Legendary Tube Compressor — in a Plug-in
The Comp670 is Overloud's plug-in rendition of a legendary hardware tube compressor/limiter. Meticulously sampled, the Comp670 captures the unique, warm, and distinctive sound of the original, enhanced by its 20 tubes; input, output, and inter-stage transformers, and vari-mu circuitry that dynamically changes compression ratio in response to the signal level. The Comp670 plug-in extends the feature set of the original hardware, combining the flexibility of the digital world along with classic fat analog sonic character. Overloud sampled three different units in London, Los Angeles, and Milan, capturing the subtle tonal personality of each — and you can switch between these with the Studio switch. You can also tweak a highpass filter on the sidechain to reduce the compressor's sensitivity to low frequencies — particularly useful for controlling the amount of pumping effect. Parallel compression is a powerful recording and mixing technique which helps to improve the overall impact of a track while leaving its transients intact. The Comp670 gives you a Dry/Wet dial that sums the compressor output in with the original dry track.
Related Videos: Comp670 Compressor/Limiter Plug-in
London, Los Angeles, and Milan
Obviously, dating from the 1950s, the original units Overloud sampled do not contain all-original parts. Each unit has been serviced many times, giving it its own unique component history. Add in the fact that manufacturing tolerances in the '50 were not particularly tight like they are for modern equipment (so these units did not sound strictly identical when they were new). The bottom line is that each unit — London, Los Angeles, and Milan — has a unique sonic profile and dynamic response, which you can access with the Studio switch.
Compression curve adjustment
A trim pot inside the original hardware unit allowed to change the compression characteristic from soft-knee to hard-knee by changing the biasing current of the feedback amplifier. The Comp670 brings this control out to the front panel, allowing you to tweak the compressor response. All things considered, the Overloud Comp670 is a tremendous value. The original units are very rare, and ridiculously pricey when you can find one for sale. If you do, it will almost certainly need expensive service. And with a curb weight of over 60 pounds, you don't want to be wrestling it into your car. Sweetwater's advice: go for the plug-in.
Overloud Comp670 Compressor/Limiter Plug-in Features:
- Ultra-realistic simulation of a legendary hardware unit
- Cutting-edge 4th-generation DSP technology
- 3 different units re-created, with multiple dynamics and coloration
- Built-in Parallel Compression
- Soft-knee/hard-knee control with the additional DC Threshold parameter
- Built-in filters on the Sidechain
- Meter Calibration: calibrate the VU meters at 4 different sensitivities
- Multi-level undo-redo; A/B Comparison
- Presets designed in actual mixing sessions
- Scribble Strips let you take notes anywhere on the plug-in panel