Karaoke Forums

Will someone be so kind as to delve into Compressor/Limiter 101?  I have one and I want to hook it up to keep the screamers in check.  Thanks.

Good idea.  

Yes, this is a real problem with non-professionals, screaming into the mic, or dropping it.  

Even if your amps attenuators (they’re not “volume knobs”) are turned down, the amp is still capable of passing it’s full potential power to the speakers, and a loud signal will get through and blow your compression driver.  

Do you have the instructions?  If not, try to get them on line or something.  

I’m not sure how to explain it here, especially not knowing what model you have, or even what type of mixer.  If you have a separate mixer and amp...

For karaoke, since there’s just the music and vocals, you can insert it into your vocal channel on the mixer,

or

compress/limit the whole mix, in other words, put it last in the chain before the amp(s).  

Maybe, until you figure it out, try tuning the “ratio” knob all the way up, essentially creating “brick wall” limiting,

then when the singer is as loud as you’d want them to be, turn the “threshold” knob until the red light is barely blinking, then turn it up a bit.  

If you're using a powered mixer, I don't know what to tell you.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge will be able to chime in for you.

You want the compressor on the mic channels - preferably through the insert channel of the mixer provided it has one, not the overall mix, otherwise the compressor should have XLR in's/out's & run it inline with the mixer - not AS effective but will do the job.  If it's on the overall mix, it will compress the music as well when someone gets loud.  The goal is to level out the vocals.

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Your cable for the inserts are a TRS Y to two TS connectors, which it took me a while to figure out.

Good starting point settings for decent singers:

            Threshold:   -10Db
            Ratio:              2:1
            Attack:           30ms
            Release:        1.5s

If it is someone likely to be a problem with screaming or cupping the mic, then I would go to at least 4:1 on the ratio.

Actually for karaoke in general - the attack & release should be set on auto since it's going to change with every different singer.  The threshold is in the ballpark, I would actually set the ratio closer to 3:1-4:1 for most singers.
For mic cuppers is where i'd want the separate peakstop limiter - like on the dbx 166XL.

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That's how I learn -- I post an answer somewhere in the ballpark then it gets "fine-tuned". I learned computer programming that way, and it made me the money that allows me to spend all my time on music.

I guess all compressors have an auto setting. My Behringer MDX-1600 has a peak limiter function, too -- wouldn't that work to replace a separate limiter?

Most compressors have an auto setting not all.
The peak limiter I was actually referring to as an example is built into the model I stated - so it would be the compressor but it also has a peak limiter on the side separate from the compressor itself - not an actual separate processor.  So yes yours does have a separate built in limiter.
A compressor itself can be set to be used as a limiter but then it would have no compression ability.

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