Alesis 3630 Compressor: Drums, Guitars, Vocals & Full Mix

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[@patrickmoore3538]

I can never understand why people rag on this compressor. I've had mine since 2000, and I've made 25-ish CDs with it, and I've always loved it. I think it's a fine compressor. Great video by the way. To the point and no nonsense. Excellent.

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Thanks! Yes, for the money it‘s a good compressor. Still use it on my parallel drum bus!

[@abijeetrs6522]

Zed Marty Production is this good for vocals/podcasts/telephonic conversation ?

[@ZedMartyProduction]

it will work yes, but for vocals I‘d choose a different compressor. Maybe a 1176 or a 2a - plugin/hardware.

[@abijeetrs6522]

Zed Marty Production thank you

[@inkpinz]

Wow, that's great! Congratulations on the 25 CDs. I think the compressor sounds really good. I guess I will buy one!

[@MikaelNitscheDrums]

It actually sounds really cool squashing the vocals! Didn't expect that at all

[@jeremyryannoel]

Awesome! I recently received a pair of 3630s, and hoping to give them crash tests soon. I thought people were crazy for talking crap about these because commercial records have used them, such as Daft Punk which is good enough for me!

[@i.AmHymn]

Damn... this takes me back to the mid-90s when I was embarking on learning how to engineer myself (after becoming GROSSLY fed up with local studios)! Anyway, some music store talked me into adding this Alesis 3630 compressor to the already outrageous amount of items I'd already been convinced I "needed" in order to have a "Pro-quality" sound. I never learned to appreciate the gem this was because I didn't know wtf it really was? 🤷🏾‍♂️ When the company refused to take it back/off the financing, I hocked it at a local pawn shop, and eventually defaulted on the overall loan a year or so later! 🤦🏾‍♂️ #GreatNowImAshamedAgain! 💯 😭 Hymn

[@dcp10200]

Certainly an interesting sounding compressor, it's seems like it would be great for using in parallel for drums to get a nasty aggressive sound.

[@truthrevealed9293]

Absolutely great demonstration!!!

[@mantax55]

Awesome to see it used on a different genre of music! Well known for being the master buss compressor for Daft Punk's first and second albums!

[@iNuchalHead]

Is this really true?

[@mantax55]

@@iNuchalHead Yes-they've said in interviews around the Homework and Discovery eras. Philippe Zdar also confirms this in one of his interviews

[@scarfypedia]

@@iNuchalHead yes, albeit heavily modded 3630's

[@SourDiesel69]

Just grabbed one for $50 on ebay. For the price of a cheap effects pedal I can add a quality compressor. Also, this is the best selling compressor of all time.

[@judsonsnell]

Flimsy build. Weak power supply. Zilch headroom. It may be an interesting character box, but 'quality' it's not.

[@asaintslifetv2053]

About to start investing in compressors and processors this might be my first one

[@KevinStCroix]

Was actually surprised on how well it handled the mix part. Interesting.

[@VMX12k]

Thank you. That helped. Seems like the 3630 is worth acquiring :)

[@0xTevan]

Great sounding vocal bus compressor

[@nicholasparis5281]

I think everyone's surprised that the 3630 Compressor sounds pro here, but what they might not be thinking about, is that this is some really well captured audio... I mean if you sent an overloaded signal or a poorly captured source through it, it wouldn't sound necessarily so tasty.. but send something sweet through it.. it should work great! Even though I was also a little surprised by how it handled the mix's dynamics.. I think that's the reflection that this is a professional enough product at a very low price.. and the people involved at Zed Marty must certainly know what they're doing... lol... it's kinda like hearing David Gilmour do something amazing on the guitar.. then pick up his pedal and say "Wow!" (I think we're missing there's talent and know-how involved in here!) GREAT VIDEO!

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Thanks mate! Yes, the 3630 is actually quite a good compressor for the money. Most of the time I use it on parallel kick and snare. Works really great for that.

