ADR Compex F760 compared to Valley 610 or Dynamite

[sleepyhollos]

Originally Posted by Aisle 6

A mate of mine is, as we speak getting 8 x 760's repaired and refurbished for sale. I am then going to give them a try and decide if I want a pair. I will check them out side by side with my Valley Dynamite. Looking forward to trying them out. I also guess there will be a few for sale as well.

I'd love to hear what you think when you do get your pair you lucky thing

[sleepyhollos]

Originally Posted by WunderBro Flo

The f600 is "wild" in the truest sense of the word. Here is a link to the radioman-maker´s ebay auction, it lookls like now he makes them in more modern looking housings, the earlier models looked like 60ies military gear.
RADIOMAN FET COMPRESSOR/LIMITER ADR F600 AUDIO&DESIGN Clone,wie Urei,Manley,API | eBay

looks good. Going to see how much this goes for. Gonna give him a shout too to see if they are discrete designs in the same sense of the F600s or if some chips have found their way into the circuit at some point. Looks great though. Thanks for that. I'm not sure if this will cure my lust for the 760 but it could be a nice addition to my racks.

Cheers

[wwittman]

Originally Posted by sleepyhollos

looks good. Going to see how much this goes for. Gonna give him a shout too to see if they are discrete designs in the same sense of the F600s or if some chips have found their way into the circuit at some point. ...

says right there in that listing that it has an IC "linedriver"

[NEWTON IN ORBIT]

Yeah. That's the thing with the Valleys too. As cool as they are, they still have some old ass chips in them. Not that it's a deal breaker, but it does erm...contribute to their sound. I think the newer purple (pink?) faced suckers are a little cleaner...or it could be my imagination / bias. Sure seems a ittle cleaner.

I haven't looked at both the dynamite and dynamite II schematics side by side, and I damn sure haven't bothered to test them. For all I know, they could be the same circuit.

One thing is for certain, if you are using an original Valley or Allison, and it hasn't been recapped, it ain't sounding like it used to. No way, no how. What 30 + years now?

I still remember that zep tune you sent me William. I was in search of the "Zep I" gtr sound a few years back. I was on a quest, not only for me, but a client that was Hell bent for it. That clip sounded freaking amazing. Loved it.

Was this with a compex strapped on the 2 mix? Daking? I remember you saying it was tape and a Neve console, or something to that effect, and the funny thing was, the simplicity of what you had used.

Remember at all?

It had a drum kit too, if I remember right. Might still have the clip somewhere. Not sure if it was a project, or you were just messing around.

Thanks, hope all is well,
john

[gouge]

am wondering if you guys could give a comparison between the allison gain brain and the compex?

cheers

[NEWTON IN ORBIT]

The gain brain is cool, just dirtier all round, possibly a tad more aggressive, the compex keeps the signal more intact to my ears, is still punchy but smoother on top. To me anyway.

This is the thing, the adr's just seem top let the top through without mangling it as much. If you like mangling, the gain brain is certainly good for this. Gain Brain is a little cleaner than the dynamite though, for what Ir's worth. Shorter signal path and FET instead of VCA.

There is a guy making a PYE re-make, and from the clips, it sounds pretty OK. I would like to try and build a kit soon. His assembled units aren't crazy expensive either. The kits though, are a great deal.

Maybe I'm crazy, but they sound at least reminiscent of the compex. Not sure if it is a similar circuit or not, but it has that sound.Pretty cool for a one man operation.

He's even making discrete opamps that fit in a 8 pin DIP socket to replace 5534 chips etc. Have not tried them, but at least somebody is making something to transform all those 80's IC based consoles into something else.

He's here:
AC Sound PI-3141 Dual Channel Compressor

john

[gouge]

thanks john,

i've been contemplating swithching out the tantalum capacitors in the gain brain for something else.

maybe......

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by sleepyhollos

looks good. Going to see how much this goes for. Gonna give him a shout too to see if they are discrete designs in the same sense of the F600s or if some chips have found their way into the circuit at some point. Looks great though. Thanks for that. I'm not sure if this will cure my lust for the 760 but it could be a nice addition to my racks.

Cheers

You might be surprised on how much it will cure.....mine is a 'never sell item' and I don't just use it for drum squashing. He sounds great on all sorts of stuff, including vocals. Needs getting friendly with, as the response of the dials is pretty extreme and everything happens between 1-4 on a dial that goes to 10, so minimal changes equate different pockets. Which to me is its only downfall, if you want exact recallability, forget it. But a very special sound. Gives a great character and does the sweetest pillow punch. And yes, burns on the high end if set zero release and layed into, which can also be very cool, as even then he keeps the body and sizzles the top up.

It only has one op amp per side by the output transformers, not sure whether in the audio path or not, rest discrete. Trannies both in and out. And they are SMALL buggers, which suggests he might act a bit like a bandpass filter, but no way. Stays open up top under full squelch and bass doesn't get castrated either. Fat pillow sound.

