FAIRCOMP 670 First Look with Marc Daniel Nelson

AudioScape is proud to announce the release of the FairComp 670 Stereo Compressor, truly a more-real-than-recreated version of the “holy-grail” of vintage analog audio hardware. AudioScape has created the FairComp 670, in painstaking detail, to match the design, spec and componentry of the original 670. It is the first iteration to feature the full eleven transformer and twenty tube complement of the original 670, including its all-tube power supply, for under $10,000. As the primordial days of studio recording fade in the rearview mirror, it’s become almost an obsession of modern recording engineers and producers to try and capture the visceral feeling of classic recordings like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, the Beatles Sgt. Pepper and others made in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Among the profusion of vintage audio processors that have been resurrected/recreated/remade to try and achieve this, none has the deep legacy and universal appeal of the original 660 mono and 670 stereo variable-mu tube compressors. EMI Abbey RoadTM Studios bought a dozen 660s in 1965; it is the sound of the guitars and vocals on Revolver and Sgt. Pepper, and on countless other bona-fide classics by artists from L.A. to London over the last seven decades. It’s the sound of Rudy Van Gelder’s iconic jazz recordings for Blue Note RecordsTM. Owing to its very fast attack times and slow release, the magic in the sound of the FairComp 670 is its uber-smooth compression characteristics when used to control dynamics, with no discernible “pumping” or “breathing” artifacts. But, when pushed with lower thresholds and higher ratios (achieved by adjusting the Time-Constant controls), the 670 brings an energy and intensity, alongside its own incandescent box-tone, to every track it touches. In addition to meeting the original specs, AudioScape’s FairComp 670 features a host of useful new additions like: sidechain high-pass filtering, DC threshold control, gain trims, a single bypass switch, and what may be the world’s most transparent mix control circuit. AudioScape conceded one more modern-workflow touch by adding Stereo and Dual Mono settings to the AGC switch. Now, the mojo of this vari-mu classic is available to everyone, and to make things even more “Fair,” AudioScape is offering the FairComp 670 at an introductory price of just $6999. If you want a true 670 circuit in all its glory with no corners cut, then AudioScape’s FairComp 670 is essential. Price: Introductory Special $ Available late 2024