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I'm thinking of buying one of these 7720's for my mix bus but it only has XLR's in/out.
my zed r16 has 1/4 TRS inserts.
would it work o.k. if i make insert cables with a TRS jack to two XLR jacks(one male/one female) and patched it in with that or would that be noisy in any way.it wouldn't be balanced but my other compressors with 1/4 jacks are not balanced either, when using insert cables and they are not noisy.
just wondering about XLR to TRS insert cables though.
any thoughts? special(ground) wireing method? thanks

Comments

TheJackAttack Wed, 04/28/2010 - 20:44

Plug not jack. A jack generally refers to either a panel mount or similar connection point. Or me. You could certainly make an insert cable from a 1/4" TRS phone plug going to two XLR male plugs (minus pin 1). Follow the chart schema [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.rane.com…"]here[/]="http://www.rane.com…"]here[/].

Noise will depend on your grounding scheme. Short runs shouldn't be a problem provided the gear itself is grounded properly and powered via the same circuit.

TheJackAttack Wed, 04/28/2010 - 21:42

Speaking of momentary lapse......I looked at your device and while you should be able to figure something out it was not designed to be used as an insert device. It was designed to be used balanced on the 2-bus outputs.

Now, here is the crux of the issue. If the 7720 is truly looking for a balanced signal then you will lose significant signal by unbalancing the connection. Also, I've decided it probably isn't a good idea to share the sleeve on pin3. If Boswell chimes in here he can give you the why and wherefor of the deal. If I were going to use this compressor as an "insert" then I would send from an aux bus or something via balanced line and then return it to a pair of new channels or aux bus.

boxcar Wed, 04/28/2010 - 22:23

yeah, i think given that issue, i will look for something else with XLR and1/4" in/out as i wouldn't want to give up two channels and the only XLR outs are the mains.
would you(or anyone else) have a recomendation for a mix bus compressor that sounds SSL'ish (not colored) under $800. i know that's not easy to do, the 7720 was well liked for that as far as i can reserch but that sounds impractical now.i could go for any compressor that would do something similar.i like the drawmer 1968 too but i don't want to spend $12 to $1400 right now.

boxcar Fri, 05/07/2010 - 00:44

John, just wanted to thank you for making me aware of the Ashly compressors.i read up on them and i got the CLX 52. $269(a steal)
i had heard of ashly for power amps and p.a. stuff but i didn't know they made comps.
im still looking for a recording bus comp. but i have that thing on the live practice p.a. inserts and it really glues us together when we jam.
its that detection circuit(stereo tie) unlike the pro vla or the dbx where channel 1 controls both sides,
with the ashly circuit, both sides are active and the circuit equalizes both channels according to which one's being more compressed.
it really does result in a more balanced stereo image.i'll try it for tracking next.
nicely built too,tight knobs,solid face plate and i like the fact that its made in north america.
anyway i love it, its cool..thanks

boxcar Mon, 07/12/2010 - 16:23

Drawmer 1968 ME...WOW!

Granted, i haven't heard any of the other more expensive ones like the API 2500, SMART C2 and the likes but this thing is smooth.
For someone who wants just a bit of glue and slight tube color on the mix bus and something simple to use, this thing is worth the money all day long. IMO.
You can push it pretty hard to without dulling the mix.

If anyone is sitting on the fence about bus compression like i was,this is a good jump to make at $1500.
Thanks for all the posts, it worked out nicely.