Get the RNC and save your money untill you can afford one of the Big Guns like the CS or Manley.

The RNC is just too good value not to have one.

A new stereo LA2 thingy from JLM could be interesting.
A shameless plug for Joe ... :w:

Manley have something called Slam ... stereo Comp and Mic-pre thing.

Kev--still better to purchase the RNC V.S. the Alesis new 440 ??

.... the Alesis new 440 ??

OK so I don't have an Alesis 440 and even though I have some respect for some of there equipment compressors are not what made them famous.. if you get my drift.

I do have an RNC and I don't think it will disappoint you.

This is a hard lesson to learn when you are starting out and need equipment and have none. I know you need to gaet many things and you want them all now. There are things that can be purchased cheap and will serve you for many years , if not a lifetime. SM57 and a quality DI box and quality Mic cables etc.

Now here is the rub. To get quality generaly means money. Money doesn't always bring quality.

So how do you find the quality? It takes time and research. Keep reading these pages and see what other people are using and don't get sucked in to the latest hype.

If a new unit comes along there is much talk. When the talk subsides and say a year passes and people still have respect for it then it is time to check it out..... even second hand. The better the unit the less likely it is available second hand.

Units that caused a splash , Disstressor, Crane Song HEDD and RNC... and many more.

But these three are still hyped. The first two are not suited to mastering

Many of the units spoken about here have very high price tags and in the light of that I think the RNC is a buy now and save your money and do the research for a CS-HEDD, STC-8, Pendulum, Manley VMu or Slam, Neve 33609 etc.

good luck :cool:

Mastering involves so many varibles that volumes can be written still.

Practice mastering first.

Use as many systems as you can find (consumer playback) and look at the law of averages..but still have enough quality for the folks that buy the 225K Wilson Whamm home speakers to not get snooty about..poor sound.

You must get use to the consumer format. Use as many commercial CD you consider "good stuff" as you can.

Mastering is not a magic box. I use littereally hundreds of trials during mastering to get where I want it...and I am very experienced. You would be floored at what it takes to get it there.

thanks kindly gentlemen---the RNC sounds like the ticket for the budget shopper....We have collected a lot of equipment in our three studios--I bought my first compressor in 1976--and have just moved along to the Finalizer/Masterlink gear...the old days of fat-wide tape and a DBX 160 went along way 25 years ago for me...but pretty well set to digital with the VS Roland system and just looking for a cheap route for a respectful Massenburg,,EveAnna,,Pendulum,,Avalon 740--{really enjoy knobs to tweak our sounds}>>>Cranesong/Finalizer/Waves have just a few menu/windows..so I will A/B the new Alesis and the RNC----thanks http://fp2k.redshift.com/cjogo/crystalrecording.htm [/URL]