The Compressor/Limiter You’ve Been Waiting For
Want a compressor that gives you great-sounding results fast? We recommend giving the Daking Comp IIT a serious audition. We’ve all spent a chunk of time fiddling with a myriad of controls to find the right compression characteristics for a particular source. With the Comp IIT, Daking does away with all that. What the Comp IIT brings to the table is instant gratification. Under the hood of this two-channel compressor/limiter is a discrete transistor Class A VCA circuit that utilizes classic feedback peak detection (in which the sensor is placed after the VCA) for quickly obtaining highly musical-sounding results from a streamlined control set — whether you’re using it on individual tracks or as a stereo bus compressor with channel linking engaged. The Comp IIT is a special version of the Comp II with Jensen input and output transformers, which add subtle analog color to your signals.
Jensen transformers for that “big iron” sound
Back in the Golden Age of Analog, talented electronics engineers such as Rupert Neve and Deane Jensen designed custom transformers to balance circuits. These transformers became associated with the so-called “big iron” sound: typically bold, punchy, and colorful. In the late 1960s, as Neve started building his acclaimed consoles around transformer-balanced circuits in England, Jensen was in California working his way up in the pro audio world, eventually becoming VP of engineering for console manufacturer Quad-Eight. Identifying transformers as a primary culprit in poor-sounding audio systems, Jensen set about improving on existing designs. Recognizing that his work with transformers would require powerful tools to accelerate circuit analysis and optimization, he became a pioneer in computer-assisted design, writing his own circuit-analysis software that allowed him to accurately model and fine-tune his transformer designs and optimize them for use with real-world electronic circuits.
Demand for Jensen’s transformers continued to grow and by the late ’80s, tens of thousands of Jensen transformers were in service around the world — and not just in pro audio. Their excellent performance also led to use in applications as diverse as seismic sensing, lab instrumentation and test equipment, and even the Space Shuttle! Today, Jensen Transformers is owned by Radial Engineering and Deane Jensen’s legacy lives on in countless products such as the Radial JDI (considered by many to be one of the finest direct boxes ever made) and the Daking Comp IIT, which will impart that coveted, characterful “big iron” transformer sound to every signal you pass through it.
Great results, fast
Equipped with only per-channel Compression amount and Output controls — plus four buttons that engage specific behaviors — the Daking Comp II is remarkably quick and easy to use. The reason this novel arrangement works so well is that Daking is using VCAs like FETs, in that they utilize feedback via a peak detector, rather than feed-forward using an RMS detector, and an all-discrete amplifier to convert from current to voltage. At Sweetwater Studios, our engineers have found the impressive professional results obtained in seconds with the Comp II to be comparable with those from high-end units costing much more.
Impressive versatility
Attack, Release, Ratio, and Bypass buttons complete the per-channel control set. By carefully curating the behaviors for each button’s two selectable modes, Daking has rendered the potentially arduous task of setting up compression and limiting dead simple. For instance, the Release button’s Auto setting is an auto-release program that you’ll find ideal for most source material. The Ratio button’s Comp setting offers a standard 4:1 ratio, whereas its Limit mode is set at a brickwall 14:1. But the Comp II’s every-day operational simplicity and sweet musicality are deceptive — it’s a versatile compressor/limiter that’s capable of mercilessly crushing a pair of room mics, if that’s what you’re after.
At Daking, quality is baked-in
Handcrafted in America, the Daking Comp II’s high-quality build uses discrete transistor Class A VCAs, THAT Corporation differential amps, and printed circuit board-mounted switches. Signal capacitors are precision polypropylene or ultra low-leakage electrolytic types. Daking’s boards are built on a military-spec assembly line. Dual VU meters are selectable for gain reduction or output. The stainless steel chassis allows for maximum RF and hum rejection and a durable finish. Every unit is hand-finished, tested, burned in, and tested once more in a separate facility. And naturally, Daking couldn’t use common plastic knobs, so they designed their own anodized, engraved aluminum knobs for a confident, precise, high-quality feel.
Daking Comp II Stereo VCA Compressor Features:
- 2-channel compressor/limiter with Stereo linking
- Versatile and easy to use
- Professional build with high-quality parts
- All-metal construction with stainless steel chassis for noise rejection
- Novel, discrete transistor Class A VCA circuit design
- Differential input and output amps
- Class A amplifier for makeup gain
- Custom aluminum knobs
- Frequency response: 20Hz–65kHz
- Compression amount and Output controls per channel
- Per-channel Attack, Release, Ratio, and Bypass buttons
- Input: XLR (x2); Output XLR (x2), TRS (x2)
- External power supply included
- Handcrafted in America
