UAD Fairchild 670... Worth a punt?

[The_BPP]

It's 20% off until the end of this month. That makes it around 75 of my Great British Pounds.

I already have the 1176LN and the LA-2A (I use them all the time).

Question is, will the 670 bring anything to the table I don't already have? Is it sonically much different? Anyone currently using it?

[Richie Royale]

Give it a demo and see if it's for you.

I have it, but it doesn't see as much use as the 1176 or LA2A.

[muzines]

it's a quirky one, not a mainstream compressor - I regard it as an extreme character processor, (a "flavour box") rather than a more general purpose one.

Imo it's strengths are for when you want vintage compression sound - it's pretty good on acoustic guitars and pianos particularly. Can be good for some more extreme drum-loop type stuff as well.

It's not particularly easy to use though, given that it has numbered time constants (instead of fully variable atack/release times) and the compression ratio controls are the little tiny "bias" knobs which are critical in making it sound good.

Plus it has the whole mid/side compression thing which is a nice tool to have when you need it.

I'd demo it first, and spend some time familiarising yourself with it, to see whether it's worth it for you.

I do like it, but don't use it *that* much compared to the 1176/LA2A/LA3A/VCA/SSL4K stuff - but there's so many good compressors on the UAD platform it's ridiculous!

[The_BPP]

...it's pretty good on acoustic guitars and pianos particularly...

Thanks for the input. I do find it difficult to convincingly compress my piano tracks - it maybe worth it for that then?

Yes, the UAD has more than it's fair share of compressors.

[muzines]

Yeah - I actually think it's the best piano compressor I've used, with the possible exception of the Neve 33609, which I don't have but demod and liked a lot. Give it a demo...

[BenLD]

I tend to use it over subgroups or over the mix bus, it's great for mastering and it has middle and side processing which the LA2A and 1176 don't

Eg I used it recently over a brass section buss - using mid-side compression the middle was compressed (giving the vocal more space), but the sides less so, so you could still easily hear the brass parts in left and right

Generally It's a 'make-it-betterizer' even without much actual compression going on

But like the man says, try the demo before pulling the trigger

Cheers

Ben

[Dan Clark]

I have a Liquid Mix, not a UAD card, but I use the 670 a lot, for some vocalists it's amazing. Certainly one of my most used compressors.

[steve355]

I agree, its a "make it betterizer" as the above post says. Instant vintage sound on the mix bus. I use it very sparingly, just tickling the mix, or sometimes just as an amplifier with no compression at all. I very rarely use it on individual tracks.

[Bob Bickerton]

I use it on most projects, but usually very sparingly over the mix bus at the mastering stage, I really like what it adds to the sound and how it subtly brings a mix together. I've even used it on projects where I probably shouldn't, if you get my meaning

Simply switching it on adds something, perhaps a hint of some of the analogue warmth Hugh talks about in the recent article.

But it's tricky to use and I'm very careful about not overdoing it!

Bob

[The_BPP]

That swings it, Bob, I'll have a play.

[LRS]

I don't have the UAD version but I do have the plug that came with T-Racks3. I don't tend to use it in mastering but on piano, some vocal and bass guitar I thinks its great. Someone earlier mentioned that just having it in the chain makes a difference (for the better). I concur completely.

I usually rely on presets rather than try and work it out myself and tweak from there. I would definitely recommend the T-Racks version and if the UAD one is as good then go for it...

Cheers
Graham
www.lakesiderecordingstudio.co.nz

[The_BPP]

Thanks for all your comments.

Just so you know, I used the Fairchild over my piano track (Kontakt 4, august forester), and it's totally raised the bar. I'll buy that for a dollar. (well, 75 quid).

[muzines]

Goal!