[sleepyhollos]

Originally Posted by wwittman

says right there in that listing that it has an IC "linedriver"

Oh. Can't read German knew I should have taken languages instead of drama.

I don't think ICs are a deal breaker in any sense anyway. I've a few bits in the studio that have ICs and they sound great regardless. Nonetheless, if they can be had for €500 say, it's worth a punt isn't it. Could end up being really good, maybe not F760 good, but not F760 money. All these things need to be taken in contemplation.

I think my tech's opinion is beginning to cloud my views though as he's constantly going on about the evils of mixing old and new technology, especially valve circuitry with chips. He swung by the studio a year or so back to service my JCM900 and spent about 3 hours with the thing open, 2:45 of which was spent
going on about how much he hated the design and the fact that it has technology from 2 separate eras thrown together. Personally I think the amp sounds decent but if put up side by side with a jcm800 or one of my old JMPs it is a different story. Same-ish Marshall tone but on a different plateau. Simply put... Worse. Same with the Compex II and original Compex. You can hear that the Compex thing is there in the Compex II but it just can't be fully realised. I don't know if it is the addition of chips or just a complete different circuit design but I'm thinking that this could be it.

Now that I've been up close and personal with the Compex I'm seriously considering selling my pair of Compex IIs. I had them recapped and calibrated just weeks before taking in the Compex and that cost a few quid, now I'm thinking that had I known what I do now I probably wouldn't have shelled out on them for the recap. You live and learn though huh.

[Arny]

I have several F760's "N" modules for sale.
I also have two original fully working Compex's for sale.
I also have two Vocal Stressors for sale.
I shall be advertising these as soon as I have a sensible Valuation.

You may ask
"Are they reliable2
My reply will be
" I would wish to remain the appointed AD&R repair and service workshop
in Europe for all AD&R Classic Gear."

We also keep a good Range of the AD&R Scamp gear, as well as most parts on the shelve including new PCB's for the "A" card or the "B" card.
We only service the "C" card.

Some clients send their cards to us for a full calibration, so they can be sure they are in first class working order.
If you are in Europe we will arrange for any of your AD&R Gear to be collected, serviced & returned.
We also keep service manuals for most AD&R items

If you get to this part then
"Many thanks for reading."

Best Regards

Tony.
Tony Arnold, (Director)
Helios Electronics Ltd
Home
arny@helios-electronics.com

[SWAN808]

found these demos of the Radioman

[Aisle 6]

Originally Posted by Aisle 6

A mate of mine is, as we speak getting 8 x 760's repaired and refurbished for sale. I am then going to give them a try and decide if I want a pair. I will check them out side by side with my Valley Dynamite. Looking forward to trying them out. I also guess there will be a few for sale as well.

I just checked in with my mate to see where his comps are at and he is getting them all recapped. He also confirmed that they are ADR F700X-N modules. sorry for any confusion with the 760's. I believe that they are an earlier model prior to the 760. Anyway, he has them in for recapping and then I will be testing a couple as he has 8 to sell.

[James Lugo]

I see that Valley People have a bunch of different versions of the Dynamite, what's the differences? Which are best?

[dlmorley]

I have had an older ADR rack, a Compex, a Scamp. a dynamite and a Valley 610. All different, all great.
The older ADR rack was nicest IMHO. The 610 is a beast. I want one back. For smashing drums it was great.
The Compex is a classic with reason. Pots were a bit poor quality if I'm honest, but overall, a great unit.
Can't really do wrong.

[skythemusic]

I have a rack with a bunch of Gain Brains. They are cool and I am in process of having my tech recap them and go through them. Anyone have any other opinions as to the those versus the compex? I think the gain brains are excellent at shaping rhythm, though the tone is not always appropriate. I always imagined they were similar family though I have never used an ADR (I don't think).

[Aisle 6]

Originally Posted by James Lugo

I see that Valley People have a bunch of different versions of the Dynamite, what's the differences? Which are best?

Good question. I have one that I love, but am unaware of the variations other than cosmetic.

[audioconsult]

Originally Posted by beats workin'

i have both and really, if you like the compex sound, get a compex. while the dynamite is excellent, it is nothing like the compex, nor is it as versatile.

i had them booth too.. not in the same ballpark..would´nt use the valleys on the sum..that was the position of the compex, it does the so called gluing very well.

for drum treatment it´s a matter of taste.. the compex is smoosher the valleys more in your face...

[shortstory]

Originally Posted by James Lugo

I see that Valley People have a bunch of different versions of the Dynamite, what's the differences? Which are best?

Hi James- they made a bunch of different models. Ive used the older black/silver model as well as the newer purple model. I also have gain brains. I like to use them on toms a lot. The best dynamite version for my liking is the version they made where you had control over gates/expansion (threshold and range control) separate from compression controls (threshold/release) and they gave you a little toggle switch for ratio of 3:1/6:1/20:1 so you can really control it. You can lightly gate the toms to lessen bleed and get them to really pop when they're played. Its called a dynamite2. They also sound cool on Kik & snare.

