Hi there.

I have had an ADR Compex F760 in my studio on loan for a few months and have absolutely loved it on the squash mic of a drum kit. I mean, absolutely love this thing. Sadly the owner has taken it back so I am looking for something to replace it. I have been long considering a Valley People 610 or Dynamite and have been told by one of the chaps at Funky Junk once that these things are amazing on drums so I've now decided that I'm going to get a dedicated compressor for drum work. I don't care about it for any other purpose really.

I was just wondering if any of you here have both of these compressors and could give me an idea of whether the Valley delivers something similar on the kit. My tech said that he thinks a TG1 or some kind of well made clone gives a similar dirty but tight sound on a drum kit. I don't mind buying an ADR if that's the best thing but if a Valley might be better for the task then why not... That is after all the piece I had my eye on before experiencing the ADR.

As I said, it doesn't matter how good it is on any other source as I wont' be using it on anything else regularly so uses on other sources would be a bonus. It's drum bus/overheads/squash track only really. I've got my bus compressor and Parallel sorted already.

Ideas?

Cheers

The new Helios 760 will be released in about a month....
If that's the sound you fell in love with, then there will be no reason to look any further.
The 1st 760 module that will be available will be the full sized (console) module and then the 500 series version to follow soon after.

No need to look any where else.

If it's good enough for MB....

Check it out...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=1HVFp46PfyA

I thought so. I spoke to the chap at ADR a few months back about having a pair of Compex 2s serviced and he told me at the time that the Compex F760 was going to be reissued and was almost ready to go. I think he said it will retail at around £1700. Could get a Valley for MUCH cheaper (around £500) so I'd be interested to know/hear if this could fill it's boots for that task before searching hard on the used market or just going for the Helios when it actually arrives.

with me?

Can't wait!

i have few compex machines.. and love em.. (will keep 2 stereo compex forever )
also i have one fully recapped and calibrated for sell or trade ..

D

see my post above...

Starts out saying it sounds the same. Then says it sounds more modern. Then says its very subtlely different.



Everyone has a sales pitch nowadays...

What we talking here? A pair or just one module from the desk? How much you want for it chap?

These things truly slay on drums. I could use a mono one maybe as my squash is usually mono anyway but a stereo pair really is something isn't it.

No more than an hour ago a box showed up from Tony... his personal lunchbox with one of his Olympic type mic pre/EQ modules in it and the F760 compressor limiter. I will be "putting it through the paces" this weekend. (I just have to find out if the lunch box is wired for 110 or 220)

Can't wait to test them.

i have both and really, if you like the compex sound, get a compex. while the dynamite is excellent, it is nothing like the compex, nor is it as versatile.

Good man

What Beats Working said.

I also have both, and a Dynamite is very cool, useful device, there is a reason why a Compex is a legend.

They are not even remotely substitutable.

Love my dynamite

I have a rack full of valley stuff. Some 16 channels of the stuff. They are great. I've used the compex and vocal stressor.

That said, if somebody gave me a compex, and I could only have one or the other, I'd have to choose the adr compex.

The dynamite is just too dirty to use on everything. You could modify one?

I think if I had a rack of compexs I would probably use the Valley stuff much less...as in maybe only on rooms with a polite drummer to get some aggression and dirt.

I have so much Valley stuff because frankly, at one point it was pretty effing cheap and I knew it from using it. And, it does sound good too though.

I am in love with the Zeppelin sound, and compex was all over that stuff.

Pye comps are kickass too.

john

"this actually sounds the same"...
one sentence later: "this actually sounds a bit more modern"

"i would sell mine and go with this one"
but "mine is completely rebuilt so its identical"

hmmm? thanks Mitt. <g>


I'm a big Compex fan,

when I can't use the Compex, I use Dakings (which because of my early conversations with Geoff before the first one was built, has the Compex auto release setting) which are similar FET type compressors, but with (obviously) different line amps.

I have had either the Compex or Dakings on the mix bus of just about every record I've done since about 1978. (as has John Agnello, whom i infected with this disease)


it's nothing like the Valley VCA stuff.

I have a single Daking FET II, maybe I should get another one and try it in stereo Compex mode? I must say I'm intrigued now.

My friend J. Robbins also likes the Dakings on the stereo buss, having worked with John Agnello. So you will be pleased to know that the disease is spreading!

Are you intrigued by this reissue or are you happy with your Dakings? How would you characterize the difference?

- c

John goes on collecting more compexes!
I don't buy much gear.... but in truth, my original model Compex is one of the few things I own, and bring with me (it's from Record Plant NY originally).

I don't feel I NEED more of them, but if I did, I would certainly check out this new version at least.
How it compares, i don't know... but I WILL say I am leery of "improvements" when people are asking for originals.
1073s come to mind, or AC30s, or U47s... not a single "improved" version comes close to sounding as good as the originals to me.


nothing SONIC needs to be "improved" about the original F-760x-rs.
the switches and pots could certainly be sturdier... but there is nothing wrong with or "seventies" about its sound.
Do people dismiss an 1776 as "seventies"? or a Fairchild as too "sixties"? (fifties?)

bollocks... that's marketing nonsense.

the reason to WANT a Compex is to sound like a Compex, not someone's take on one.


