Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate 

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

I already had three of these. They are are great little units. Very easy to use and with a little practice and finesse, you get a wonderful compression for very little money. They are great for bass and tight drums (speaker protection, too!). I also side chain mine with EQ and get really cool sustain on cymbals (overheads). I had noticed there are a lot of pros around using these little gems, too - now I know why. A lot of bang for the buck. The four of them give me 8 channels of compression inserts.

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

The other reviews has already covered the pros, cons and features.

HOWEVER, I would like to re-enforce the fact that there's NOTHING wrong with this compressor, it's a great value for the money!

As with ANY compressor it will color the sound and there WILL be artifacts, REGARDLESS if it's a low end brand, OR a high end unit that costs 10 grand.

In reality there's really no such thing as a "transparent" compressor. Some are just a little better at hiding artifacts is all. For those who don't already know this, here's why:

Compressors/limiters reduce dynamic range, therefore you are DEGRADING the signal, no if's ands or but's. You are also adding distortion to it as well.

The key to using a compressor effectively is to make it sound like you're NOT using one. AKA, try not to make the compression artifacts such as pumping not so apparent... that is unless you're looking for that effect. Also, if you have "garbage" hiding in your audio signal, such as ticks, pops, high noise floor, Reducing the dynamic range WILL raise the overall volume and you will hear it.

Therefore, don't automatically blame this box if you cannot get a good sound from it.

IMO, I believe the reason the 3630 gets alot of bad reviews is due to the fact that many buyers are new to compression and therefore don't understand what's going on.

Some seem to think that you hook up the box and it "magically" makes your sound professional or something.

WRONGO! Just like different brands of studio monitors, Compressors also need to be learned. Therefore, take some time out and understand the 3630's weaknesses and it's strengths. ( You might wind up being surprised just how useful this budget unit actually is.)

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

I believe you will not be sorry for purchasing this item but you always get what you pay for. This unit requires practice and patience but can perform.
+ Has everything one would want in the compression arena. Have seen the complaints about the noise gate, all I can say is be patient and work with it.
+ Manual is a great guide for starting out with the applications of comp/limiting.
+ Channel linking.... good.
+ Input pad..... good.
+ Price for performance.... very good.
+ Has held up on the road. Maybe not "tough" but certainly "durable".
- Panel markings are hard to see without a close light and the light cannot be bright as it will wash out the panel. Do not understand the use of dark gray on black and the fix for this seems easy; use white or yellow.....very bad
- Unbalanced I/O..... bad
Well built, have traveled it in a 4u Rock Bag for a few years with preamp, eq, and effects and is good as new.
Works well for the money, a worth while entry point. This unit will not ruin you to compressors and may inspire you to trade up when you can.

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

I have use this for bass vocals and up right bass for rockibilly and it has made a world of diference, always smooths out the sound and no matter how you set it up, its Super quiet (where most compressos would hiss) Ive used it for years now and love but never even needed the second channel. tho its good to have if I ever would need it
not only is it the most versatile compressor Ive found but it has a solid working nois gate too
never had any issue's. all the knobs work perfect so I would say its great quality. reliable work horse

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

This is a great unit for the money. Easy to set up and operate. I've had previously owned one of these units. If you're on a budget and need some compression, this is the one to buy!

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

This compressor is the standard in this price range. It works very well and if you can't get it to, then you probably need to learn how to use it. This is not a studio grade compressor, but it a really solid, extremely useful piece of gear for live shows. I almost have to stop believing these reviews, it's almost painful to realize how many people cannot setup gear correctly and then blame the gear. I noticed the same thing on the reviews for rack-mount EQ's on here. Just a shame. Bottom line, good compressor, learn to use it correctly, it will treat you right. Been using one of this same model for a while now, works great.

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

This unit does a nice job for basic compressor needs. It does however really lift the noise floor on highly compressed sounds. You will hear the gain loud when the gate kicks off. This will happen in most cases however other units with better specs will have a better signal to noise ratio than this unit (what do you expect at this price level?) I have not compared to the dbx units at this level however this unit has good features and works well for alot of applications so I consider it a good value for the price they are asking.If you need better signal to noise ratios spend more $$$$ on a better unit. Recommended.

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

Audio engineer, pro musician, installer for the last 15 years. Lots of knobs and switches is no substitute for sounds quality. This compressor sounds like garbage on bass, snare and kick. For only a little more you can get a DBX. So why waste your time with a rinky dink piece of junk. OTOH the old microlimiters are acutally kinda good.

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

I've used this unit off and on over the last 8 years (different venues) and finally bought a pair for myself. While it doesn't compare to higher end units costing $500 - $1000 per channel, it beats the heck out of a lot of units in the <$300 range. Don't be fooled by the price! This is a quality unit that is under-rated. An excellent comp for entry to mid-high level users!

Comments about Alesis 3630 Dual-Channel Compressor/Limiter with Gate:

Just picked up one of these this week. I was previously using a Behringer comp that i thought was doing a great job at keeping lead vocals tight and clean. I plugged this unit in and was absoultely amazed at how much fuller the voices sounded than they previously had. Several people came to me after the service asking what i did differently because the overall sounds was so much "fuller." I love it!