Aphex 301 Compellor...Blast From the Past

[Zooberwerx]

Preface: I posted this query in "Effects" but with no responses...I'm not surprised.

My buddy picked one up during a recent curb-crawl. It fires-up but has not yet been inserted in any signal path as of yet. I know zilch about recording gear and hoping someone can shed some light on what I have. From what I've gleaned, this particular piece harks for the early 80's and used primarily for recording and / or live broadcast. Are they any practical live sound applications? We love cobbling together systems from orphaned / abandoned / obsolete hardware!

Thanks

Riis

 

[seamonkey]

Compressor-Leveler "Compeller"
There's inside knobs to adjust to your needs

 

[Zooberwerx]

Compressor-Leveler "Compeller"
There's inside knobs to adjust to your needs

Yep, that's about all I found. There's a selector for "Speech / Music" in the chassis.

Riis

 

[Bob_Ross]

I've got a model 300 Compellor, the original stereo (only) version. I first started using them right after Aphex introduced them circa 1985. Fabulously transparent compressor/leveler...I've been able to squash a full mix such that the VU meters were barely moving, and yet you couldn't hear any gain reduction artifacts. I've had guest engineers insist it wasn't working or wasn't patched in because they couldn't hear the compression

...and that's kind of the problem with the Compellor: 9 out of 10 times when someone wants to compress something it's because they want to hear compression! They want to hear the squash and the bloom and the thickening and the [insert favorite euphemism here] and a Compellor rarely gives you any of that. It just gently and almost invisibly squeezes your 10 pound pile of dynamic range into a 1 pound sack.

So mine doesn't get an awful lot of use. But when that's what you need, few other compressors can do it as well.

 

[Frank Tuesday]

I've got two, one stereo and one mono. It's great for singers with terrible mic technique, or poor dynamic control. At least it was before I could draw in automation points.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I've got two, one stereo and one mono. It's great for singers with terrible mic technique, or poor dynamic control. At least it was before I could draw in automation points.

Where did you insert it in the signal path? One per mic channel, vocal sub-group, main inserts? The one quality that really drew me in was the expander function, not so much the compression.

Riis

 

[Frank Tuesday]

Where did you insert it in the signal path? One per mic channel, vocal sub-group, main inserts? The one quality that really drew me in was the expander function, not so much the compression.

Riis

It has been years since I last used them. During mixing, I generally used the mono on the lead vox insert, and the stereo on the main buss inserts. They were my only good compressors for my small demo studio.

 

[Bob_Ross]

The one quality that really drew me in was the expander function, not so much the compression.

Wait, a 301 has an expander? Are you sure?
I'm pretty sure a 301 is just a single channel/mono version of a 300...which has a compressor and a leveller and the ability to dial in the balance between those processes (though very little other control) plus a fast peak limiter which you have essentially no control over. And that Silence Gate on the 300/301 is not the same thing as a Noise Gate (which is a type of downward expander). The Silence Gate sets the threshold below which compression or levelling action freezes so you don't get pumping as the signal falls below threshold and a more typical compressor's makeup gain would kick in.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Wait, a 301 has an expander? Are you sure?
I'm pretty sure a 301 is just a single channel/mono version of a 300...which has a compressor and a leveller and the ability to dial in the balance between those processes (though very little other control) plus a fast peak limiter which you have essentially no control over. And that Silence Gate on the 300/301 is not the same thing as a Noise Gate (which is a type of downward expander). The Silence Gate sets the threshold below which compression or levelling action freezes so you don't get pumping as the signal falls below threshold and a more typical compressor's makeup gain would kick in.

My terminology may be off but it "brings up" the quieter passages so maybe levelling would be a more appropriate definition. In the video, the audio level did not drop-off as the announcer turned away from the mic and was touted as a feature. I plan on inserting in our rehearsal space mixer just for fun...need to snag a TRS > XLR (2) cable first.

Riis