[@nicholasparis5281]

Zed Marty Production for real! I had picked up a Drawmer 1978 recently that can do drums very well, and I love it for it's independent saturation knob for added color and further transient shaping.. you know you're a True geek when clipping peaks gets you going haha!

[@silentstormstudios]

Well, yeah. Garbage in, garbage out, as the saying goes. Obviously if you record things poorly, they're not going to sound good no matter what you put them through.

[@SimpsonSound]

⁠@@silentstormstudios💯 correct. I still have two of these & I’ve had them for 30 years. They are very good compressors. Too many people buy gear, don’t learn how to use it & then talk trash. That trash talk gets repeated over & over by people that have no clue…

[@hertzcules]

I had one before, sold it and bought another one, you can get some interesting dynamics out of it, doesn't work on everything though.

[@mgmg116]

Very odd. Could just be youtube's audio quality (or lack thereof) but it seems the critics are greatly exaggerating how "dirty" the 3630 sounds. Seems like a perfectly fine comp to me, but it certainly does excel in the aggressive, pumping sound associated with dance music.

[@hethaerto1]

It's always nice to see a gear video made with good music. Thanks.

[@mr.jscomicscollectibles8872]

I just found this and a digitech studio vocalist with a alesis quadraverb and a eurorack in the trash. Not thinking they would fired up took them home wiped it down and boom fired right up. Score!!!!

[@ED4action]

cool, a guy gave me one, along with a whole truckload of other stuff . i still need to find a power supply for it , but i'm confident it will work ok. it would have been nice if the guy in the video explained what the different knobs actually did..he adjusted so fast it was hard to "hear" much difference in the sound . you could have gotten a 2 year old to turn knobs and switches...

[@amazingwomenofsports1464]

no need for lies

[@DaveyMulholland]

@@ED4action it's a good demonstration if you already understand how a compressor works and want to know what these sound like.

[@ED4action]

@@DaveyMulholland here's an idea,, have one side{stereo} have sound with no added manipulation, and the other channel playing the adjusted sound to give some of us an idea of how the different knobs eff-ect the output....?

[@DaveyMulholland]

@@ED4action pretty much all compressors have the same controls, quite a lot have even less controls than these.. . This isn't a tutorial on how to use them. It's a demonstration of a particular model. There are lots of tutorials out there about compression. Not to mention free plugins with which to gain an understanding.

[@100chuckjones]

great video man. typically any video without narration I think is shit but you have given great examples of how this compressor works. a lot of folks give this compressor a bad review, saying how bad it sucks. however, I have had nothing but great results with my 3630 but it took may years to learn how to dial it in. I bought mine in 1995 brand new for 99.99 USA dollars. its still in my rack today. I use it to round off levels before going in to my DAW to even things out a bit and get a stronger, constant level going in to my DAW.

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Thanks! Yes, it's a nice compressor for the money. I often use it for parallel or Bus compression.

[@100chuckjones]

It all depends on the situation. With Real drums in the studio, I find recording them dry (only using gates) is the best method. then in the mixing stages add compression (also lightly compress the drum bus to glue it together and/or use parallel compression). Drum layering is also a way to thicken up your drums. Don't be afraid to use a few kick and snare samples on top of the originals (almost every single professional mixing engineer does it for fat sounding drums). If you have more questions feel free to ask.

[@vinhdinh6540]

chuck jones mjm

[@chriscuttriss]

just putting signal through this compressor warms up and thickens a mix. I have read crap reviews but whoever wrote them was on bad drugs.

[@jr.rasentertainment4074]

Thank you so much for sharing your ideas. Watching all the way from Vanuatu 😀😁👍🔥🔥🇻🇺🇻🇺🇻🇺

[@sugarnap245]

Wow. Surprisingly nice sounding

[@artg7909]

Nice work bud!

[@jackpaynebassist]

Really well done demonstration of the things that the comp can do!

