kill the guy who made this thing as it worked on the mix as transparently as my Manley Variable Mu albiet without the Manley's euphonic coloration. This alone is worth the price of admition, when you factor in the fact that it dosn't sound bad on anything, well lets just say that there are 4 of these units out there whith my name on them.In response to the people who had problems with material that had heavy bass content all you have to do is back up on the release or just use the super nice mode and all will be well.Remember,compression is your friend but if you don't know what you are doing it can bite you on the ass!!!

Don't own one so I don't know but I spoke to the guy who makes it and he seemed nice enough.

Don't know

In my studio I do mostly Pop and Rock music whith the ocasional Jazz band and I have a pretty large collection of outboard that includes stuff from Manley , Empirical labs(Distressors), Presonus and SPL electronics and I'd be only too happy to have a bunch of these in my rack.

Well laid out, nice small footprint for desktop users. Unbalanced I/O only. Must use excessive attack/release times compared to other brands to get a relatively undistorted sound.

Has true bypass which is a great feature. Overall sonics very good at slower attack/release times. Noticably distorts on any material in hard-knee mode when attack and release are set 12 o'clock or less, whereas other brands are clean with same ms settings/material. Super-nice mode is good. If you need relatively fast attack/release, compare before you buy IMO. Low noise levels indicate decent quality internal components.

Seems reliable enough, metal case, but kind of flimsy knobs/pots. Should probably be protected for gig use.

Unresponsive.

They make some outrageous claims on their website about it's superior sound quality. However, it's only a good buy for the price if you don't need relatively fast attack/release IMO. It does some things well, but others not so well, it's priced about right for what you get.

Easy to get a good sound. I had previously used only software for compression. The manual is minimal, but not really necessary. It gives some basic starting points.

Great sound! I use it mostly for acoustic recordings where smoothness and body without coloration or audible dynamic limiting is desired. A children's choir concert recorded live with SuperNice Mode sounded superb.

So far no problems.

No problems with the hardware, but they've always answered phones or responded to e-mail if I had a question.

I play classical, folk, quasi-jazz, anything I'm paid to do - a lot of studio work. For recording, I do personal projects or help friends out. I also do a lot of recording for community arts organizations. FMR products are small [portable], high quality, and affordable. I certainly didn't find out about them from a full page glossy magazine ad! I would buy another in a second and recommend FMR to anyone desires extremely high quality at a reasonable price.

Simple as compressors get. Standard set of compressor controls, threshold, ratio, attack, release, and make-up. No surprises, which is good IMHO.
Manual is unnecessary to operate RNC, though the manual does give good information about the difference between Super Nice mode and Regular mode that would otherwise be operator guess-work.

Transparent. No thermal noise. No hi-freq squash, as in similarly priced compressors. In regular mode, it's just plain, simple, phat (or not), great sounding compression. With some compressors (dBx 160A and 160X for example, which I love for certain apps), you know that you will get a colored sound, a sound that belongs solely to the compressor you are using. With RNC in regular mode, there is no color, rather, a compressed version of the audio source you are working with. It's hard to describe, because I've used mostly dBx products (266- hate, 160A and X- love, 166- indifferent, 1066- ok with "contour" switch engaged, and 165- wish I owned a rack-full...), LA-2A, and 1176LN- each of these has a specific app that I'd choose it for. The RNC doesn't color, so is a good choice for anything, and for the price, it can't be beat. Truly a great compressor for project studios on tight budgets.

(The RNC is not in league comparison-wise with the LA-2A or 1176, by the way, I just mentioned those units as comparators in the "does this unit have its own sound" category.)

100% dependable in a studio. Buy the rack kit, (Funklogic NCC-1701), and if you have a chance, buy from Mercenary Audio. I had a most excellent experience dealing with them.
So long as the RNC lives in a rack, I'm not worried about its reliability. However, I would not trust it on the road outside of a rack.

Never dealt with the manufacturer. The dealer (Mercenary Audio, previously mentioned) was a joy.

