Klark Teknik Square ONE Dynamics

October is a gate / compressor with sidechain. Each slice is linkable with the next.
It's analog, it's purple, it's beautiful ca you change a rack lol!
The connector: XLR for IN / OUT of every
TRS jack for external side chain
And two XLR (in / out) for solo bus which allows to monitor the sidechain.
The instructions are ... violet. and English. But very well done, even with all of 40 pages of explanations on the operation of a compressor, a gate and sidechain! What a true tutorial!

UTILIZATION

It is true that to hold eight slices in the 3U results in a small space between each button, but frankly it's usable.
For the compressor, we find the classical threshold, makeup gain, attack, release and ratio for the compressor, plus two buttons to choose from four behaviors: "vintage" is in fact the choice between a peak or rms detection, and of course the "Hardknee" that can play on the normal curve to answer or "softened"
In addition there is built into every sidechain comprising a tunable filter of 40Hz to 16KHz (!) That can activate the button "narrow" so that the filter is more selective. Default is stung on the sidechain input, but can just as easily use the balanced input EXT KEY. The SOLO switch sends the sidechain on the bus on a solo recoverable strip for example. There is also a key global 'SC SOLO IN PLACE' which actually sending the output directly on the sidechain, not the solo bus.
It frankly leaves free rein to any use
Cote GATE (note, it's either compressor or gate for each so for a gate + compressor requires two slices), we use the same commands, plus a Gate Hold that ensures term "fail to minimum opening.
There are two LED bargraph, one for the input level, the other for the level of reduction.
It is easy to use, you pick up the beast in a few minutes to as long as one knows how to use a compressor of course, and once one has memorized the position of the controls.
The ratio is a knob with two landmarks 2:1 and 5:1 only (because it also serves as the gate level) is meant to be set by ear. If you are looking for a 8:1 exactly, you get it turning a little more after 5:1 ... but why were you looking for exactly a 8:1 first?
Link button to link the two adjacent slices, and make only réfglage for a stereo source, or even a single setting for 8 slices if you like.

In short the possibilities of the machine are huge, it's not over easy DBX here, rather in the old setting that makes carving the dynamics as you want it is you are in control.

SOUND QUALITY

You'll understand the philosophy of freedom is SquareOne Dynamic settings allow you to find your sound. We can go to this much compression, to almost transparent. We can carve a kick so extreme, a bigger bass sound a bit too shy, apply a slight compression on the voice, or even use the machine de-esser, turning a simple volume pot.

Brief in compression, it sounds good, and easily, especially if they do not hesitate to get into it, to settle a bit extreme. The sidechain is very useful and convenient to adjust the monitor is welcome. The Gate is just as effective.

The machine does not color the sound, but may be lacking a little character. Moreover, if we insist too much on the makeup gain of breath appears.

That said it is a very good compressor / gate with an excellent quality / price ratio makes it a perfect machine for the live tracks on drums, bass, a master bus compressor bus and / or limiter.

In the studio it also has its place, especially for the working dynamic drum tracks. For voice, and softknee rms mode, compression is very smooth and musical.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a month, live on a small mobile production unit.
Like the multitude of possibilities offered by this device and the cuts effective and very different as we come to get. Like the sidechain integrated with the monitoring bus!
I'm using mostly home-studio and Distressors LN1176. Of course the SquareOne Dynamic is not comparable to these devices very musical, but for the price he did not frankly ashamed of the quality of its cuts.

I have not had the opportunity to compare with ACP88, it would be interesting to have an opinion of someone who has been compared.

I bought the U.S. € 1200 (with import taxes ...) which is 150 € per compressor ... I'll let you judge the quality / price ratio!

I would do this choice without hesitation, to use that I made, that is the live!