The unit has a maximum output level of a healthy +24dBu, so there shouldn't be a problem feeding digital mastering recorders directly from the output if required. Plugging the G-series Compressor in is simple enough, with nominal +4dBu balanced signals in and out. After some perfunctory operational instructions and technical specifications, you quickly find yourself amidst fairly detailed technical descriptions of how the circuitry works, complete with full circuit diagrams - proper engineer's stuff, but not perhaps of much help to anyone struggling to understand what the Attack control does! While on the subject of handbooks, The Owner's Manual supplied with the G-series Compressor is a classic for 'tech heads'. The G-series Compressor is no exception, and it is well worth heeding the handbook's warnings about leaving 1U of rack space above the unit, and about not placing it above anything else hot. The XLogic series all get quite warm in use, largely because of the current demands of the Superanalogue circuitry. The Autofade feature can be controlled remotely through the rear-panel nine-pin D-Sub connector, and you can also connect up an external gain-reduction meter to mirror the display of the unit's internal meter. Photo: Mike CameronAnother nice touch is that the Autofade circuit generates a control voltage that, rather than being linear, replicates the audio taper of a real fader, so that the slope gets steeper towards the bottom of the fade, and sounds more natural, especially with longer fade times. However, internal circuit jumpers allow a 'hard bypass' to be selected instead, in which case four sealed changeover relays connect the inputs directly to the outputs - the disadvantage being that you can't then use the Autofade function if the compressor is bypassed. The first thing to mention is that the Compressor In button normally provides a 'soft bypass' which just forces the gain-reduction circuitry to provide unity gain. Circuit DesignĪlthough the controls are very simple, there are a number of clever things going on 'under the bonnet' here. The final rotary control adjusts the fade time from 1s to 60s. The continuously variable Make-up knob spans -5dB to +15dB, and large illuminated buttons activate the compressor circuitry, the external side-chain key input, and the separate Autofade facility. The next three are rotary switches, providing attack times of 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 10, or 30ms ratios of 2:1, 4:1, or 10:1 and release times of 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, or 1.2s, or an automatic release mode. The first of the six rotary controls adjusts the threshold continuously from -15dBu to +15dBu. The classic functional styling of the front panel makes it easy and quick to use, with simple controls providing all the essential parameters, and a traditional moving-coil gain-reduction meter indicating up to 20dB of attenuation. Construction is to exceptionally high standards, with very neat and safe wiring. A recessed switch isolates signal and chassis earths if necessary, and the IEC mains inlet incorporates a fuse holder which can configure the operating voltage for different regions. Two pairs of XLRs on the rear panel supply balanced stereo line I/O, and a further female XLR offers an external key input. The unit is housed in a 1U rackmount case which extends 325mm behind the rack ears. I reviewed their XLogic Superanalogue Channel back in SOS February 2005, and its sibling is now under review here: a high-quality stereo mix compressor derived from that first seen in the centre section of the G-series consoles, but improved using their latest Superanalogue circuitry. The Oxfordshire-based company Solid State Logic - SSL to their friends - have been at the cutting edge of analogue mixing-console design for many decades, and have recently also branched out into rackmount processing. The celebrated mix-buss compressor design from the G-series consoles has been brought up to date using SSL's latest Superanalogue circuitry.
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