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TECHNOLOGY REVIEW


Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter


 PLUG-IN COLLECTION


Universal Audio strikes gold once again with its Fairchild emulation plug-in series, writes Rich Tozzoli.


FAIRCHILD compressor/ limiters are revered for good reason, as they can be heard on some of the greatest records of all time. But keeping those vintage hardware units running – complete with 20 tubes and 14 transformers – is not an easy task. Luckily for us, Universal Audio has modelled a few classic ‘golden reference units’ from Ocean Way Studios then added several modern touches for its own Fairchild emulations, now available direct from their website.


FEATURES The collection includes new 660 and 670 models, as well as the original 670 Legacy unit, each of which can only run via UA’s proprietary UAD-2 platform. They can be instantiated as either mono or mono/stereo; historically, the 660 is mono and the 670 is stereo with Mid/Side capabilities. While these monsters sound great on drums, vocals, and master bus (or just about anything, for that matter), let’s explore a few simple ideas about how the new 660 and 670 emulations work on guitars and bass. One of the first aspects to


understand is the use of Input Gain versus Threshold. As the manual notes, the original unit’s input control is behind the input transformer and ahead of the tubes in its signal chain. When you increase the Input, the input tube is hit harder, increasing distortion. If you want the character of your guitar or bass to have extra grit, turn up the Input Control knob and turn down Threshold. To get a lot of squash and grit, crank up both Input and Threshold.


www.audiomedia.com Further, users can play with


the small-but-useful HR (Headroom Control) knob, which lowers the internal operating level. The default position is where the small dot is at 12 o’clock (a value of 16dB). To get more harmonic distortion, turn the knob clockwise (which increases the dB value). The unit tends to compress more when doing that, which means you’ll probably need to turn up the Output control to compensate for gain reduction. It’s also useful to understand


the Time Constant knob with variable attack and release times. It’s a six-position switch where settings one to four are progressively slower behaviours and five and six are program dependent. Additional attack/release variations are also possible, enabling the Sidechain Link and disabling the Controls Link.


IN USE Starting with a bass sound, an edgy, aggressive characteristic


“Without the


Sidechain Filter, the entire spectrum of frequencies in the track will be


compressed –


which has its place, of course. But by pushing up the Sidechain Filter


value, users leave those frequencies


alone and compress those above it.” Rich Tozzoli


can be easily made by turning up the Input Channel, Headroom Control, and Output. I like to set the Time Constant to one or two, where the unit tends to react fairly quickly. Also, I set the Metering knob to GR (Gain Reduction), which allows me to see (in dB) how hard the compressor is ‘hit’. Of course, I adjust all parameters depending on the material, but bass, in particular, can really scream via UA’s Fairchild. With it, I can undeniably hear an increase in smoothness, punch, and character. Taking it a step further,


there are two additional controls that offer quite a bit of flexibility. The Sidechain Filter controls a 12dB per octave low-cut filter that goes from 20 to 500Hz. Simply put, this lets you take bass frequencies out of the compressor to limit excessive gain reduction. Without the Sidechain Filter, the entire spectrum of frequencies in the track will be compressed – which has its place, of course. But by pushing up the Sidechain Filter value, users leave those frequencies alone and compress those above it. With heavy electric guitar


parts, I like to set the Sidechain Filter around 400Hz. What this does is enable the compressor not to ‘squash’ as much overall, because I essentially removed the low end from hitting the compressor. Those frequencies get left alone while the lower mids, mids, and top get tightened up. Certainly, it’s also quite useful on bass parts. Normally, I tend not to


compress electric parts very much, especially distorted tube


amps. But with this filter, I can get it to be smooth and punchy while also using the Output for some extra gain. Sometimes, however – especially with plug- in based guitar amp emulations – it sounds best to squash the whole signal, leaving the Sidechain off. It’s useful to have the option when you need it. Last but not least, UA built


in a Mix knob – a feature I would like to have on every plug in, actually! While simple in theory, it’s incredibly useful in taste and touch. It sets the output balance between the dry signal and that of the one processed by the compressor. This lets you hit a bass or guitar hard with overall compression, then pull it back from 100% (Wet) to get an ideal blend of processed and unprocessed. To navigate this quickly, you can click on the


INFORMATION Feature set


• Exact modeling of Ocean Way Studio’s Fairchild units (660 and 670) including tube amplifiers and transformers


• ‘Digital only’ features include Sidechain filtering, dry/wet parallel blend, and Headroom control


• Six attack and release Time Constants • Artist presets from Darrell Thorp, Michael Brauer, Ryan West, and more


www.uaudio.com February 2014 41


Mix graphic to move to 50%, the 0 for 0%, and so on.


SUMMARY Overall, the Fairlight Collection is a great complement for almost any type of production track. Specifically on guitar and bass, users can control individual track dynamics while increasing thickness and punch. Yet it’s the combination of Input Gain, Threshold, Time Constant, Headroom, Sidechain Filter, and Mix that helps me take tracks to the next level. And best of all, you’ll never have to change a UA Fairlight tube.


THE REVIEWER Rich Tozzoli is the software editor for PAR as well as an accomplished recording engineer, composer for television, and active musician.


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