The wall wart is not good, though I appreciate the fact that more internal real estate can be dedicated to noise-free audio processing. Since mine is in a studio rack, it's not that big of a deal.
The I/O is actually cool, to me, since I use it with a Mackie 1402 and a Presonus MP20, both of which have unbalanced inserts (adhering to the "tip out, ring in" protocol). The ability to hook up a single TRS->TRS cable from an insert jack on the equipment side to the input/output of the RNC is something all unbalanced gear should be able to do.
All in all, a solid unit. Bought one, liked it enough, bought the second.

If you'd like, you can listen to the RNC over the vocal parts of the "Water Song", at this link (vocals were recorded with AT4040, Mackie mic pre, RNC over the insert, and output to Aardvark LX6):
http://www.sonicgarden.com/artists/john_lochner

I need to start by stating that I use this as a guitar effect and not as a recording effect (yet). I wanted a compressor to even out my right hand technique on my lap steel guitar. With that in mind, the threshold is set for maximum sensitivity. The other knobs work pretty well all at 2. Ratio @ 2:1 Attack @ 2msec Release @ 2.0 sec but the gain is set at +10dB. It?s much more difficult to use than the MXR dyna-comp for example.

So much better than a guitar pedal type compressor. I was going to use it full time so a switch was unnecessary. I get a considerably more even sound and more sustain with the RNC before my tube driver, blue box, and phase-90.

I?m afraid I?ll damage the knobs if stomped on. Then it?s not really designed for the floor either. I only wish the knobs were stepped so returning to settings would be quicker.

N/A

Great sound for my application. I wonder if things would work better (wouldn?t need to set threshold at ?40dB) if used in an effects loop from some more modern amps. Someday I may even record with it.

Ever used a compressor before? Then you know all you need to know to operate the RNC

Beautiful sound, with very little noise. I tore out the other low end compressors in my studio (focusrite, behringer and dbx) leaving only my two RNC's and for the first time in years there was SILENCE. I immediately ordered two more.

Only used in studio situations - no problems

Wonderful product. Takes care of its business and lets you go about yours - making music! Can't recommend it highly enough

If you can't figure this one out, stop misusing compression!

Very clean. Behaviorally very similar to older FET limiters. Not that it SOUNDS like an 1176, but it's fast enough to react like one. Actually, I was able to get snare sounds similar to my Neve 3310 limiters out of this box. The super-nice mode is great and very transparent. And for the money... COME ON!!!

No problems yet.

Haven't had to deal with them.

Love it! For the money, only the ART VLA is my preference for certain things. (A studio with both can cover LOTS of ground for relatively little cash.) Wish list would include a full rack space housing for power supply (without wall-wart) and both unbalanced AND balanced I/Os.

similar to other compressors, easy to use.

it is a no thrills compressor. sound decent at a certain setting, not really versatile because it sucks at other settings. i dont know what the fuss is about. sold it to some kids for $120 and bought a nano comp new for $49 at guitar center and very happy. better and much cheaper

didn't keep it for long

never dealt with them

i play a LP thru a marshall 9000 preamp and a crate tube power amp. i got this one to do PC recording. i got it at a pawn shop before i even read the hype about it on the newgroups. it's just an average compressor. i sold it and made an easy 50 bucks. in my opinion it's not the best bang for the bucks. the RNC is advertised for $175 new. i'll never buy one at that price. it buy it again if i found one at pawn shop for cheap so that i can sell it to some snobs.

As easy or difficult as any other real comressor.....all of the same controls, etc. If you don't know how to use a compressor take some time to learn or you'll never be able to apply it effectively.

Very clean and transparent. It is not big and fat, it is not thin and noisy. The tone you put in is what comes out, only smoother or more squashed, depending on how you use it.

I use it for recording and use it on every sound source. The SuperNice mode is really smooth. I like to use it subtley most of the time but it can do the squash thing, and without the loss of much high end, unlike most compressors.

As for the two people who heard the digital aliasing, yeah, I experienced that. Only it has nothing to do with "digital". This unit is all analog and is controlled digitally....make no mistake though, the signal path IS analog. The "aliasing" is due to the settings you had. Altering the release will eliminate that. That's what you're hearing, the compressor grabbing and releasing the sound, basically just working. It is intermittanly grabbing and relasing the "compressing) the signal because the release is set to short. Set the release longer and it will hang on to the notes, thereby eliminating the "aliasing" you heard. This is what happens with compressors, others do it too. Apparently you have never used a real compressor before, just pedals/toys or something.

