Alesis 3630 Reviews

These are great units. I hear a lot of people say "it colors the sound", "it pumps", "it makes noise" and on and on. The truth is, is that some people who use these or purchase them doesnt take the time to read and learn how compressors and noise gates work, what they do and how to use them properly. Although inexpensive, I've seen at least one of these in every studio I've been in. And I'll bet you've never heard a published CD or hi song that this wasn't in the mix more than once. These are the most common gate/compressor/limiter out there. They do their job and do it well. Imagine recording a band and the guitar player fires up his Marshall JRM800 or whatever. Yes they are great amps, but the noise and hiss is good for just one thing. Hey the cockroaches have left the building! Or what about when a vocalist or guitar players dynamics suddenly pin your VU meters, or more often in todays world your LED meters red lights start firing. OK, take 15. Not only do they h keep damage control at hand, they also sweeten up a mix and give it that polished professional sound. Its almost a must on bass guitars and a good way to fatten up that kick drum. For me in the studio it's a must have. And live mixing too. It could save you from from overloading your amps and speakers. No one wants to smell that burned electronic smell or see sparks comng out of your speakers, especially if it's your equipment! Spend more time learning how these work and how to operate them and less time posting negative reviews. There are a lot of these devices out there, and it's a subjective opinion as to which one is the best, but for the money, you cant beat this Alesis.

This compressor sounds great - better than compressors cost 3x as much. It's easy to use without sacrificing control, and the price is fantastic. I use it on speech all the time in recording situations, and it virtually eliminates red-lining problems. It even makes a decent mastering compressor, if you cant afford a tube based unit. The only way it sounds boxy is if it is set wrong or if the acoustics of the room are bad.

works great easy to use

Snobs will hate on this compressor, but for $40-50 on the used market this baby does the trick AND fits in a rack. It compresses 2 channels, and if you don't have ham hands you can make it light, pumping, or anywhere in between. It has been a worthy addition to my setup.

In our classic rock band, I often use a Yorkville powered mixer with 2 Peavey SP 5 Mains (just purchased) and 2 Yorkville 12" woofer / horn monitors. A friend sold me his new Alesis 3630 for a steal, and although I knew very little about compression functionality and settings, I decided to integrate it with my system. The 2 channel functions are perfect for adjusting the mains (mono) and monitors (mono) seperately.
At our next gig, I wasn't too happy with the sound, I had used the -10 DB setting since the manual recommends that for most applications. However, as soon as I switched to + 4 DB, I had to reduce volumes and gains, since my system sounded like the 1812 Overture! Feedback occurrence was substantially reduced, even when the vocalist grabs his mike at the top, and the vocals now sound full and ballsy for both monitors and mains. I can even hear the mains in addition to the monitor!
I'm still fine tuning some of the settings, and our lead vocalist is now adamant that we use the compressor, since his vocal style now depends on it - he can growl, scream, sing all he wants, the compression both gives him the freedom, yet also keeps any peaks in line.

Great product, especially for PA applications!

One of the fist pieces of gear i bought for the studio. 16 years later, after constant use, it finally fizzled. Imma buy me another one. set it on "peak" and "soft knee" and it stays out of the way. can't get a better bargain.

I love this unit...it gives you an easy to use format while still giving you full control to shape the compression however you like. It doesn't really color the sound at all either. Two thumbs up!

Go to a local club and look in their rack (OK find a live music club still in existence first!) - your bound to see at least one if not four of these pumping away in it. Why? Economical, pragmatic, useful. Their solidly built and simple to use. Would I use it to record? ...well a local live gig maybe - and if you WANT to actually get an overly compressed sound on something (which is nearly everything nowadays anyway, right?) then why the heck not! But admittedly not my "go-to" studio compressor.

WELL WORTH ITS PRICE. BOUGHT THIS COMPRESSOR ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND FIND IT TO BE A PROFESSIONAL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. EASY TO USE, AND IT EVEN BRINGS SOME VERY DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS THAT CLEAR THE WAY FOR THE USAGE OF A COMPRESSOR... I WOULD RECOMMEND IT EVEN TO THE MOST NOVICE OF ENGINEERS OUT THERE, AS I AM ONE OF YOU GUYS TOO. IN CONCLUSION, COMPARED TO THE PRESONUS THAT I ALMOST BOUGHT BECAUSE OF THE PRESETS (NO KNOBS)... THIS ONE IS FAR MORE VERSATILE IN WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH IT IN THE STUDIO... OHH, AND IT EVEN HAS GATE... A PLUS...

I installed this in a church just before their CD recorder to maximize the volume during spoken passages. Functionally, it's perfect for the job, it keeps the music from clipping, but also boosts the spoken parts to be intelligible all the time. But I give it low rankings for its sound, which is boxy, and very colored. It takes the crispness out of the top end, and sounds very similar to the PreSonus ACP-88. All in all, it's great for features, but if you're picky about sound, there may be another brand you'll like better.