


I don’t ever use this to control dynamics. Where you want the compression to sound almost unprocessed. I use the Vari-Mu on southern gospel vocals, opera singers, broadway style vocalists, acoustic pianos, and pipe organs. An 1176 and Distressor can be slowed down, but when they slow down, they don’t sound the same. This is because the mechanism that causes it to compress reacts to program information ‘slower’. It gives you a smooth, super transparent, and highly controlled ‘feel’ of compression. What this means is it doesn’t create the slam and punch of an 1176 or distressor. The tubes re-bias automatically according to the program information (volume and frequency content) of the incoming audio source.Ī super layman way of thinking about this compressor is that it self-adapts to whatever it hears. The signature sound is created by the internal tubes re-biasing on a timed basis. So the Vari-Mu is a modernized offshoot of the Fairchild. I shouldn’t say regularly because I’m hardly recording any music these days. I don’t use the T-racks but I use the UAD version of the Vari-Mu regularly. I feel the same with the dyna-mu - I can’t quite get a handle on it. Its always either film scores, musical theater stuff, or church choirs.

When we were screwing around after the sessions were over, I was able to pick the 33609 apart from the SSL bus comp pretty consistently on a digitally level matched, bounced/printed blind test in the actual control room.Īgain, when I use this on the 2 bus, its never pop or rock. All the studios I track film scores at have at least one of these. Here (in the picture below) are the settings I typical start with for 2 bus use. On the rare occasions where I track in a large studio, I love to use it on orchestras and choirs. So the 33609 is a diode bridge compressor that’s great on a 2 bus and similar in Vibe to the Focusrite Red 3 in that it compresses gently without digging.

I really like all 3, though the Dyna-Mu I’m still trying to get my head around as to what it’s best on. The Bus Compressor is supposed to be an emulation of the SSL Bus Compressor, the Dyna-Mu is supposed to be an emulation of the Manley Vari-Mu, and the Precision Comp/Limiter is supposed to be an emulation of the Neve 33609.
