Well certainly just running signal through some gear creates a 'sound'

I think E.S. is referring to getting the sound not getting carried away with seeing "meters jumping" - just being subtle with it.

Those silver haired Mix mag engineering greats used to piss me off when I kept reading how the barely ever use compression on bass or on vocals.. (or it seems ANYTHING! :)

By the way , when folks reach for a compressor they think not (only) "I want to limit the dynamics of this signal", They think, "I want to make this sound better with a compressor"... there is a subtle diference!!!
:)
Folks often audition several, many times the first instinct is correct..

"lets put the 1176 on that"

"That could use some Distressor"

"I fancy some DBX 160 on the kick"

or...

"This RNC is STILL sounding good on everything!"

:)

Originally posted by Sir Bob:

"Scheiner almost always straps a stereo compressor across the stereo bus when mixing. 'I love the sound of the Neve 33609,' he says. 'I don't use it for compression as much as for the sound of the compressor." He uses a maximum of 2 to 3 dB of compression on peaks, with a 1.5:1 ratio."

Is that what people use the LA-2A and 1176's for?

bingo.

I have alot of old/new boxes that get used for different situations.

Julian makes a good point about how good performance makes everything easier. I just heard the Down From the Mountain show in LA and those pickers were super musicians. The vocals were tight. Alison Krause and her band had a great hold on dynamics.

I think everyone who mixes songs from time to time does this. That's why the Alge brothers between them both must own over 120 compressors, and don't even mention Jack Joseph Puig. In my personal rig, I have my own personal outboard that contributes to my mixes. By the way, anything you read about that says what Elliot Scheiner does, take it with a grain of salt. That goes for a lot of the guys(Schmidt,Clearmountain, even the Alge brothers themselves). Elliot especially, he is known to BS for the writers, Anything he endorses in the ads he is being paid for(remember the KRk speakers, he was sponsoring them for a while, he personally told me that they were crap). He also doesn't like to divulge his secrets, a lot of the guys don't. Its a very competitive business and anything you do that helps you maintain the edge you keep it. If you notice a lot of guys never talk about gear in their interviews(Brendan Obrien,Andy Wallace, and Schmidt),and Schmidt only mentions stuff he endorses.