The AudioScape G-Series Buss Comp: Classic Mix Buss Compression, Glue, and Punch
A faithful reproduction of the classic stereo mix buss compressor at a great price! Great for mix buss, groups or individual inserts. Uses a quad-VCA design with a true stereo sidechain for the classic “glue” associated with the original British console design. It can also be quite punchy and serves well as a clean drum buss compressor. Features a 160hz sidechain high-pass filter to more easily compress bass-heavy sources like 808s without over-compressing the low end.
True Stereo Sidechain
Many of the clones and DIY circuit boards for these bus compressors have a summed mono design instead of true stereo in the side-chain section like the original desks have. This has a noticeable impact on the final sound. With summed mono, the low end content can become woofy and uncontrollable which can be hard to tame and lead to a frustrating experience. The custom circuit board in the G-Series Buss Comp retains a true stereo design in the side chain section, which requires additional components but has a much more pleasant natural sound when pushed like the original desks. No need for additional mod boards etc. It negates the need for a side chain high pass filter in most cases, although it’s there if desired. Although gentle compression is usually best with these beasts, this allows the unit to be pushed harder with better results.
Straightforward, Authentic Circuit Design
There are a lot of imitations of this circuit out there these days, many of which include mods that deviate pretty far from the original design. AudioScape is not anti-mod, but they are anti “compromise.” This original circuit is extremely robust as is, and AudioScape has kept it as intact as possible in a 1U rackmount unit without sacrificing the core sound for the sake of additional options. The original G series compressor is famously clean, without the “mojo” found in transformer-coupled designs, but AudioScape finds this to be an asset and not a weakness. If transformer mojo is what the user is after, AudioScape has plenty more places they can find it!
