Narrowed it down to a few contenders for drums, saturation and general vibe compressor, I'm trying to decide between:

Chandler TG1 Limiter (sounds great on drums from the demos I've heard)
PomPye Compressor (pye clone, also sounds great on drums!)
Neve 33609 (or the new RND 5254, possibly more versatile?)

I currently have:
1176-2, API 2500, Distressor, LA2A, Dramastic Obsidian, DBX 560a, Thermionic Phoenix.

I'm not able to try these out in person so definitely appreciating any insight everyone here at Gearspace has. Any hands on experience in relation to the comps listed would be great

Thanks as always!
Shaun

POM Pye. Or one of the Overstayer boxes.

Thanks Paul! I was looking at the Overstayer NT-02A as it happens. How's the Ark desk treating you? I didn't manage to nab one before Malcom Toft retired.
Big Morcheeba fan btw

Thanks Mate! If you're going down the Saturator route then the Modular channel has everything. I have all his rack gear and was using the NT-02A on bass yesterday but it's nowhere near as much fun.
The compressors are amazing too though, either the VCA or the SFE and can can go from subtle to crucify.

The POM Pye is just incredible, handbuilt to last a lifetime and sound amazing. Just maybe a little cleaner than you may be looking for. It can't be used in parallel because it's PCM but it sounds so good it doesn't lose anything.

The Ark is great and loaded with amazing modules to rum stems through, the only desk that has replaced it's workflow and amount of 500 modules these days is the Looptrotter which is kind of like a clone from the look of it.

It just so happens I was watching a video today where Joe Chiccarelli was using one! Looks pretty complex, the NT-02a definitely feels like a less daunting introduction to the Overstayer world. I had thought of a pair of Level-Or's as I've recently joined the 500 series club, do you have any experience with those?

I did see the Looptrotter. I could never vibe with their aesthetic, yellow isn't really my thing.The Ark console on the other hand looks super classy and old school. Maybe one will come up second hand one day.

Is the PYE different enough from the compressor I have to warrant it? It's definitely cheaper than the Chandler and I dig the ethos behind it's construction.

there's a fine line between a piece of gear which imposes its character on a track or brings out the character of a track...

i can recommend the cranesong stc-8, summit dcl-200, tube-tech smc-2b and pretty much any gear from drawmer.

The Pye is more pleasing to me than the Chandler because it isn't quite so dark. It's big and vibey but still cool and clear. It's in my top 3 comps in the studio I would think.

I use a pair of Level-Or's like fuzz boxes for parallel drum crunching. They're great for that.

Yes I'm not a fan of Looptrotter's graphic design but their console is very much like an Ark. In layout and looks.

Hey Paul. I think you mean PWM...pulse width modulation. I've never heard that before...that it can't be used in parallel? Where did you hear this, if you don't mind me asking?

Yes PWM sorry I got my acronyms mixed up. Yes according to POM Pro Tools won't compensate for the delay correctly so it would cause phase issues, even in the analogue domain apparently.
I haven't tried to align it as I don't used it as a parallel comp.
So it has to be inserted in series.

Hello, interested in the Pom Pye as well and was wondering if this latency issue is being introduced by some kind of conversion in the Pye? are there digital components in there? What I've found is that PWM is sometimes called a "crude" early version of digital... Not sure what this all means but hopefully it doesn't affect fidelity... ?‍♂️

No it just doesn’t line up exactly in phase when in parallel like some of the old Neve stuff. It’s a Pye thing. I never feel the need for parallel compression with it.

Thank you!

I asked POM about this and he basically confirmed that the signal would be slightly out of phase, but he also said people use it in parallel regardless and don't seem to mind too much.

If you’re going the colored diode bridge route, also consider the BAE 10DC, Heritage Successor, AudioScape D-Comp, AML 2254 clone.

Yes I haven't tried it but I shall and will report back.....

The diodes I have tried have all been different and they have all been great. Buzz DBC 20 for less character. Heritage ha-609 for more character as well as the Audioscape D-comp. The BAE 10dc is fantastic, has all the character that most would want. Now I have listed four, and they are all different enough that it would be nice to have all of them!

+1 Audioscape D Comp. Manages to be both smooth and brutal, works on everything, contrary to other diode bridge comps (costing many times more) that might be too much this too much that for whatever purpose etc...

Dramastic Obsidian is the only comp I've bought twice, once rack mount and then 500 (has many more options). Definitely one to try for yourself as all the talk here about it is how it compares to the SSL and other clones, but besides sounding great and adding sheen, it has a million sounds nobody else has... That skull thing, and the "Lo Fi" setup, it's beyond brutal and useful for electronic music, can push a sound in front of the speakers almost like bit crushing but analog. The ultra smooth 1:5 Ratio (500) you can use literally on anything and sounds like a million $

I've got the Heritage HA609 here, as well as many other comps, and for character & versatility, plus price point, it's a solid contender. Well-built and a joy to use. IDK how it stands up to the NEVE original, but it's a great piece as it is.

For crushing and saturation I love the Looptrotter Monster II - it's a beast! It has a separate tube saturation circuit so you can go from subtle to absolutely destroyed. There's a boost stage to drive the circuitry harder too. A flavour monster for sure,