K&M 16080

Expressive, powerful and versatile - the 535 diode bridge compressor revives the sound of the Rupert Neve 2254 compressor and also offers some modern innovations such as improved timing control, significantly lower inherent noise, gridded controls and a parallel compression control. Originally developed for the dynamics section of the excellent Shelford Channel, this decoupling for the proven 500 format is of course also equipped with the Rupert Neve Design custom transformers and Class A output transformers.Almost 50 years after the development of its first diode bridge compressor, Rupert Neve presents the rebirth of a powerful-sounding classic with the 535, which combines the classic circuit with contemporary precision and adaptability and makes a track really shine in the mix.The diode bridge:While VCA compressors such as the Portico 542 or the Master Buss processor are extremely neutral and low-distortion, it is precisely the rich and overtone-rich sound behaviour of diode bridge compressors that can make a decisive contribution to bringing vocals, electric guitars, bass and drums to the fore in a mix. Rupert Neve's first diode bridge compressor, the legendary 2254, served as the design inspiration for the 535. By meticulously analysing the limitations of the original 2254 topology, the ambitious goal of the further development was not only to reproduce the unique sound behaviour of the 2554, but also to improve the noise behaviour, increase the flexibility of the time constants, implement full sidechain detection (full wave) for an improved dynamic response and a larger control range for threshold and ratio as well as an expansion of the headroom of the diode bridge itself. With the powerful sound of the classic and the modern flexibility, the 535 is a dynamics tool that can enhance virtually any track.Timing is everything:The standardised TIMING control includes six selectable settings carefully crafted for different applications - a significant change from the fixed attack of the 2254. FAST and MF settings help tame signals with fast transients such as drums, plucked strings and fast vocals. MED and MS offer somewhat more subtle attack and release phases in which the transients are retained but then influence the signal more persistently. Finally, SLOW and AUTO are significantly slower and designed more for gentle level control.The switchable FAST mode increases the speed for attack and release again in each setting, so this function doubles the time constants from 6 to 12 presets. Compared to its predecessor, FAST mode therefore enables significantly greater tonal variety and a much wider range of functions.Fast TIMING settings generally result in greater ripple in the peak-to-peak control voltage, which excites more harmonics and thus brings more colouration to the audio signal path. Slower TIMING settings significantly smooth out the control voltage, so the intensity of the harmonic signal excitation remains significantly lower and the compression sounds more transparent. It should be noted that, due to the nature of the circuit topology, the time constants are always somewhat dependent on the selected Ratio and Threshold parameters as well as the actual audio material. This dynamically generated timing fluctuation and the harmonic sound component is what gives the diode bridge circuit its unique personality.The right mix:The built-in parallel compression option is particularly useful in connection with the inherently sound-colouring nature of the 535's diode bridge circuit. The BLEND control allows the user to add, for example, small amounts of extreme compression to the unprocessed signal portion to achieve a processed but still natural sound that retains the open dynamics as much as possible while still adding the desired tonal colouration and punch.Take control:In addition to the TIMING control, the diode bridge compressor offers further setting options via RATIO, THRESHOLD, GAIN, S/C HPF and LINK. RATIO provides six selectable compression ratios via a rotary switch, starting with a gentle ratio of 1.5:1 up to 8:1. The 31-stage THRESHOLD setting allows the user to set a level in the range from -25 dBu to +20 dBu, from which the compression kicks in. The GAIN control, also with 31 steps, regulates the catch-up gain of the applied audio signal in the range from -6 dB to +20 dB. The S/C HPF is a switchable high-pass filter for the sidechain signal path, which starts at 150 Hz with a slope of 12 dB / octave. This feature can be incredibly useful if you want to reduce the influence of the high-energy low-frequency signal components of a mix or instrument during compression, which would otherwise tend to result in a mashed sound. LINK can be used to activate the buss link of the 500 modules, as provided in numerous 500 racks (such as the Rupert Neve designs R6 or R10, see manual). If the two corresponding plug-in units are connected to each other via LINK, the control voltage is shared between the two units. This means that when one device is triggered, the second is triggered simultaneously. This is helpful to ensure stable centre localisation with a stereo signal. Note: with stereo sources, it is also useful to control the "unlinked" sound, as the link process can have an effect on the effective stereo width of the signal if the compressors are triggered from one side.