Overall this units sounds fantastic. It is definitely a 10 on the soundometer.

I have two that have been used for 3 yeas and never had a single problem. However, it doesn't move much.

This is where the last reviewer is dead wrong. Mark McQuilken not only answered my questions directly, he spent time to explain the operation of compressors (not just his own). He carse about his customers and his product and is passionate about what he does.

I learned a few things from about the finer aspects of using a compressor from him.

We need more companies like FMR here in the USA. It just goes to show that American companies CAN compete, and beat, companies that manufacture their gear in other countries, not only in performance, but in price too.

Great sound, great price, great customer service, USA company..... this is a no brainer.
A definite 10 in the satisfaction category.
It may be the best performance to price winner in pro or semi-pro audio today.

it's simple and straight foward A+

low frequencies mess it up --digital aliasing bigtime. It's a digitally controlled DBX VCS chip in this same as the Alesis 3630 I think, sounds great on many things but beware of that digital crap that shows up now & then. It would stutter and choke on lower frequency material.

no idea I didn't like the sound had to return it.

not responsive...weeks without a response. Then gave me the run-a-round -- avoid them.

can sound good or like crap, it depends on the material you're putting through it, so that really scares me and it messes up many things. I chose to run from it --who knows when those digital artifacts may mess something up-- and very poor customer service.

This compressor is a no brainer. The sound is pristine & the knobs all do something. 1/3 rack space so it's small enough to mount on a pedal board. I was told by the designer that Eric Johnson uses one with his studio rig. I can believe it after having one myself for a while.

I go into the RNC 1773 & then straight to my amp. This unit is an analog audio path thats digitally manipulated. I use the output knob as a gain control to drive my amp. It's got plenty of output level.

I haven't had any problems so far & I've had it for 2 years. You might order a spare power adapter just in case you misplace one.

The people at RNC always answer the phone & know their sh*t in & out.

If I had the money, I'd have a rack of these...

If you know ANYTHING at all about compression you will get a good sound as soon as you power it up for the first time. This is truly a foolproof device. The manual is pretty spartan, but to be honest unless you know nothing about compression you will probably never use it. As some other reviewers have mentioned, the action of the controls is very very smooth and even and never involves guesswork like a lot of cheap compressors do.

"What guitars and amp setup"? This one always gives me a laugh when those killer-tone-obsessed guitarists list like 3 paragraphs about their stupid amps and distortion pedals and how the new famous "vintage" model reissue does not sound anything like the original 1976 model.

Anyway my own setup is a synth/sampler/computer deal and I am using the RNCs on almost everything. The RNC is very smooth and well-mannered, with very little artifacts even at high ratios (unlike my paperweight dbx 1066) and does EXACTLY what you want it to do and does it well. Since that's usually your goal, it's safe to say the RNC is a winner. The Supernice mode is fantastic, and very useful for stereo bus compression, but since the RNC is not balanced (%^*&$$%!) it really limits its applications in this area. BUT how can I complain? This thing costs less than peanuts. It is a stunning value, and easily the best value in pro audio IMO. I should emphasize the pro part because the sound of this compressor is absolutely professional in every respect and completely suitable for professional work, unlike ANY other compressor less than about a thousand dollars, period.

I will take one point off for a noise floor around -88db just because I feel like I need to take a point off (I can't give anything a 10 sorry, Mr. McQ).

I don't know about this one. The bottom of the case seems to be made of aluminum but the sides and top are made of plastic. If you dropped it I'm sure it would be ok, and it's nice to have something so compact that you can throw in a backpack or something, but if you need to do live sound I 'd probably recommend one of those rackmount cases that Mercenary sells (the RN-Chevy things) that hold 2 RNCs. It's a very small firm and I think the owner assembles them himself so I'm sure that the box is reliable, knock on wood.

Have not dealt with the man personally but I see him on r.a.p. all the time and everyone else seems to have positive things to say about him.

