A Very Fair Plug-in, Indeed!
“What’s your dream piece of gear?” Ask any Sweetwater studio engineer that question, and the word “Fairchild” will likely be in the mix, whether it be a reference to the mono Fairchild 660 or the stereo Fairchild 670. Well, with the KIT Plugins 66/67compressor plug-in, you don’t have to choose between the two — you can have both! The 66/67 plug-in puts two of history’s most renowned compressors right at your fingertips. You get the mono 660 and the stereo 670, with all their rich tube-driven harmonic complexity and their intuitive interfaces, for much less than the price of purchasing (and maintaining) even one of the original hardware units. Plus, this particular 66/67 plug-in was curated by John McBride and Grammy-nominated songstress Martina McBride, and based on the gear they’ve used at Blackbird Studios — how’s that for legitimacy?
Related Videos: BB F66/67 Compressor Plug-in
Two historical compressors
The Fairchild 660 mono tube compressor was designed by Rein Narma and introduced in the early 1950s by Fairchild Recording Equipment Corporation, founded by Sherman Fairchild. Immediately upon arrival, the Fairchild 660 — along with its stereo sibling Fairchild 670 — became a staple in major recording studios such as Abbey Road and featured on iconic recordings by the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and many others. In sum, the Fairchilds (Fairchildren, if you will) remain legendary compressors, with original units fetching incredibly high prices and modern recreations and plug-ins being exceptionally popular.
Under the hood
The Fairchilds are tube-based compressors, utilizing the likes of 6386, 6V6, and 6BA6 tubes. They also feature an intuitive and straightforward control layout with knobs for Input Gain, Threshold, and six different Time Constants. Their vintage natures and rarity make maintaining a hardware Fairchild unit very challenging, requiring both period-correct components and the expertise of specialized technicians. Fortunately, with the KIT Plugins 66/67 compressor plug-in, you’ll always have their revered tube-laden sound right at your fingertips.
A cherished sound
The Fairchilds are known for the warm, rich harmonic complexity that their tube circuitry infuses into any sound. They’re also considered to be very smooth and musical, able to tame transient peaks without ever sounding harsh or shrill. And, while they’re mainly used in mixing and mastering projects, the Fairchilds can easily enhance a huge variety of vocal and instrument sound sources — ask John McBride, Joe Chicarelli, Ross Hogarth, or any of the myriad engineers and producers who have long relied on the Fairchilds to get that special sound they can’t get from anything else. In fact, John McBride employs the Fairchild 660 as the heart and soul for his wife Martina’s vocal chain.
KIT Plugins 66/67 Compressor Plug-in Features:
- Plug-in emulation of 2 of history’s most esteemed compressors: the mono Fairchild 660 and stereo Fairchild 670
- Curated by John and Martina McBride at Blackbird Studios
- The centerpiece of Martina McBride’s long revered (and long-kept secret) vocal chain
- Intuitive interface with easy controls for Input Gain, Threshold, and six different Time Constants
- Fixed compression ratio of 2:1 to 6:1, depending on signal level and Time Constant settings
- Feedback-based sidechain design with control signal derived from the output instead of the input
- Fully transformer-balanced input and output stages with 6386, 6V6, and 6BA6 tubes contribute to its incredibly musical sonic character
- Linked Stereo controls via the Fairchild 670
