User Manual

UAD Powered Plug-Ins - 236 - Neve 33609 Compressor
CHAPTER 20
Neve 33609 Compressor
Overview
Derived from the original Neve 2254 compressor, circa 1969, the 33609
stereo bus compressor/limiter utilizes a bridged-diode gain reduction circuit
and many custom transformers. The uniquely musical character of this circuit
made the 33609 a studio standard since its release. The UAD Neve 33609
is the only Neve-sanctioned software recreation of the Neve 33609 (revision
C). Every detail of the original unit is captured, and matches its hardware
counterpart with absolute precision. The 33609 plug-in includes a DSP-opti-
mized 33609SE which allows for higher instance counts.
The completely step-controlled 33609 is made up of separate compression
and limiter sections, each with their own threshold, recovery and bypass con-
trols. Two of the recovery selections for each section are dedicated to a pro-
gram dependent auto release. The compressor section also offers five ratio se-
lections and 20 dB make-up gain, while the limiter offers a fast or slow attack.
The mono/stereo switch couples and decouples the left and right gain reduc-
tion elements.
The UAD Powered Plug-In version of the Neve 33609 adds a few control en-
hancements not found on the hardware: An additional stepped output control
with 20db of gain, a link switch allowing ganged left/right control of all pa-
rameters, and a headroom switch, which allows the DAW user to take advan-
tage of the full range of 33609 gain coloration.