[@rofascolas]

Thank you amazing peace of equipment. I have one at home.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Nice demo and track as well.

[@Racingheartrecords]

Excellent demo!

[@mantra3000]

That is an AWESOME video, thank you!

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Thanks mate!

[@jhonyj7288]

9 years ago and I still see it in 2024😊

[@Synth2000]

Cheap and great actually

[@JuninhoBrasil]

Amazing testing, thank you for the video 🙏🏽👏🏽

[@RafaTallicaBR]

Sounds amazing for acoustic guitars

[@mrz80]

Color me intrigued. I got interested in the 3630 after watching the Bad Gear and Better Gear episodes on it. I stumbled across one for all of $35US on Craigslist (which turned out to be a typo, but since that's how the ad went out, the guy took that for it). It's sitting in my rack now while I come to terms with wiring it into the patch bay and get a handle on how to use the thing. Your vid makes a great intro to what the thing is capable of doing. Thanks for the post! By the by, that vocal was in Gaelic, wasn't it? Very cool. :D

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Thanks! Yes, my 3630 is also still in use and I probably keep it as long as it lasts :) It has a very specific sound when pushed! The vocals are from the Apple loop library and it is called „Irish Lore“, so I guess it should be Gaelic.

[@mark-ze4en]

I guess without any dialogue the demonstration is a positive review!? I have been wanting a small functional compressor for my studio. This ,by your demonstration , appears to be an effective little item. Thanks Zed!

[@silentstormstudios]

I don't think the title says that it's a review. It's more of a demo on how the compressor can be used on various audio sources.

[@privilegeunderground3429]

Alesis compressor is really graet .

[@saemsonait]

Really good video! Just bought one and can't wait to try it on some instruments. The song was cool too:)

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Thanks! Great, have fun mixing!

[@genisonchannel3298]

Verry good

[@scottrobinson1205]

I do live sound...I started in about 1989. By the early 90s it seemed like this compressor was literally everywhere. I toured Texas and the midwest with regional alternative rock bands...lots of college clubs etc. It was great. Even if you had an underpowered, crappy bar system...you could do some clever compression tricks to make it sound you had more than you really did. I still have one. Another compressor that is basically a knock off of the Alesis is the Phonic PCL 3200.

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Great story! Yes, still love my 3630 - surely not for everything but on certain elements it works really great!

[@ontology3]

Very nice demo, I'm lookin to get one of these at some point.

[@MarioPToledo]

Thanks, very informative video!

[@djonsimba8538]

comment installer le compressor et crossover

[@jessicavelasquez5663]

nice video thanks

[@Guitarista129]

Attack & Release knobs only affect the Peak, not the RMS. I read a book by this guy named Manuel.

[@Fercomusic]

thank you :))

[@tundeojo4801]

Please can you do a video on how to connect compressor, crossover and EQ in one sound setup

[@sergie2011]

looking the same thing as well. Did you find on youtube the connection link?

[@EstevaoRuiMusicaOficial]

pretty clean! WORTHY of the budget! YOU KNOW I HAVE A DBX160A its better but not so much! ALESIS is even cleaner

[@sasamihalik]

Cool video - Alesis is Nice , just do not drive it to hot and it will handle any material... CLX 440 is bit stronger but very transparent with no character at all .

[@qrplife]

I run a 3630 in front of a Orban Optimod 8000 for FM air chain.

[@robertmayo1576]

Greeting Zed man. I am looking at picking up 2 of the Alesis compressors, how would you compare this to a software plugin verse using the Alesis? Thanks

[@ZedMartyProduction]

hey! It really depends which plugin. The Alesis can have quite a lot of character when used aggressively, e.g. parallel compresssion. I actually prefer it for those tasks a lot more than plugins. If doing subtle compression (4-6dB) plugins might be equal or even superior, depending on the source. For examples for vocals I always prefer a 1176 or 2A plugin rather than the 3630. But on Drums, Kick, Snare, OH it does a nice job.