The Daking does the same attack and release times that I like and use on the Compex (that's release: E, for those keeping score), but with its Trident A line amp sound.
TO ME it sounds a bit harder and maybe even clearer, but there is still something about the AD&R character I keep coming back to; especially on the stereo mix.
As John once said: 'when it goes on the stereo bus it starts to sound like a record to me'.



OTOH, on individual instruments, drum room mics, pianos, even vocals, I often prefer the Daking to the Compex.

I think after some careful consideration I take the point that has been mentioned by a few people here that the Compex is just too different from the Valley. Of course, I'm not speaking from experience as I have never used a Valley, just read about and been told about them but I can't really imagine ANYTHING sounding like a Compex. I also have a pair of Compex II (not a matched pair or close serials) and they are decent enough compressors but don't really touch the original Compex. They seem to distort a little unpleasantly when pushed to hard gain reduction. Similarly, I find the three attack settings to not really work so well and can be a bit snappy. That's not to say that the 3 set attack times are different ont Compex, but it just behaves differently.

I reckon the way forward is to pick up a Compex and then try out a Valley at some point. If I like it, keep it, if not then I have the Compex that I know I like already. I'll probably buy an old one and just have it all recapped. That way I have the sound of the unit that I know I like. Often reissues are slightly different and that difference might not be to my liking. Just best to be safe than sorry. The video above says they're the same, but cleaner, but different, but the same... Does that mean they're the same or cleaner sounding... I.e. Different!

Hey thanks William. I need to check out the Daking then. Heard the preamps and eq, not the compressor. For some reason I didn't put two and two together that they would be similar.

john m

So - what's the verdict, Larry?

Do yourself a favor and search "radioman" on eBay. It is a F600 clone and delivers exactly that LedZeppelin drum sound, I have it set to one setting and use it for parallel drum processing exclusively. It is sold/made by a guy in Holland if I remember right and it is dirt cheap, like 500.- dollars (dual mono version), but ask for the stereo-only version as it is flimsy to calibrate.
The other option would be a TG1 but that goes for 8x the price of the Radioman or an original compex, which will also be 2-3x as expensive.

Hey John, no verdict yet... bummer.

I ran into a little problem that Tony's lunch box only has TT in's and out's. I gave all my TT to XLR cables to Black Dog a couple years ago. Tried to borrow a couple back this weekend but the studio is in lock out till Tuesday. I'm out of town Tuesday through Sunday. So the plan is when I get back next week, I bring the box out to BD and we test it on a bunch of different things, vocals, bass, drum overhead, etc... then I will borrow a couple cables and bring it back to Silvertone for further testing.

Tony is actually making up cables now (and will be shipping them to me today), so I can send the unit on to a few others.

After that I'll either send it down to Millbrook or to Andy at Tape-Op i think. I plan on having it for a little bit.

BTW, the compressor used to get "The Levee" sound was an F700 (I know cause I use to own the very compressor used in the console), it's half the reason Tony has me testing this for him. It was my all time favorite vocal and bass compressor but ultimately because it was the only item missing from the Rolling Stone Remote Helios console I felt very compelled to sell it to the owner of the console so it could be put back whole. Which is what I did. I can't wait to hear this one.

The type 69 module he included in the box also has the hotter output, so I will be testing that as well.

She sure looks purdy...

Interesting! I've never used the Compex or the Helios compressors...what would you compare it to?

I know the 700 is the one which is said to be used for Levee, but even before I knew that I put the 600 up on drums parallel, pulled up the fader and thought "hell that is Zeppelin!" so I guess they are very similar. The Radioman clone is a box that is half compressor, half distortion box, especially at super fast release times, the setting I use for drums parallel. It does that "exploding room" sound very very well. I never looked for good settings for other sources, however I remember the release has a point where it jumps from super fast times to much slower release times, it sounds like a totally different beast from that point on - one that I have not taken the time to seriously explore, because I knew I will use it for parallel drums all the time anyways...

never heard of these before. Are they discrete like the Compex or more like the Compex IIs? I'll take a look at those though. Could be interesting.

I own one F600RS.
It was pure luck to score one !!! not many are out there!!

all discrete design and killer on drums and bass!!
attached few pictures of recapping and pcbs and unit.

its a bit different than compex.. but they share kinda same sound and design.
compex can do a lot more while F600 is an angry MF!

That 600 looks cool. Still quite interested in checking out that 'radioman' or whatever it is. I like funky independant items. Searched it on Ebay but found zilch!

The f600 is "wild" in the truest sense of the word. Here is a link to the radioman-maker´s ebay auction, it lookls like now he makes them in more modern looking housings, the earlier models looked like 60ies military gear.
RADIOMAN FET COMPRESSOR/LIMITER ADR F600 AUDIO&DESIGN Clone,wie Urei,Manley,API | eBay

A mate of mine is, as we speak getting 8 x 760's repaired and refurbished for sale. I am then going to give them a try and decide if I want a pair. I will check them out side by side with my Valley Dynamite. Looking forward to trying them out. I also guess there will be a few for sale as well.