UBK Fatso

[Fleaman]

Ah.

[u b k]

Originally Posted by Fleaman

That being said, you can hone in on the freqs with the Derresser, which you can't do with the fatso.

You might be amazed at what you can hone in on if you stick a cheap parametric in that sidechain!

I like the aphex 109 for this job, it goes wide or narrow and is fully sweepable. If you serialize the channels (go out of one into the other), you can target 2 different hf's which is *extremely* useful for de-essing.

If you're willing to use both UBK Fatso channels on the source, try using the first for saturation and compression, and the second one for additional saturation and hf limiting. This will allow you to tweeze the Warmth response independent from the compressor.


Gregory Scott - ubk

[huggie]

Having the insert of the Fatso on your patch-bay certainly gives you some very useful options.

I bought the Level Pilot specifically for Fatso threshold control: TC Electronic | Level Pilot

I have it on my patch-bay as well. So I can patch in the Level Pilot or an EQ... or both!


Hugo

[fingerbeats]

Whats the concept with the tc pilot and the fatso ?

[drew]

Originally Posted by fingerbeats

Whats the concept with the tc pilot and the fatso ?

The Fatso is a "fixed threshold" type compressor. In order to get more compression you have to drive more input, like an 1176. Which on this box means that the amount of compression is tied to the saturation and HF limiting. Accessing the sidechain with something like the TC Pilot, allows you to change the threshold independently and therefore increases flexibility. Hope this makes sense and that Greg will correct me if I've got something wrong.

[Mathijs]

Originally Posted by u b k

You might be amazed at what you can hone in on if you stick a cheap parametric in that sidechain!

Gregory Scott - ubk

Why didn't you incorporate such a design into Fatso itself?

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by Mathijs

Why didn't you incorporate such a design into Fatso itself?

Uh.... i'm not UBK... but...... he took the way cool Empirical Labs FATSO (who designed it) and modified the sound + compression curves of the unit....

he didn't design the UBK FATSO from the ground up.

By the way.. I own both.... and they both are great.

thumbsup

[u b k]

Originally Posted by mixerguy

he didn't design the UBK FATSO from the ground up.

Nor could I have, I'm a talented hack at best; Dave Derr has more circuit design genius in his little finger than I'll ever have.


Gregory Scott - ubk

[Fleaman]

I can draw a circuit on a piece of paper, then fold it up into a paper plane and make it fly!

[fingerbeats]

Originally Posted by drew

The Fatso is a "fixed threshold" type compressor. In order to get more compression you have to drive more input, like an 1176. Which on this box means that the amount of compression is tied to the saturation and HF limiting. Accessing the sidechain with something like the TC Pilot, allows you to change the threshold independently and therefore increases flexibility. Hope this makes sense and that Greg will correct me if I've got something wrong.

Thanks for info!

[fanriffic]

Hey Greg,

Not sure where to post this,but here seemed like as good a place as any..So,I've picked up a UBK Fatso..loving it!..but..

..Quick question..

The saturation stage is before the comp..right?..so why,when using side-chain gain control and bringing in the comp,does the saturation input..(or at least the input *LEDs* show a )...drop?

..am I missing something?

Many thanks..(and,needless to say,mucho respect)...

F

[TwinVulcan]

Dude. This sounds freaking SICK. Really made my day. Will post this on my website audiobeef.com

Absolutely interesting!

[gabjam]

My UBK Fatso is on its way and I'm curious - what other sidechain volume control solutions people have people found?

There seem to be plenty of 2-channel mic pre's and compact mixers out there, but I haven't found a stereo passive gain control unit with independent control of 2 channels, which would be a requirement when using the fatso with channels unlinked. Surely a couple of pots in a box can't be that much of a niche product!

edit: just about to order an ART SPLITMix4, passive splitter/mixer with 4x mono/stereo channels, which will give me the necessary gain controls plus 2 spares, which in conjuction with the splitter input and some y-cables should add parallel compression knobs to the fatso as well. Will know for sure once I've got my hands on it.