[@amazingsunrise]

Hello which one is better overall the DBX 266xs or this one? Thanks for the videos

[@Unplugged704]

Is the compressor connected via insert to a channel or to the whole mix?

[@ALFRENUN]

podria colocar un video con la compresion adecuada para una banda por favor

[@NominalTopic]

Love that track! Where can I find it?

[@mano123456]

I just bought a 3630 --- I'm not seeing Gain Reduction happening at all (LEDs always off), no matter the threshold or signal I put in. Since both A and B behave this way, I am thinking that I am just doing something wrong. Any advice? IN/OUT LEDs light up correctly with signal... Thanks!

[@RareFilesMusic]

make sure its on COMP not BYPASS

[@beaticulous]

Somebody should make a compressor pedal with all parameters. Boss Metal Zones can be sacrificed for that. Imagine a Metal Zone looking Alesis 3630 that one can stomp on with maximum force. A single knob gate would also fit there.

[@bankomat5]

Здравствуйте. Скажите пожалуйста, для живого исполнения, для вокала какой компрессор лучше? Alesis 3630 или dbx 166xl ? Спасибо

[@senongiseng308]

Mantap👍👍👍👍👍

[@elandiooliveira8995]

amigo posta um video como fazer as ligações do compressor alesis

[@ganskitchenmusic9471]

do not prompt as this compressor dbx266xs to connect properly I have zvukova card focusrite scarlett 2i2 connected to the mixer behringer xenyx x1222usb and some wires

[@nosivo13]

Thanks for vid’. Who’s the artist/song? Songs cool

[@rudiruri3834]

Wapik apik

[@realtruenorth]

Would you recommmend this for a bass rig?

[@mawantujuh2649]

song title

[@dj.hanssen]

hola amigo una consulta tengo una consola mackie profx16 tiene 4 canales con su resctiva perilla de compresion, mi pregunta es la siguiente si me sirve esas perillas y la segunda consulta es que hago sonido en vivo los parlantes donde sale el audio son ambientale y hay momentos en que los cantantes gritan y se escucha feo como hago y cual es la configuracion de un compresor para el problema que tengo me pienso comprar un compresor gracias por la respuesta

[@wackenthaljef]

Upgrade your 3630s for 49$ at DIY recording equipment (find upgrade 3630!!) to add more punch,more bass more low end and good fine highs and mids!!

[@Guns_N_Gears]

These are good units for live sound, but definitely not studio quality. They are very noisy at low DB

[@drrobotnikmeanbeanma]

if i plug my mic in this would it compresses my raps at the same time so i don't clip ? If so what other compressors is good for that ?

[@atomicrocker]

What's the music used in the video?

[@joseluisgalarzacabrera2898]

gracias por el video amigo tengo el mismo compressor como puedo modular para grabar guitarras acusticas ???? espero su respuesta gracias un abrazo desde santa cruz bolivia

[@wrcked]

Depende. Si deseas grabar una señal con el compressor activo, solo tienes que conectar la salida de su guitarra (o micrófono) a la entrada de su compressor, despues conectar la salida de el compressor a la entrada de su interfaz o máquina de grabar. Ahora, en este video los instrumentos ya estaban grabados sin el compressor, y luego el compressor fue agregado en la señal. Esto tambien lo puedes lograr, pero para lograrlo todo depende del programa o equipo que estas usando. Esta informacion esta fácilmente disponible con una búsqueda de Google. Espero que esto te ha ayudado de alguna manera. Adelante!

[@rasdan7953]

Do you use a compressor for each instrument and the vocals?

[@jhonyj7288]

may i download your sample music (full mix)

[@RundFyrkant]

fun extreme flavor on the drumbus in this vid. the subtle stuff, not so much.

[@ImOzify]

Looking to buy my first hardware compressor, I produce, mix, and master mostly hip hop music and was considering either the dbx 266xs or this alesis 3630. Which would you recommend? I'd probably be using it on pretty much everything, vocals drums, bass etc..

