Fcs pico 502 - opinions?

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dogma

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
151
Location
Australia
Hi guys - I thought I'd post here as I can't seem to find the answer elsewhere and these (well not these exact ones but various picos have been diy projects) - I had one of the last, if not the last, stereo se II pcbs but never got around to it.
So I need a compressor for synth and samples and possibly the mixbuss - currently I have an overstayer vca with the very cool eq - lovely comps that.
Anyway the 502s are being discontinued and there are 2 of the tranformer less versions left at the distributor so for a stereo pair (they're not matched or anything but apparently track well enough in that application ) so $650 for 2 picos for my applications. Are they a good choice for this application?
Currently I'm stupidly poor but I can layby them for 3 months by which time I'll be back on my feet
 
Thanks. No I know I couldnt DIY them for less. I guess im intersted how theyll perform in a mixing role. Nearly all my work nowdays is me in my studio tracking synths and producing. I do a lot of found sound, with a fair bit of recording ambiance - Micing rooms and I guess making little IRs by micing my monitors and recording the output, tape effects, ect.
 
i built a stereo pico and of all my 8 different compressors the pico is used most, very transparent almost invisible. Than again it introduces a silver shimmer I really like
 
So I'm thinking about getting one as it's come in the classifieds - the transformer less.
Can anyone tell me the differance between the pico and the that 4301 compressor project that's floating about? Looks like a pair of those could be made for next to nothing. I've always been really interested in the rms technique for gr.
 
So again - if I made a stereo or even a single chanel of the 4301 would I be very very close to the PICO? I was told the pICO is essentially or is directly designed from the THAT app notes and put on a PCB.
 
you'd have to have both side by side and listen for yourself.  People will tell you a lot of things.  There are many things in audio 'designed directly from an app note' that do not sound the same as each other. 

If they all sounded the same, I'd expect to see some quantity of people using the THAT 4301 Demo board which is $100 as a complete circuit.  I have not heard of anyone using it as a platform.

http://www.thatcorp.com/datashts/THAT_4301-Demo_Datasheet.pdf

Definition of 'same' is of course vague.
 
So again - if I made a stereo or even a single chanel of the 4301 would I be very very close to the PICO?

Not sure what that means. But, if done well, you'd have a good compressor.
 

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