Overstayer VCA Stereo Compressor

[T-rex]

Overstayer VCA Stereo Comp

Ok, so not long ago I had this grand plan of going back in the box and downsizing. That didn?t really work. First, I realized that I spoiled myself and I just don?t like mixing in the box now. Secondly, I?m suddenly am swamped with work; swamped in my ?home studio? definition. So I decided to go back OTB again am keep my UAD-Duo for quickies and projects that are better suited for ITB treatment.

I had two goals; buy totally different equipment than I had before and get the biggest bang for my buck (read cheap but not shitty). So I have a ton of stuff that is very new to me. I am going to post a bunch of threads in the Gear Talk section about each piece with my mini review / questions / gripe about them. This may be a huge waste of space but based on a recent discussion about the gear acquired thread, I will try to give the old Gear Talk section a boost in the arm.

Alright, enough BS (back story) the first piece ?

The Overstayer VCA Stereo Comp
I have never owned an SSL style compressor although I have used the plug ins before. I always found the various plug ins too grabby on the mix buss but several mixers whose work I respect use the tried and true SSL/C2/etc. on the mix buss to good results. So I wanted to go in a totally different direction and got a killer deal on a used one from Gearslutz. It is basically an SSL comp with additional options; mainly a blend knob, a hi-pass detector so the compressor doesn?t grab on to low frequencies, a two band shelving EQ and a Behavior knob.

First, the knobs are super sensitive. This is probably a good thing, but it is taking me a while to get used to it. Most of my outboard isn?t so sensitive. They mention in the manual make slow adjustments and they aren?t kidding. Just a tiny turn can make a big difference on almost every parameter and its easy to miss the perfect setting. Although the panel markings are good.

The EQ is great. It?s shelving at either 50 or 100 hz and again at 10k. It?s very subtle. I had a pair of Lindell Pultec type EQ?s on order for mix buss duties but the EQ on here allowed me to hold off on that purchase. (I am sure the lindells probably sound better since they are dedicated EQ?s, but $600 gets me a VCA comp AND buss EQ whereas the Lindells are $600 a pair) You can switch it in and out of circuit for comparisons. I find the high end really has a sweet spot. It quickly goes from ?I?m not really hearing it? to ?that?s a little too much high end?. But that spot in the middle is nice. It?s important to take the EQ out when making comparisons because with the EQ in, you immediately miss it when you bypass it on the mix buss. Even just small boosts really tighten up the low end and give a nice sheen to the high end.

I can?t compare it to a real SSL. I will say the compressor can be extremely subtle and transparent or vicious. I ran some vocals through it and you can get some serious gain reduction going on without sounding like it or coloring the signal too much. I like color though and the behavior knob changes about everything about the compressor; the ratios, knee; attack, release times, distortion etc. I am pretty much liking it at around 3. It will quickly take you into NIN territory with a simple twist.

Downsides
The only negative I can think of is the fact that their is so much interaction between all of the controls, especially the behavior control, that it is hard to get an a/b comparison out of it. Turning the Behavior knob will quickly ratchet up the volume so you have to work the Make up gain and the behavior at the same time. Even the mix blend knob has a large volume difference as you change the mix between full dry and full wet. This may be normal as this is the first wet/dry comp I have used.

So far I am digging it, I should be knocking out a few mixes this weekend so I will see what its like to mix into.

I will try to post some clips of this thing on drums if I get some time later this weekend.

I think at least one person on TO has the VCA version. Any comments on this piece? Anything I missed? Anything I was totally off bass on?

For the money its a no brainer as far as I am concerned. $650 used with the optional sidechain input.

[T-rex]

Here are some quick samples:
http://soundcloud.com/velvetaudio/sets/ ... a-examples

I was just screwing around on drums. Not a lot of variety I am afraid. I posted the raw track, two lightly compressed tracks - one normal 4:1 ratio and one 2:1 ratio with the Behavior on 10. Then finally an over the top crazy compressed one.

Three mics on the drums; two fatheads (poorly placed) and a e609 in the bass drum.

[joel hamilton]

Man... thanks for posting this.
I need to check one of these out.

[joel hamilton]

Every SSL "type" compressor I have is different, and all good at certain things.
The one IN my SSL is different than the original SSL FX384 compressor in a rack, or the Camilo Silva custom 4000E clone built from scratch( ! ) or even the smart C2....
SO each one is worthy of owning, as one will wind up across a stereo backing vocal stem if I am just using the one built into the SSL on the whole mix, but with something else on the insert points of the mix bus, and then yet ANOTHER something something on the main outs with a 2mix EQ on the way to the print path (either tape or into a BURL B2 ).

I am psyched to check this thing out. your description makes it sound more attractive than yet another... "same old" SSL type of thingy. COOL!

[T-rex]

Yeah, this box is really cool because it does the ssl thing but doesn't claim to be an ssl clone. The behavior knob is pretty crazy and the eq makes it a really sweet all around mix buss or drum buss box. Like the guy who built it really thought about what to put in it instead of just making another clone with a high pass in the detector.

It's still a bit grabby for me on the mix buss, it's very sensitive to get it set between too grabby and just right. I kind of wish it had a hair more color to it also. I might strap some transformers on the outputs at some point.

I have the FET on its way to me right now. I love FET compressors and I will let you know how that one sounds when I get it.

[Mane1234]

Cool post and thanks for the Soundcloud samples. I've seen SSL type compression in print a lot but never knew what one sounded like or even what ball park it was in. Great drum sound to start with.

[vvv]

[losthighway]

Thanks for posting the soundclips TREx.

I really like how the 4:1 setting makes the snare come forward without making everything else too pumpy. This seems like a good compressor for keeping a drum set in focus with minimal mics.

The destroyed setting had some really weird things going on. The pumping at one point almost had a backwards cymbals sound going on.

Oh, and I really like how your floor tom sounds. It's got that "just a hair above too loose" sound that is so huge and has such a cool resonance.

[T-rex]

Thanks. When I first got my pair of fatheads I threw them up really quick just to see what they sounded like on drums, which is my baseline for just about everything since I am a drummer. Then I just screwed around for a few minutes. I was flipping through sessions and saw the fathead test and figured that would be a good example.

Yes, the backward cymbal sounds and the cymbals almost sounding tremolo is pretty crazy. But on the other end, you can make it completely transparent sounding and track through it too; its that versatile.

[SafeandSoundMastering]

This is a VCA compressor though I am not sure it should be compared with an SSL type as thats a fairly specific design. I was interested in this compressor as it seems very good value. Ultimately it lost out to better designs. Not currently needing clean compression but when i do I will look at this unit again.
It's better value stateside.

Cheers

SafeandSound Mastering
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