[@FrancisJoa]

Go and buy the elysia xpressor. dbx 266xs and alesis 3630 are waste of money. Fredenstein V.A.S. is also not bad and is a FET Comp.

[@joeambly6807]

This guy is looking for 50$ compressors not 1500$ lmao

[@relikvija2]

Joe Ambly :)

[@nochannel1111]

I used this compressor, but i confuse, compressor input use TS jack or TRS jack ? because my preamp out put is TRS (balance) jack if alesis 3630 input just TS, that means my preamps output are in vain please help me to setup my ultragain pro 2200 to alesis 3630

[@Notinserviceij]

Over thinking it dude, just stick a cable in it and record If you are messing around with this type of gear don't worry about cables as long as they aren't the worst unshielded cables in the world 😊

[@demerica1]

the lyrics sound like "it's junk & you fuckin know it.... junk & you fuckin love it, know it".

[@djroach3237]

Fantastic video! The music you chose was great! Can you please give me advise? I have a BBE Sonic maximizor & a BBE EQ. In what order should I connect them out of my Rain mixer!? Thx!

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Thanks! I‘d put the Maximizor last in the chain - EQ before it.

[@djroach3237]

@@ZedMartyProduction Thanks for the advice. I'm sorry but I wasn't specific. I have the DBX dual channel 15 band EQ. Alesis 3630 & the BBE 462 Sonic maximizor. In which order should I connect? Thanks again!

[@ZedMartyProduction]

EQ->Alesis -> BBE Maximizer

[@djroach3237]

@@ZedMartyProduction Thanks a million!

[@Alexandra-Rex]

What would you think works best with voice work (voice over, podcast, streaming) of the dbx 286s or the Alesis 3632?

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Depends if you already have a mic preamp. The 286s is both- preamp and compressor. It‘s actually quite good for podcasts, very simple to use! The Alesis is a classic compressor but you‘ll need a preamp of course.

[@woabeatz9717]

how to play with your knobs😬

[@Niele160]

Where are the vocals from? That's some weird but cool shit

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Logic Pro Loop - I think it is called Irish Lore or something like that.

[@Niele160]

@@ZedMartyProduction Thanks man, I'll do a search. I think running this through some effects on the asr-10 will net some great results.

[@Paulo_Ricardo_709]

Mem envia essa música por favor

[@gunardigalaxy7389]

belinya dimana za

[@SilenceOfDeliverance]

nice vid! how do you manage the unbalanced in/out?

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Thanks! The group inserts on my console are unbalanced.

[@eduardogarlejo3638]

Can i

[@haczabim]

I heard bad reviews about this. Do you recommend the Gerät? is that the B9 by the way? Cheers

[@ZedMartyProduction]

I like it for certain tasks. Parallel compression on drums like kick and snare or vocals. Yes, that‘s the B9!

[@haczabim]

@@ZedMartyProduction Great, you now since I heard the track I can't get it out of my head, haha. Sounds nice to me. My plan was to usethe compressor it for a chapman stick, so similar to bass and guitar, like you did on that song.. Thank you

[@underpressureman]

Just curious, how are you using this on a sterio mix with just one compressor?

[@ZedMartyProduction]

James Cassidy The stereo link is enabled, not seen in the video. So the left comp also controls the right one.

[@underpressureman]

@@ZedMartyProduction Oh totally, I didnt know the 3630 was a sterio comp lol .That makes sense!

[@djbonne1]

Otimo esta chegando um desses para mim, como posso usa lo vou usar na minha mpc, entro com a saida da mpc nele e dele pra placa de audio?obrigado

[@SebastianPerez-nr5se]

Mi pregunta k programaste cada sonido de los instrumento si me puedes explicar

[@ronaldsosa951]

how to make conettions on this ??

