the avalon is over 2000$ computer software plug ins compressors are alot cheaper and can be free. how do they compare overall quality wise are they similer? is the avalon just a wast of money when u have these different softwares available to u?
with a software compressor you can have one on every channel operating simultaneously in real time. youd buy a fuckload of hardware compressors to do that with analog. and these days, software algorythms are so technically perfect that you couldnt tell the difference between an analog compressor and its emulator.
I tried waves on a setting I often use on a dbx166xl ( comp/lim/gate) and waves did not compute resulting in awfull digital jitter at the point where the comp should have actualy kicked in nicely. I aint saying they're all bad now, but I prefer the result of a hardware comp. Still, I'd recommend PSP stuff and T-racks to all of you.
two good cheap hardware compressors are the dbx 160 (get an old one of ebay for about $150 - $200 us) or the jbl/urei 7110 which is about the same price (i myself would go with the jbl/urei)
these compressors are good on the cheap end of things as is the rnc from fmr
i am soon going to purchase a jbl 7110 to use with my focusrite isa 428 preamp should be tight...