If you could own one stereo bus compressor for the rest of your life, a frightening number of top engineers would name the Neve 33609. Derived from the legendary 2254 diode-bridge circuit, with hand-wound transformers and a discrete output stage, the 33609 is the sound of "glue", the thing that takes a sterile digital mix and makes it sound like a record. Independent compressor and limiter sections, each with their own stepped controls (so recall and stereo matching are effortless), ratios from a transparent 1.5:1 to an attitude-laden 6:1, and that unmistakable Neve weight and warmth. This is the discrete /C version, the one many engineers chase. Neve outboard like this almost never comes up used in South Africa.

FEATURES & PROS:

• The Desert-Island Compressor: The bus comp a huge swathe of top engineers would keep above all others.
• 2254-Derived Circuit: Diode-bridge gain reduction and hand-wound transformers for that Neve glue.
• Compressor and Limiter: Fully independent sections, each with its own threshold, attack and recovery.
• Stepped Controls: Switched pots for perfect stereo matching and instant session recall.
• 1.5:1 to 6:1: Transparent gel or full-attitude squash, plus auto-recovery options.
• Discrete /C Version: The sought-after discrete output variant; superb on the mix bus, drums and more.

GENRE / USE

The desert-island bus compressor. It lives across the mix bus and mastering chain, adding weight and "glue" that makes a mix sound like a finished record, and it is equally at home squashing a drum bus or taming a stereo submix. A first-call tool for rock, pop, electronic and hip-hop engineers chasing that unmistakable Neve weight.

THE WORD: Engineers and AMS Neve alike call the 33609 a "desert island" compressor, the 2254-derived sound trusted on countless mix and master busses. Read more at AMS Neve.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Model: Neve 33609/C
• Type: precision stereo compressor / limiter
• Heritage: based on the Neve 2254 diode-bridge circuit
• Sections: independent compressor and limiter
• Ratios: 1.5:1 to 6:1, plus limiter
• Controls: stepped threshold, recovery, attack; makeup gain
• Metering: dual moving-coil gain-reduction meters
• Modes: stereo, dual-mono, linkable
• Build: hand-wound transformers, discrete output stage
• Maker: Neve Electronics International