AMS-Neve 33609

The Neve 33609 is a dual channel compressor and limiter.  I'm not sure what type of connections it has because the one I have used is already racked within a rack space.  It will take up two rack spaces and is an all analog unit.

UTILIZATION

The make up of the Neve 33609 is pretty easy to follow and those who have experience with compressors won't have much trouble understanding what everything does.  Each channel of the 33609 has sections for a compressor and for a limiter.  The limiter section has parameters for threshold and recovery as well as switches for bypassing the limiter and for choosing either a fast or a slow attack.  The compressor section has parameters for threshold, recovery, gain, and ratio and a switch for bypassing it.  You can use the unit as either a dual mono or stereo compressor and it is also good to know that each channel has metering for gain reduction.  I've never seen the manual for the Neve 33609 so I can't say how helpful it would be or not.

SOUND QUALITY

The sounds that are possible with the Neve 33609 are absolutely top notch.  This will add a new dimension to your sound as far as compressor/limiters go.  It is suitable for all sorts of applications including vocals, guitars, and drums.  While these are the applications I have used it for, it will work on pretty much anything that you'd like to compress or limit because it offers a wide array of parameters to change your tone.  I can't say enough about how good this compressor/limiter sounds as it is one of the best overall compressors that I have used.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Neve 33609 for a few years and it is really a great piece of gear.  Pretty much any Neve compressor will sound good, but the Neve 33609 is a special compressor/limiter that stands on its own.  While expensive, it is a classic compressor made by one of the best makers of hardware audio gear.  If you are looking for a pair of compressor/limiters that have a big tone, you can't go wrong with the Neve 33609.