Description
Solid State VCA Compressor Colour Module
- Inspired by Classic British VCA Design
- Ads the Compression and Saturation
- Soft-Knee Compression
- Material Dependent Attack and Recovery
- Compression Ratio Trimmer
- Stereo Link Option for Bus Compressor Operation
- Low Noise Studio Grade Opamps
- Two Modes of Compression
- Sidechain High-Pass Filter
- HF Enhance Feature
- +20dB Gain Make-up Trimmer
- Selected Integrated Circuit
- High Headroom Capabilities
- Ideal for Mastering and Tracking
- Compatible with DIYRE Colour Format
The Solid State VCA Compressor is inspired by the sound of the famous large-format mixing desks manufactured in Oxford, UK.
The Solid State VCA Compressor is a Soft-Knee Compressor based on the high-performance 2181 VCA chip.
The Link Option allows to couple two Solid State VCA Compressor modules for stereo operation as a bus compressor.
The Solid State VCA Compressor has 160Hz sidechain filter and the HF Enhance feature for heavy compression.
The Solid State VCA Compressor has high headroom capabilities and is ideal for mastering or tracking.
The Solid State VCA Compressor along with other colour modules from Solid State Line can create the perfect mastering setup delivering unique tone flavours of a classic solid-state console.
Special Features
The Sidechain High-Pass filter blocks the signal below the 160Hz from being process by the compressor. This feature is useful for LF rich content such as drums, bass guitar and bass tracks.
The HF Enhance adds the HF content which may be lost as a result of compression. It is similar to 4k Mode and adds to the signal characteristic presence artefacts.
The Mode jumper allows selecting more aggressive compression curves useful if parallel compression is required.
The Link jumper can be used to stereo link two Solid State VCA modules in bus compressor mode.
Demo Track – 96k Audio Samples
Note: HD 96k/24bit samples won’t play on MS Internet Explorer
Samples were recorded using a pair of C572 in the stereo configuration.
The Solid State VCA modules linked in a stereo mode.
The Drive/Trim knob in the C572 shifts the compression threshold. More drive equals to more compression and more signal saturation.
Solid State VCA Comp setting: Sidechain HPF ON, HF Enhance OFF, Compression set to 25%, Gain Make-up set to 25%
All samples are level matched. Stereo track.
Demo Track – Solid State VCA – Less Drive
Drive/Trim Knob set to 25%, Blend Knob – 100% Wet
Demo Track – Solid State VCA – More Drive
Drive/Trim Knob set to 50%, Blend Knob – 100% Wet
The picture below shows the compression of each track.
Female Vocal – 96k Audio Samples
Note: HD 96k/24bit samples won’t play on MS Internet Explorer
Samples were recorded using a pair of C572 in the stereo configuration.
The Drive/Trim knob in the C572 shifts the compression threshold. More drive equals to more compression and more signal saturation.
Solid State VCA Comp setting: Compression set to 25%, Gain Make-up set to 25%
All samples are level matched. Mono track.
Female Vocal – DRY
Female Vocal – Solid State VCA
Drive/Trim Knob set to 50%, Blend Knob – 100% Wet
Sidechain HPF OFF, HF Enhance OFF
Female Vocal – Solid State VCA
Drive/Trim Knob set to 50%, Blend Knob – 100% Wet
Sidechain HPF OFF, HF Enhance ON
Female Vocal – Solid State VCA
Drive/Trim Knob set to 50%, Blend Knob – 100% Wet
Sidechain HPF ON, HF Enhance ON
User Demo
Stereo Operation
The Solid State VCA Compressor can be used in stereo mode. Please study the picture below. Please connect the LINK two pin headers of two modules with an included patch cable. You can use any pin. Both header pins are connected together on the PCB.
The Link cable sums the peaks of the sidechain signal. It is not syncing two modules and no Master/Slave operation is possible. Two modules need to be set in the same way for stereo operation. The patch cable is included for free with pair of modules.
HRK Colour Modules – True Analogue Plugins!
Colour Modules are Hardware Analogue Plugins made with NOS Discrete Components and Valves which add pleasing harmonics and subtle saturation to the signal, delivering the sonic results of the Vintage Studio Equipment for a fraction of the Price! Each Colour Module is different and uniquely impacts the sound. You can use the Colour Modules for Recording, Tracking and Mastering.
What benefit I will get from Colour Modules?
The modern DAW systems can produce great results, but most of the sound engineers and music producers will admit that the mix produced with DAW is missing something… some special ingredient, which is the analogue magic. This is why the big recording studios have racks filled with vintage preamps, compressors and equalizers. The HRK Colour Modules are real Analogue Plugins which will help you to make better recording and mixes standing out from the crowd.
