Voice-Optimized Compressor

Things – Voice is a simple one-knob “throw it on and it sounds good” compressor for voice-over and vocals. Based on our channel strip Dials it gives you everything you need to make your voice loud yet smooth. The compressor is an unusual and complex design from a German 1950 radio broadcast instrument. If you desire to get even closer to that unit’s vintage tone, add authentically modded tube gain with the saturation button. For an authoritative bass boost we have added a rather euphonic EQ that excites just the right frequencies. This is the seventh plugin in our ongoing collaboration with Berlin musician and video personality Hainbach.

The Hardware

This 1950s/60s German measurement instrument was originally used to send a fixed level and frequency to a radio transmitter. On the receiver end, it could then be checked how much of that signal came through and what adjustments had to be made. Analog specialist Wojcek Czern of Rogalow Audio (PL) discovered that it could be adapted to be a high-quality mic preamp on par with studio legends like the V72 and V76. It is Hainbach’s main preamp for voice, acoustic mono recordings and processing synths.

One welcome side-effect of this massive steel-tubed amplifier is that it compresses the signal pleasantly. Singing into it is a joy in itself. We analyzed the effect and made it adjustable, so you get the wonderful overtone rich gain of the preamp separately from the compressor.

FEATURES

• Vintage Radio Broadcast Compressor
• Tube Saturation
• Bass Boost
• Preset System with Randomizer
• Resizable Window