This compressor is outstanding for anything where you don't need a balanced connection, period. Any style of music at all. If I lived anywhere near the guy who makes these things, I would pester him every day to make a 1 rackspace balanced +4 version with an internal power supply (yes it uses a wall-wart unfortunately for all mankind) with a brushed aluminum case. I would pay $1000 for it. If the RNC were stolen or lost, I would be annoyed for a little while, but would quickly order a replacement. Get this now. Take it in to the worthless asshole working in the "pro" audio dept of your local music store who keeps trying to sell you a dbx, and has never heard of the RNC. Tell him that the RNC blows the piss out of anything he has heard, give him a demo, and then tell him you will never buy anything from him or his store ever again! Well regardless, it's very refreshing to buy a product that lives up to the hype the RNC has gotten on the net though it seems like only net-savvy engineers/musicians/hobbyists have actually even heard this hype! Well I think the RNC is better than sliced bread (it goes stale a lot faster than unsliced) and you should get one now if you are reading this!

Well, it's a compressor with standard compressor controls...as long you used compressors or know how to it's very simple.

I've worked with Hi-End stuff and when it came to spend my own money the RNC was my first choice. It's clen, behaves as you would expect and sounds as you have paid it 5 times more.
The supernice mode is something different, could be the answere to your needs, cantrols in this mode bahave a litle different, so you need to experiment.
You have to play with it to get a nice setiing, which to me is a very positivce thing, It's gonna help you build up you hearing skills.

still works, so it's a 10

I wonder if any other manufacturer customers support cals you by name...

Get at least 2 of this boxes...

Quite easy to use as compressors go. Controls include: Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, and Gain, along with two buttons: Bypass & Normal/Super Nice Mode. Also includes a meter to indicate gain reduction. SuperNice mode is a bit deceiving since the controls don't exactly correspond or react like you'd expect them to (this is probably related to the fact that SuperNice mode is designed to make it near impossible to get a bad sound :O)

Mine is very quiet and sounds simply great. In SuperNice mode it's very subtle compression; it's nearly impossible to get it to pump & breathe. In Normal mode it also sounds very good; smooth & clean. Mine is VERY quiet.

I've been using it for nearly 2 years with no problems. I've used it both in my home studio and in my live PA rig to add some mild compression to the entire mix. It is built very well but is in a plastic case so you can't really toss it around and I wouldn't recommend using it outside a rack.

Mark has always responded to my questions promptly. When I first got the RNC I emailed him because I thought my SuperNice mode wasn't working (as I mentioned above the controls don't react like you'd expect them too so my meters would never even light up unless I cranked the Threshold down to -30 dB). Mark called me back 15 minutes later and set up a time that he could call me at home and run through some tests. He ended spending 30 minutes on the phone with me running through various tests and explaining how SuperNice mode works. Now that's customer service.

The RNC is the best compressor you can buy for the price. Is it as good as a $2000 tube compressor? No but you're talking about an entirely different realm here. The RNC is great for both PA and recording set-ups. I've used in a variety of rolls (as a limiter for digital recording, to compress a final mix, to compress a single PA channel, to add mild compression to an entire live mix, etc.) and it's worked flawlessly for everything I've tried.

Pretty straight foward.

It can sound VERY digital, aliasing almost sounding like a ring mod effect on low tones: bass and really destroys sinusoidal waves... and this was at ANY setting. be careful.

? returned mine because I thought it may be defective.

returned it to get it replaced...waited over 30 days, finally just asked for my money back, they never even said if my unit was defective or not...? From talking to them initially about the problem I got the feeling these were "normal" artifacts (for the RNC) it was producing and NOT defective.... who knows? at least I finally got my $ back less shipping.

I bought it based on other people raving about... yeah, yeah, don't believe the hype! I dunno maybe it sounds fine for pop musik..like a car stereo does.

Super easy. Impossible to get a bad sound out of this. It even provides two modes: Regular and Super Nice. Regular has more flexibility of control, Super Nice is pretty hands off and almost does all the work for you.

This thing is VERY transparent for its price. It doesn't have the "sound" of say a LA-2A, but that's not the point of this box. I've used this on nearly everything, from bass to vocals; from serious compression to just limiting. I've had engineers with lots of experience in big studios be really impressed with this product's sound, especially for the price.

Never had a problem. Never failed me once.

Absolutely the best. I broke one of the knobs by dropping it. I sent it back and they fixed and retested it for free!!! I only had to pay for shipping. And they're really, really nice.

