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Author Topic: Oliver, welcome back!. . . What's up with TAB U73s Compressor?  (Read 5501 times)

Nala

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Oliver, welcome back!. . . What's up with TAB U73s Compressor?
« on: December 01, 2006, 04:13:37 PM »

Hi Oliver. . . . welcome back! I enjoyed our conversation by phone several months ago about the TAB V72s/ V78 and your ideas about audio production in general. Your wealth of knowledge is amazing to say the least! I could have listened to you talk for several hours.  Anyway. . . I was wondering how things are proceeding along with the TAB U73s compressor? I recall you saying you were going to be showing it at AES this time around. If you would, please let me/us know what's going on with that unit it would really be appreciated.

It's good to see you back again.

Best regards Oliver. . .
nala
(Al Levin)
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Oliver Archut

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Re: Oliver, welcome back!. . . What's up with TAB U73s Compressor?
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2006, 05:05:53 PM »

Hello Nala,

as I pointed out last time and I want to do the same this time I do not want to use this forum as a sales stage for my products.
There is way more out there then to talk about the stuff I build!
But just a short answer, I did not make it to AES this year due to some personal issues. Right now the U73 is still on hold.....
If you need more info please PM me.

But how about talking a bit audio production?

Best regards


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Oliver Archut
www.tab-funkenwerk.com

We are so advanced, that we can develop technology that can determine how much damage the earth has taken from the development of that technology.

Nala

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Re: Oliver, welcome back!. . . What's up with TAB U73s Compressor?
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2006, 09:54:29 PM »

Hi Oliver. . . Sorry! I didn't mean to break any forum protocols. . .  I was just eager to know the status of the U73! I'll get back to you on that. . . but speaking of the U73s
isn't it considered a bus compressor rather than individual tracking device?

I know there are no hard and fast rules to any of this but was it primarily used that way, or would it also be useful as an individual tracking device in your opinion or are there better tools for that purpose.  Can and does the U73s produce a highly colored sound or is it more transparent in nature?

Also.. it's a variable mu compressor correct.  Isn't the cut off tube a 6386 and aren't they almost impossible to find these days. I was just looking at a remake of the old Gates Sta-Level compressor by RETRO and they claim that they use a pair of 6BJ6's as an option to the 6386 that sounds almost identical. They do have the 6386 if you want it but I guess they are hard to get and that's why they offer the option.

I'm just sort of finally coming into a much better understanding of compression overall at this point in my audio recording experience and have just started to see the benifits of using many different types of compression in the overall pallet rather than the one-sided naive understanding I used to have of them as just being a simple level controller and nothing more important than that, or as a way to make tracks louder in general.

However the past few years I've noticed the so called 'loudness wars' that have been going on in the industry and consequently how the dynamic range of the beautifully recorded records of the past has become just that....a part of the past.
Everything these days for the most part seems to sound so squashed and loud to me and I guesss that's what I started out to do in the begining as well until I really started paying attention.

At this point I'd like to get a few really good different types of comp/limiters for my meager project studio and really learn to use them judiciously as I percieve the old school guys used to do. That's not to say that occasionally I can see actually using a compressor more as an effect rather than as an AGC . . . it's not entirely out of the question if you are going for a certain effect or sound. . . but I'd really like to learn how to really do it right like the old timers did it!

What are some of your thoughts about this and about compression in general.

I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say and from some of you other guys as well. Again. . . great to see you back Oliver!

regards,
nala

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Oliver Archut

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Re: Oliver, welcome back!. . . What's up with TAB U73s Compressor?
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2006, 01:23:31 PM »

Hello Nala,

historical speaking the U73 is a (two) bus module that had two settings, compressor 20dB compression stroke with 10dB of make up gain, or set to a fix limiting point with 10dB reduction.

There were a few "A" versions with adjustable ratio, etc. but mostly they were designed just for a two bus...

With proper modification you can use them for nearly everything and as a Variable Mu compressor it really sounds creamy and smooth.

A couple of different versions were made, E99F (similar to 6BJ6WA), EF89 and EF83, but all remote cutoff PENTODES.
The Flair of an 6386 remote triode is easy captured modified with a pair of EF97 (EF970).

I have no idea about the retro compressor but one is for sure, that the E99F(6BJ6) does not sound anything like the 6386 due to the nature of remote cut of pentodes.
You can run a variable mu pentode in two different settings, the standard pentode vs. sliding 2nd grid hook up. In the later case the dropping resistor is calculated that way that, so the voltage drop across will add more gain reduction when a certain point is reached, pretty much the same as an turbo booster in a diesel engine.
Even you run the standard pentode connection or triode mode, both tubes fall into two different design categories. The 6386 is based on the 2C51 a tube that is closely related to the 6BJ8... The E99F(6BJ6) is based on the EF95 so even in triode mode the cut off curve is entirely different...
Pretty much the same comparing an ECC82 (12AU7) to an ECC83 (12AX7)

If you want to learn it how the old time did it just use compression and gain reduction on the two bus, a limiter on drums and for the rest use just the natural compression of a room/ set up of the room.

Best regards,


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Oliver Archut
www.tab-funkenwerk.com

We are so advanced, that we can develop technology that can determine how much damage the earth has taken from the development of that technology.
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