FMR RNC 1773 Compressor Unit

A solid choice for vocal and drum tracking. Nice clean tone.

I LOVE my RNC 1773. It's such a workhorse. It gets out of the way. I use mine in church, since my pastor has a very dynamic voice. He can be whispering and all of a sudden he raises his voice, almost screaming, to drive a point home. I got tired of riding the channel fader on the mixing console (and clipping my Alva Nanoface's converters when I didn't), hah!The best feature of the RNC 1773 is the SUPER NICE mode; it's compression over compression, so it evens out quiet and loud parts without sounding like it's compressing. VERY natural-sounding.This unit is also whisper-quiet. I don't even remember hearing it hiss, not even faintly, even though I feed it with an ART Tube MP Project Series preamp (LOVE its sound). That one can hiss when pushed hard even though I replaced the stock tube with an Electro-Harmonix Gold from VIVA TUBES.Both units make a great pair, transforming the pastor's not-so-exciting lavalier microphone (Rockville RWM2202US) into something beefier and fuller-sounding.I HIGHLY recommend the FMR Audio RNC 1773 if you, like me, get peeved out by the slightest hiss in the signal chain, and want something quiet that works hard without getting in the way. I've also used it on drums and full mixes, and it sounds great. It's versatile. Peace![EDIT - August 16, 2021] I still have the RNC in my church and do not plan to replace it any time soon. Two years later, it still looks and works as new. I bought a $1499 elysia xpressor a month ago from Thomann in Germany, and only a trained ear could tell them apart in normal use. The elysia is way unique and more capable for creative uses, but for general duties, the RNC is perfect.

This is my new secret weapon in the studio.I was in a big recording studio tracking drums. That studio had everything from vintage compressors to an SSL console and everything in-between.However, they decided to use this little guy on the room mics.I was blown away instantly, and in two minutes I ordered two! (one for a friend).Of course, there are lots of better sounding, more "high end" compressors out there, but the money I sometimes can't believe that this STEREO compressor sounds so good and so many things.It has huge punch when you want it to, The attack, release and ratio has enormous range making this thing very versatile.It can handle the most badass drums to a simple vocal track and even an entire mix. You can set it to be as subtle and as noticeable as you like.You can have it even less audible if you engage the "Super Nice" button.The LEDs are nice and bright and give you plenty of indication of how much you are compressing and the overall built quality is very goon.For that price you would assume that something like this would be plasticky, but this thing has a metal frame and nice rubbery knobs.Honestly, in my opinion, this is a no brainer when in comes to studio gear. If you are a home studio producer building your modest studio or a professional wanting to think outside of the box, the RNC is a great addition to your studio.

Easy to dial in an appropriate amount of compression. Very inexpensive for its performance.

Other than an Alesis (not as user friendly) you'd be hard pressed to find an outboardcompressor made for a desk top. Wish they made a Reverb unit. 4stars because there our $1000units that can get the job done but they are over kill for home applications. But they are out there.

Did my research, got what I expected and hoped to get.

Easy to use. Sounds very good. Small case.

This thing rules. Saw a youtube vid of Albini talking about his studio, and he extolled the virtues of this lil guy. I've used it for drums, vocs, live, it just smooths things over and it gives whatever you put through it a consistent presence in the mix. Also, haven't seen this noted, but the LED display is very responsive. You can watch the envelope come up and down, and adjust the attack/release time accordingly. Excellent build quality, no nonsense piece of gear. Highly recommended. Try running it through the insert jacks of your mixer (balanced cables). Or as a sidechain.