Stereo linking DBX 560A compressors

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RuudNL

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2009
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3,110
Location
Haule / The Netherlands
I have a couple of DBX 560A compressors.
Maybe not the best in the world, but certainly good enough for many situations.
Unfortunately, there is no way to link two of them as a stereo pair.
But...since they are VCA based, there is a fixed dB/Volt ratio.
Has anybody ever linked two DBX 560A compressors?
I realize that I have to set all controls manually to the same position, because there won't be a master/slave.
But as long as both compressors reduce the signal by the same amount, that would be good enough.
(Unfortunately I don't have a schematic of the 560A, maybe it is the same as another DBX compressor?)
 
Should be many similarities to the 903.  If you can tie the control voltage, then as you said setting controls the same should produce a balanced linked result. 
 
Yes, that is what I thought about.
But without a schematic I am a bit hesitant to try this.
Connecting for example two OpAmp outputs together doesn't seem to be a good idea...
I will have a look at the schematic of the 903 and see what I can do.
 
That's what I did on a cheap, THAT 215X VCA-equipped, DBX ripoff unit.

Link CVs near the VCA Ins, but here before a small preinstalled resistor and  small filter cap to ground. (Could additionally link the RMS Outs.) Both links are directly preceded by non-inverting opamps in the ripoff unit, so the timing networks stay isolated. It's very sloppy, but works for stereo. In my case it gave two fully independent timing networks (L&R) driving both VCAs equally.

The correct way is to link the RMSs and the VCA INs but use only one timing network, meaning  having to cut traces or lift components.
 

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