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Insert cables (Y-cable) with a mixer or standard TS-cables with audio converter. Outputs Converter -> Inputs 3630, Outputs 3630 -> Input Converter.

[@like-icecream]

I regret selling this comp.

[@DruGaTecH]

Can I use it on an individual mixing track?!

[@justinidiot7161]

yes! but depends on your mixer design. so, my board has pre eq insert and post eq insert. for vocal mic my set up is: mic to mixer > 3630 channel 1 (pre eq) gate set for hard knee, threshold high, 20:1 compression, fast attack slow release [this makes a quiet mic, defeats feedback, and allows for more gain without clipping the preamp] > 3630 channel 2 goes to post eq, gate soft knee, threshold 4:1 [starting point] attack&release times from channel 1 roughly inverted. on my mixer, the 'eq' is the tone controls on the channel strip, fx and aux functions are not in the loop with the compressor. signal path for my mixer channel is input> pre amp> pre eq insert> strip tone controls> post eq insert> fx send&return> aux send&return> sub group assign> pan> fader. if you need clarification, reply and i'll try to help. I will need to know the make & model of your mixer and compressor to tailor my feedback.

[@leoshow1the1]

Justin Idiot do you know how to enable the compressor on a track on Ableton love and I have a model 24 mixer any suggestions?

[@justinidiot7161]

@@leoshow1the1 Sorry. I know nothing about Ableton.

[@johnnyblaze2257]

What settings do you suggest for a percussive bass player who has this compressor and is looking for his percussive playing to sound like a kick and snare drum. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGHEi5WAbdR3l68

[@gaelnokautt]

?

[@ismavale813]

beutiful :v

[@LATRONNIK]

daft punk compressor

[@yokoid]

What is song title ?

[@ZedMartyProduction]

It's no real song, just a loop I created for the purpose of this video. The vocals for example are an "Irish lore" loop from Logic Pro X :)

[@hang-sangitch]

​@@ZedMartyProduction Produce a finished track of that beast will ya! 😎

[@sega62s]

@@ZedMartyProductionahhhhhhhh, pretty cool loop 😊

[@ka3andr]

Сверху лежит DBX со включенным компрессором))))))

[@ShadovvV]

Is there a reason why you didn't show the gate section? The gate on this unit would probably have the biggest effect on drums than the entire compressor section ever would..

[@ZedMartyProduction]

My unit has the "gate mod" - it's actually cut out of the compression circuit so it's not working anymore. The gate detection circuit adversely affects the sound of the compressor so without it, the compressor sounds a little different. Some might say a little bit like a dbx. I basically use it only for parallel drum bus compression, so I don't need the gate.

[@ShadovvV]

Well, of course you do know that a gate is going to make a snare or bass drum sound much tighter..

[@ZedMartyProduction]

Sure, I know. But as I said, I use it for parallel compression on the drum bus - don't need the gate there.

[@ShadovvV]

You would rather have your drums pump than to be snipped off and be tighter? Must not be Metal then..

[@chrisanticoli6150]

It does not. At all. Look at the schematic, or just glance at the PCB. The gate is completely out of any signal path when disengaged. The "gate mod" only exists for people who are clumsy to engage the gate. When disabled, it has absolutely zero effect on anything.

[@franciscoserra1686]

que onda estas mudo ç

[@franciscoserra1686]

jajajaajaj parece chiquito jugando los botones

[@xManifrd]

Ok , WTF is this annoying repeating shaman music?

[@like-icecream]

Illuminati confirmed.

[@jamesyouens4974]

kinda wasted 7 minutes watching this video expecting to be given some form of acoustic theory to take some pointers. luckily at least the full mix was quite good to listen too

[@joeambly6807]

Go wtach every other video on youtube if you want a tutorial

[@KingBlonde]

If you pay attention, you can learn things without being told. The movements he made on the sources he choose give a great example of how a compressor works.

[@ricardocastaonlopez8870]

No explicas nada !!🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️