Also, when I ordered the product through them, I needed it for a project I was doing. At the time there was a three week turnaround on the item, but they speeded that up and sent me one within a few days. All for no charge. Very cool!

I can't say enough about this product. It really is what people have said it is. Possibly the best bang for your buck in the entire industry. I don't know how the guy stays in business!?!?!

As compressors go this unit is about as easy to use as they come. Manual is small, but helpful. It gets to the point.

Setup is a cinch.. just follow the manual if you can't figure it out.. It's dead simple. Everyone recording should own at least one of these. Do a search on Deja news for this box, and you will see just how many nuts out there concur. I could b*tch about the wall wart, and unbalanced ins, but this box does what others struggle with that cost far more. It offers great dynamic control without coloration, or artifacts, and you have to strain to hear it working.. Exactly what a good compressor should be!

I racked mine and it stays there, but it takes my steady abuse, and holds up well.

Never had a problem. But I see the owner on rec.audio.pro from time to time. He seems to be a very cool guy.

Let's see... it's only 200 bux. and works and sounds great... Go buy it!!!

It is easy as any normal decent compressor: threshold, attack, release, ratio, gain. Two modes: normal and super nice. Actually when you are compressing you don't need to know what the settings are in numbers because all you need is trust your ears and tweak till it's what you are looking for. But if you are like me who doesn't trust own ears it's nice know where you are going. The great thing is that you will really get what you see. That's in normal mode IMHO. The super nice mode is kind of confuseing me. To me the super nice mode is not doing what I set it to do. I haven't used the super nice mode since I haven't made up a application where to use it. I tested the super mode but about that later.

Very clean and transparent. No high end loss. No noise. I have used it with drum machine (I record snare and kick separately and then the rest of the kit as stereo), ac guitar, guitar amp, bass, synths, vocals. I compress basically everything as I track and it works really good. But I still don't know what to do with super mode. I tested super mode as follows: I recorded a mixed song through the RNC in super mode while compressing the heck out of the song (threshold min -40, ratio max 25:1, attack min 0.2 ms, release min 50 ms) then I bypassed (true bypass as I hear the relay click) the unit and recorded the same piece untouched. Finally I normalized the two to the same peak volume. What I found is that the transients were smoothed a little but the rest was left pretty much as it was. One other thing happened. The song's gentle passage was lift up in relation to the hotter part of the song. This has left ME to think that super nice mode acts like an automatic gain control in the long run (like secs) and like a soft high threshold limiter in the short-term (like msecs). HUH! I don't know... This (I mean me) may sound stupid but that's how I figured it. As conclusion to this I want to say that when I am compressing I want to hear the compressor really smooth the thing and that's what normal mode does nicely.

It's working fine in home studio but if I needed it on gigs I'd keep it in the rack because of a wall wart. The power cable is very thin (a european adapter) and I think that couldn't stand much physical pressure. Otherwise I would depend on the unit. It's boxed in aluminium case and the pots are screwed to the front panel. Nothing wrong with mine after 4 months.

I emailed to FMR Audio and asked ordering info and got a friendly answer quickly. I ordered via fax and asked to confirm the received order via email. Didn't get the confirmation and I emailed them again and then got it. The package came promptly here to Finland to my home door.

They actually have more info about the RNC in their web site than in the booklet that comes with the unit. The manual could be better. And too bad you can't tweak the channels separately. After all you are compressing mono channels most of the time. This is obviously a matter of cost. I have used RNC in pro studio and it does its job like any standard pro compressor. I have used Drawmer, dbx, bss in my work but haven't A/B'd the RNC with others. Played guitar 20 years. If I needed more compressor channels I would buy more RNCs. The quality/price ratio is excellent. The feature you can insert RNC to a mixer channel (I use Mackie 1202-VLZ PRO to Roland VS-880) with a single balanced phone jack is handy (however the RNC itself is unbalanced). Sidechain is there to use with special applications like de-essing and ducking. I am waiting for the Really Nice EQ which have been in testing for a while now...

simple controls: threshold, attack, release, ratio, gain.
they feel good and respond well. everything is clearly marked.
many options for hooking it up.

