Waves JJP Analog Legends: Puigchild 660/670 Compressor/Limiter.

[Oscardelta]

This review is for the Puigchild 660/670 compressor plug-in, which comes as a part of the Waves JJP bundle. Also included in the collection are the MEQ5 and EQ1-PA equalisers; both of these are modelled on vintage Pultec units. This review focuses only on the Puigchild compressor.

Overview.

The Puigchild 660/670 is a modeled software emulation of the much coveted vintage Fairchild 660/670 compressor. Tasked by the music legend Les Paul, Rein Narma, an Estonian engineer, built the limiter/compressor in the late 1950's. The hardware was taken up by Sherman Fairchild, who licensed the design that was to bear his name. With twenty thermionic valves and over a dozen transformers, the Fairchild 660/670 was a true (6u, 65lb) leviathan.

It's software incarnation, the Puigchild 660/670, is part of the JJP (Jack Joseph Puig) Collection. This is one of a series of "celebrity" engineer endorsed products. Other well established engineers to have given their name to Waves' bundles are Eddie Kramer, Chris Lord-Alge and Tony Maserati.

According to the literature and the Waves website, this particular emulation is modelled on JJP's own unit. His other contribution to the bundle includes a series of presets designed by him. These are interesting, if only for curiosity value, because one can see how JJP might set up his hardware for different purposes. I wouldn't choose to use these myself for anything other than a ball-park approximation.

Installation and CPU load.

Installing the plug-ins was simple, as I already have an Ilok, though my feelings on this kludge and the Waves Update Plan have always been antipathetic, putting it mildly. That's another story, though. My computer is a 2.16 ghz Apple Imac, with 2 gigabytes of ram, running Logic Pro 9 through an RME Fireface 800 sound card.

The Puigchild comes in mono (660) and stereo (670). Immediately on firing up the 670 through my DAW I noticed a hike on my C.P.U load. Whilst my humble Imac will never send astronauts into space, it became quickly apparent that I wouldn't be able to use the Puigchild on zillions of tracks. By the time I had 20 instances running through individual stereo audio tracks, my trusty old Imac was groaning a bit. This was in stark contrast to the Waves SSL G-channel plug-in (this includes eq, compression, expansion and filtering) which will run 60+ instances without skipping a beat. However, the quality of the Puigchild emulation is in another league, in my opinion.

In use.

The Puigchild is extremely straightforward visually and it's layout is a faithful recreation of the original, apart from the inclusion of a switch that controls the mount of mains hum. This can be bypassed entirely. With this feature enabled on several tracks in my project, the aggregate noise out of my master outputs became very noticeable. I liked the almost nerdy attention to detail by including hum, but I was pleased to have the option to switch it off. The compressor is unusual compared to some modern equivalents, in that it has no dedicated ratio setting. The other controls are for output and a time constant dial, switchable through six attack and release contours. The 670 also enables control for linked, dual-stereo and lateral vertical operation (here, the left channel processes mono, and the right channel stereo).

Although the Puigchild is operationally straightforward, it's anomalies took a bit of getting used to. The fact that more input gain seemed to equate to more compression caught me out, as I fell into the familiar trap of more volume leading to a "better" sound. Keeping check on the output control was essential in kerbing the temptation to push more dbs through. The original Fairchild was known for it's ultra-fast attack times, and the same applies here. It was very easy for bass frequencies to distort on it's fastest attack setting with moderately high input gain, as the compressor crunched against the slower bass cycles. Increasing the attack time eliminated the issue.

Results.

The Puigchild has to be one of my favourite compressor plug-ins ever. It doesn't fulfill the role of an "every track" compressor, like the Waves SSL G-channel does, and this is because of it's CPU footprint. If it were a little more economical to run, then I would use it on everything! I say this because it deals with the signal in a magical way.

Used on piano with barely any compression, the sound becomes smoother and more transparent, and the notes have a "singing" quality. There also seems to be an increase in air, as though it has been eq'd. Whilst the Puigchild does colour the sound, it's very hard to define it, as the colouration is transparent (if that makes sense). Still set on modest compression, a drum kit pattern that I'd struggled to find a place for in my mix suddenly found it's niche within the music. Again, it seemed as though some eq'ing had taken place, because the track "slotted in", where before it had stuck out the wrong way - even after using alternative compressors. Pushed hard, the Puigchild does fabulous things to drums and percussion: It doesn't make the material randomly pump and fatigue the overall sound. It adds sparkling attack and creamy density in equal measure, resulting in a big solid output, without sounding over-processed. On vocals, it handled big dynamic changes with firm, yet intimate control. On high compression it can bring the singer forward of the speakers, creating an involving and rounded sound, absent of harshness or aggressive sibilance. It also functions beautifully as a master compressor because it has an alchemist's knack of bringing the sound together, yet retaining dynamism and detail. I haven't found anything yet that the Puigchild doesn't work with - I've never come across a plug-in before capable of this.

Verdict.

The Puigchild 660/670 is fantastic. I can't imagine not having it in my arsenal. In my opinion, it is Waves best compressor. It's also one of the nicest compressors I've used - hardware or software. It isn't a feature rich plug-in, but it doesn't need to be. It stays true to the spirit of what it seeks to emulate, and does it's job in a straightforward and very musical way.

Pros.

Fabulous sound
Useful on lots of different source material
Straightforward operation

Cons.

Not cheap.
Ilok and W.U.P

Addendum.

My apologies for the lack of "techie' stuff in my review. I'm a musician more than an engineer. Doing this review has made me realise that I have a lot to learn about this kind of stuff!!