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by shortstory

Hi James- they made a bunch of different models. Ive used the older black/silver model as well as the newer purple model. I also have gain brains. I like to use them on toms a lot. The best dynamite version for my liking is the version they made where you had control over gates/expansion (threshold and range control) separate from compression controls (threshold/release) and they gave you a little toggle switch for ratio of 3:1/6:1/20:1 so you can really control it. You can lightly gate the toms to lessen bleed and get them to really pop when they're played. Its called a dynamite2. They also sound cool on Kik & snare.

Thanks ss.

[Chris Hesse]

I also have a Dynamite2. It does the same and more as the older units. You can really mangle the piss out of things with it though that rarely sounds good on anything but drums. Good cheap fun

[drumrec.com]

Originally Posted by nobtwiddler

The new Helios 760 will be released in about a month....
If that's the sound you fell in love with, then there will be no reason to look any further.
The 1st 760 module that will be available will be the full sized (console) module and then the 500 series version to follow soon after.

No need to look any where else.

Nice! Had an ADR Compex F760X-RS, then I came across the older model ADR F760X-RS (not compex) with Helios cards.

Must say that there was a large step up in love factor. Sold ADR Compex F760X-RS and kept the older one with helios card

KR
H.Hansson

[Aisle 6]

Do you know anything about the F700X-N as it is earlier than the 760?
Is it also a Helios board?

[roginator]

guys sorry for OT and spam ///

I have bunch of ADR gear .. and maybe too much so Im selling

1x fully refurbished compex 760
1x scamp rack with 2x s01 , 2x s31, 4xf300 and psu



PM me if you are interested

Ill keep mine 2x F760, F600 , F601, E950, Scamp rack with 6x s01 and 4x s31, 2x f300 .. ok I admit IM ADR freak

[Nicky T]

I owned an ADR F760XR-S for a while and also had a rack full of Valley Gain Brain 2's - I would say if you can't find an ADR for a while have a listen to the Gain Brain 2s on drums if you can - very nice.

[Labs]

If youre looking to get one serviced, I’m sure Colin can sort you out.

I have PCBs for a unit he designed based on the 760 for sale here.

Gustav

[sleepyhollos]

Originally Posted by Nicky T

I owned an ADR F760XR-S for a while and also had a rack full of Valley Gain Brain 2's - I would say if you can't find an ADR for a while have a listen to the Gain Brain 2s on drums if you can - very nice.

Found one a couple of months back and bought it immediately. Funny thing was that when I had one on loan I was using it loads as I had a lot of sessions in that suited it's brutality. Then when I was without one I was missing it. Now I have my own and I've no work in that calls on it so it hasn't been powered on in weeks. I know it's potency though so it will sing when the time is right.

Will check out the Gain Brains when the chance permits. I had never really paid them any mind for some reason.

Cool.

[NEWTON IN ORBIT]

Originally Posted by Labs

If youre looking to get one serviced, I’m sure Colin can sort you out.

I have PCBs for a unit he designed based on the 760 for sale here.

Gustav

Man, I LOVE the "colourbook" instructions! Great idea. Looks very interesting. I heard his ez 1073's...GS Member drbill has some and sent some clips w/ a shootout of 5-6 preamp pairs. I gotta say, the ez1073's were the best of what he shot out on OH's to my ears.

I am starting to not like the API's on OH's so much...love them on close mics, but the Neve thing on OH's does it for me better. Particularly to digital. Easier on the ears and smoother on hard cymbal crashes. I used to think either or was fine, liking the Neve sound better on a wider variety of cymbals now / today though.

Thanks for the link Gustav! There is a LOT more there than I was aware of. Enough to keep busy for a long time...

You know you are getting geeked out when you start to like building these things as much or more than audio engineering
john

[Steffmo]

Compex vs. Dynamite.....lol......that will be a brief match.

[Labs]

Originally Posted by NEWTON IN ORBIT

Man, I LOVE the "colourbook" instructions! Great idea. Looks very interesting. I heard his ez 1073's...GS Member drbill has some and sent some clips w/ a shootout of 5-6 preamp pairs. I gotta say, the ez1073's were the best of what he shot out on OH's to my ears.

I am starting to not like the API's on OH's so much...love them on close mics, but the Neve thing on OH's does it for me better. Particularly to digital. Easier on the ears and smoother on hard cymbal crashes. I used to think either or was fine, liking the Neve sound better on a wider variety of cymbals now / today though.

Thanks for the link Gustav! There is a LOT more there than I was aware of. Enough to keep busy for a long time...

You know you are getting geeked out when you start to like building these things as much or more than audio engineering
john

Colin offered me to do the 1073 once, but I was too busy - Wish I hadn’t been.

I did 1 up him on the coloringbook for the GssL components kit though.

Components placement manual


Gustav

[NEWTON IN ORBIT]

Originally Posted by Steffmo

Compex vs. Dynamite.....lol......that will be a brief match.

Yup, I agree. That's pretty much what I thought when I read the title. Still, the Valley stuff has it's place sometimes.

john