I've used it 7 or 8 times in a live recording situation. It can go from a very compressed clean sound to unnoticable. I usually use it to keep everything out of the red on a DAT recorder. You wouldn't know it was there if you use it just to limit the trancients.

I can't say. I've only had it for three weeks. Seems like it will last.

I called FMR Audio and spoke to the guy that makes them. He was very helpful answering my questions about how to use the RNC in my setup.

I've used Ashly, Symmetrix and Boss compressors before. The RNC is my favorite. I'm a professional musician but amature recording engineer.
This compressor took care of my clipping problems and kept the sound true.

Just a followup: I was able to finally use this unit in our church, on the pastor's mic among other things. Very nice...no pumping, easy to set up, like I said before...piece o' cake.

Piece o'cake. The unit has 5 knobs (threshold, ratio, attack, release, post-compression gain) and two buttons (Super Nice mode vs. regular compressor and a bypass button.
The controls have numbers on them, and for a change when you set the knob to that number, there seems to be some correspondence with reality! (In other words, setting the ratio to 2:1 really does seem to get you a 2:1 compression ratio.)

I've used it primarily in live situations, doing acoustic guitar and vocals. It's in the FX loop of my Trace Acoustic rig, so it compresses the main mix. "What???! Sin!" Nay, I say unto thee...in Super Nice mode, the effect is basically to smooooooth all the dynamics out, not to remove them. For the vocals, this basically means that I don't have to worry as much about where my mouth is relative to the mic, and I can actually *use* the mic's proximity effect to bump up the bass in my voice for effect. For the guitar, this means that I can smack a string against the fretboard, get that nice smacking sound, but not smack everyone in the front row in the forehead with it. It retains the timbre, but removes the icepick.
SuperNice mode basically emulates the effect of putting several compressors in series. This removes some of the harsher artifacts of compression, making the overall effect much more transparent. Good idea.
If you have ever used a lower-end compressor like the Alesis, Ranes, etc., you won't believe the difference. For the money, this one cannot be beat. It's suitable for home studio use, live use, whatever.

I have only had it a couple of weeks. My impression is that it is well-built, and reliable. It does require a wall wart (gulp).

The first time I ordered one, apparently the shipper just left it on my doorstep. Someone walked away with it before I got home. FMR was quick to investigate, and quick to get another unit out to me. You can usually tell when you're dealing with good people, and these are good people.

I've used quite a few compressors, including a few high-end ones. This easily keeps up with them. Get one. Keep these guys in business, because they are making a great product at a great price. Encourage them to make more.

It gives precise control over all the compression parameters. It's a dual-stereo unit; one set of controls for both channels, or you can use it as a mono compressor. The pots have a smooth, silky feel. The LED display of the compression amount is easy to read. The unit takes 1/3 rack space; I got a cheap Raxxess rack shelf which the up to 3 RNC's can screw onto. A nit: the units labeled beneath the knobs are hidden by the knobs when the RNC is below eye level. There is a sidechain insert on the back, though no bypass switch for it. A button engages "Super Nice Mode", which is claimed to emulate three VCA's for more transparent light compression. The Super Nice mode is difficult to adjust. It seems to take 3-4 seconds to react to changes in the control settings, unlike the instant response in Normal mode. The threshold seems to be touchy in Super Nice mode, going suddenly from almost no compression to a lot of compression.

It is very clean sounding; it doesn't degrade the sound at all, unlike the Behringer Composer it replaced in my rack. I've had great success using it on classical guitar, vocals, and 2-bus mixes. Other engineers I've worked with who are used to much more expensive equipment have been impressed by how good the RNC sounds. I haven't yet found an application where I prefer Super Nice Mode over the regular mode.

Nothing about it seems flaky...

Excellent! Mark McQuilken <eds10@flash.net> (the designer) seemed eager to talk on the phone to discuss the design philosophy behind the circuit, how it compares to other compressors, and other aspects of sound engineering... clearly a talented engineer who loves his work. He made a followup call at his expense a week after shipping the unit to make sure I'd received it and to see how well I liked it, and to ask whether I had any suggestions for improvements.

This has to be the best compressor available for under $500! It's only sold direct, 1-800-343-9976. If you can live with a wall wart and unbalanced I/O in a 1/3 rack space package, you'll be rewarded with excellent sounding, precise compressor.