FMR Audio RNC "Really Nice" Compressor

I decided on the RNC after reading many online reviews that heralded it's quality, and after speaking with Ryan at Front End Audio. This unit does exactly what you would expect a compressor to do- compress the sound and control the dynamic range without making it audio mush. I own two "beginner" compressors from two other companies, and neither can compete with the sound of the RNC. So far I've recorded the snare drum with it, and it sounds great. If you haven't tried one, buy one. Too good to be true does NOT apply to this little unit. Note: has unbalanced inputs and small wall-wart adapter. No problem!

Sweet little unit! Great sound on a budget. Excellent build quality. You can dial in compression from hot & punchy to smooth and transparent. The "Super-Nice" mode is fantastic. This FMR compressor just replaced several other really expensive units in my rack. Highly recommended. Additionally, the FEA staff was a pleasure to work with. They answered all questions and provided valuable insight. Overall this was a GREAT purchase.

I use the RNC as a limiter (25:1) in SuperNice mode in my mono live keyboard rig: Nord Electro 2 - Yamaha Motif 6 / BBE EQA-131 / RNC / QSC GX5 / Top & Sub. I am a seasoned professional pianist/keyboardist, saxophonist, & audio engineer with over 15 years experience. I am here to say that the difference this unit has made to my keyboard sound is nothing short of astonishing, and it sounded very good before. It's like a glue for my Electro 2's Leslie. The clarity the RNC provides even before it is reducing gain is just gorgeous and it's truly crystal-clear. My guitarist, who is also an audio engineer, feels the same about it & is considering purchasing one for his rig. I have not even used the sidechain function yet. That is going to blow me away, I suspect. You can not go wrong for $175. Don't hesitate, just buy it.

I just love this little box. It's very transparent and makes my bass so damn punchy!! $180? Really? Get it!!

Thanks for the fantastic compressor, it's very transparent & compact which is why I chose it. I use it in the live application for music & also for corporate events for speech & source playback which works great, highly recommend the RNC, thanks again Richard

The FMR RNC is one of those devices that just deliver way more than what you'd expect based on what you paid for it. It's a very musical, transparent compressor that excels both on individual instruments or on a stereo mix. Mine pretty much lives on my vocal recording chain and works great every time. It also has a unique, single TRS Insert jack which requires only one TRS cable for patching into a Mixer Insert, instead of using the traditional Y-cable. My only complaint is that the connections are unbalanced, but if you keep your cable runs short, that shouldn't cause a problem.

My first compressor purchase for a few reasons. Solid housing, smooth rotary fader's, and shiny lights. Not to mention you'll be hard pressed to find a compressor in this price range that stands up to the RNC both live and in the studio. It goes from unnoticeable compression to the Megasquash application and is usable on any source that moves the air around. If your needing a compressor or just adding to your collection, the RNC fills in any need and for such little coin.

I bought two RNCs to use recording drums, acoustic guitars, vocals and on final mixes. I was looking for something that would add clarity and presence to instruments and mixes (as opposed to obvious compression effects), and the RNC does that really well, especially in the 'Really Nice' mode. I imagine it does more extreme effects just as well; I just haven't had the need yet. I'm best described as a serious hobbyist musician with a home studio for my own amusement, so I'm not a crack engineer with years of experience in dialing-in just what I want from a compressor - so I especially appreciate how easy the RNC is to use. I'm not surprised this little unit for under $200 finds use in big commercial studios!

I'd heard good reports about this compressor but having never worked with compressors before I don't have a clue if this RNC is actually really nice or not. What I do know is that the sales service here at FrontEnd Audio is top notch. Ryan took the time to explain signals and settings and as a result I'm beginning to get my head around this enough to maybe even have a clue how to set it right to help get the sound I want to achieve.