AR2 master limiter / brickwall compressor

Hi All
My first post here. I plan to buy Analog Rytm Grey as a single hardware device and just watched a techno w/AR youtube video with interesting content buy grossly untamed sound. Feels fine on minirig but ruinous for ears on cans.
Does this beast have some sort of protection onboard? I have searched the manual for brickwall and limiter and there is nothing. Looks like I would need a mixer or a daw - with its latency. Is there no workaround?
Thanks
Tom

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It’s a wild animal. Let it run freeeeeee.

The compressor has ratios 1:2, 1:4, 1:8 and “max”. I’m not sure I’d trust it to be a dependable, safety-first limiter. The manual has warnings about how loud the delay feedback gets and doesn’t caution the user to engage the compressor for safety.

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Welcome @TOTAL!

I think @Octagonist gave you the best answer here, probably not wise to trust the AR’s compressor as a safety net for volume. That said, the compressor does sound really good and it is plenty versatile to treat as a sound design tool, so that’s how I’ve enjoyed using it most.

It’s especially nice to tweak the compressor in combination with the master distortion, you can draw out some really nice flavor by playing with the balance between the two (or completely obliterate your sound into something new and interesting).

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Hi Guys and thank you for the welcome.

Sounds good soundwise but changes my concept of a band in the box. I think I will go use Ableton, then. As I think of it, if I bounce ableton-made loops, launchpad would prove handy as I learn the technicalities and workflow of AR’s drums first.

Many thanks.

Why? Theres no reason you cant keep levels under control by just paying attention to the mix, and learning how to balance FX.

Yeah, or rather than work around, a shift in perspective. Using a DAW to “control” things automatically is one way, and thats fine.
Learning how to control everything manually, by ear is another way. Equally fine.

I use only hardware for my stuff. I dont have a limiter. If something sounds out of control, its wonderfully simple… turn it down.

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Make perfect sense if you accept the risks to your hearing and speakers.

So you would just err on the side of caution with volume and grab master volume if buildup starts feeling red?

Can you practice this without overloading outputs at all?
Thanks

Just turn it down. If you feel like you are going to blow your speakers or ears without a limiter, you have it way too loud. Limiters should only be eating 2-3 dB transients max. Monitor quiet while making your tracks, turn up loud occasionally to check “vibe” but then turn it back down to save your hearing.

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100% this.

Absolutley. Its not your master level thats the go to knob anyway, its the what ever is out of balance eg that delay feedback knob.

If you’re experimenting with any kind of feedback, resonance, or drive, just get your left hand on the master volume before you adjust those settings :slight_smile:

Master compressor will do just fine catching runaway feedback etc. I’d use it for more musical purposes though.

OK, so to sum up, given that the compressor is not a 100% proof tool for that purpose but it can provide sound shaping, I think keeping volume low and under control is the way to do it until I clarify my gear setup needs more broadly.

I hope I do not harm my hearing by then :wink:

This is the way, no matter what gear you use.

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