FMR?s new baby...

[matta]

It seems the Real Nice Compressor has a new brother/sister, The Really Nice Levelling Amplifier

From their Website:

The Really Nice Levelling Amplifier (RNLA) is a compressor, of sorts, with a
character that works well with vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitars and
two-mix sources. A friend describes the RNLA's tone as "thick and gooey".
Some very well-outfitted RNLA users report that even with a full complement
of expensive, vintage levelling amps/compressors, the RNLA still fills a
niche that the others don't!

The sonic performance of the RNLA harkens back to the Really Nice
Compressor's (RNC's) origins. The original RNC was, in fact, based upon an
optical gain element that was ultimately rejected (and tucked away) due to
its imparting of a sonic signature (i.e., "color"). However, just like
trying to throw away a ball of adhesive tape, this one has also stuck with
(to?) us! What's the old saying? What's old, is new again? The
implementation is a little different (i.e., no opto) from the 1984 version,
but the final sound is eerily similar...

Like the RNC is seems DSP driven, as in Opto with out an Opto unit.

Interesting... Anyone tried one yet?

Cheers

Matt

 

[zmix]

He's using an opto, according to his web blurb...
LDRs generally have a pretty loose tolerance, I wonder if he's built a routine into his sidechain microcontroller to calibrate them on a per unit basis.

 

[spacelabstudio]

[quote author="zmix"]He's using an opto, according to his web blurb...
LDRs generally have a pretty loose tolerance, I wonder if he's built a routine into his sidechain microcontroller to calibrate them on a per unit basis.[/quote]

Read it again.

No opto.

chris

 

[MikoKensington]

Forget the sound. Look at the sweet knobs. :grin:

 

[zmix]

The problem is that I RTFM, which says:

The original RNC was, in fact, based upon an optical gain element (you can read the details as expressed in the 1984 US patent #04459557). This approach was ultimately rejected (and tucked away) due to its imparting of a sonic signature (i.e., ?color?), not wanted in the final, sonically-neutral compressor. However, just like trying to throw away a ball of adhesive tape, this one has also stuck with (to?) us! What?s the old saying? What?s old, is new again? The implementation is a little different from the 1984 version (Ooooooo, VINTAGE! Yeah, right.), but the final sound is eerily similar (a friend describes it as ?thick and gooey?). This one is also eminently more manufacturable and cost-effective...

The web site alone says "no opto"

The patent is a bit obfuscated because the number is not in the correct format (leading zero?)

http://patft.uspto.gov Look up 4,459,557
I finally found it, and it is simply a patent for an op-amp with a LDR in the feedback loop driven by an LED (er like Craig Anderton's compressor in "Electronic projects for musicians" circa 1976?????)

 

[tk@halmi]

Nuts. You can patent anything in the US just by repeating at least five times: "it will appreciated by the those skilled in the arts". If you can defend it two or three times they give-in and grant the patent.
Anyone here wants to patent pocket lint? Imagine the royalties you could demand.

 

[cwatkins]

so does it use a VCA too?