[ProducerBoy]

Originally Posted by Fleaman

I can draw a circuit on a piece of paper, then fold it up into a paper plane and make it fly!

Lmao! I can't even make my stupid paper airplanes fly...

Just got a UBK Fatso in and I love it. I've been using a friend's stock Fatso for months. Now that I've got the UBK Fatso, he's planning on getting the UBK love in his Fatso.

...wait...there's probably a better way to phrase that...

[alkor]

got 1 of the b-stock units and used it on my first mixdown:
glue->3-5db GR->comfy flickering on kick and snare
the "all button"-mode is now my n.1 drumbuss comp !

thx ubk

[Onan]

Originally Posted by gabjam

My UBK Fatso is on its way and I'm curious - what other sidechain volume control solutions people have people found?

I had an old Rane ME 15 dual mono 15-band graphic eq collecting dust. It's a fine eq, but I had no need of it in my setup. So I stuck that in the side chain, which allows both threshhold changes and filtering. Works perfectly.

Only had this box for a few days now, but it is AWESOME. Not wild about how the threshhold on "splat" is so low that I have to radically reduce the gain or the side-chain threshhold. But otherwise, I love everything about this thing. Bass, keys, guitar. Can't wait to try some drum busses through it.

Another awesome feature is that when it's off, it's in bypass. So you don't have to remove it from the signal path, or turn it on and put it in bypass, if you don't want it. I just leave it on the buss of my mixer, and just flip it on when I want to play with it.
Lee

[henge]

Originally Posted by Onan

I had an old Rane ME 15 dual mono 15-band graphic eq collecting dust. It's a fine eq, but I had no need of it in my setup. So I stuck that in the side chain, which allows both threshhold changes and filtering. Works perfectly.

Only had this box for a few days now, but it is AWESOME. Not wild about how the threshhold on "splat" is so low that I have to radically reduce the gain or the side-chain threshhold. But otherwise, I love everything about this thing. Bass, keys, guitar. Can't wait to try some drum busses through it.

Another awesome feature is that when it's off, it's in bypass. So you don't have to remove it from the signal path, or turn it on and put it in bypass, if you don't want it. I just leave it on the buss of my mixer, and just flip it on when I want to play with it.
Lee

Splat is what I use to tame keyboard pads among other things. just pin the keyboard down with all light blazing and you have a beautifully saturated and pinned sound.I think splat is Greg's take on the SSL buss comp.

[gabjam]

@ Onan - great idea to use a old graphic eq as your gain control, that sounds ideal!

I've got my (ebay b-stock) unit up and running now, and what a fantastic box it is! The saturation in particular is very tasty. I'm controlling the comp threshold with the art splitmix4, as mentioned above, which works a treat.

Here's a surprise snag though - I'm getting nasty ground hum. I'm using an unbalanced patch bay (i know, i know... but nothing else in my rack is giving me any grief). So a question for anyone more electrically literate than I am: is it ok to use a 2 prong plug with the fatso? Or is there anything else I can do short of replacing my patchbay and all my cables with balanced ones or putting a ground loop isolator in the signal path, which sounds like a horrible idea in terms of fidelity.

[ionian]

Out of curiosity, has anyone compared this to a Shadow Hills Vandergraph? Only because I was interested in the Vander because of the great sound and the huge bottom it seems to give - especially on drums. In the video it almost sounds like the Fatso is capable of a very similar sound and a huge bottom as well! The vandergraph looks like a great comp, but I'm just wondering if I can slide it further down the "to buy" list!

Also - there's 2 link buttons. How does the linking exactly work? Does whatever side you press link on control the other for stereo? Or do both link buttons have to be engaged?

Thanks,
Frank

[strewnshank]

Originally Posted by ionian

Also - there's 2 link buttons. How does the linking exactly work? Does whatever side you press link on control the other for stereo? Or do both link buttons have to be engaged?

Thanks,
Frank

I believe that by engaging the stereo link, the signal is averaged between the two channels. You have to press both warmth buttons to engage it.

[Silver Sonya]

Originally Posted by ionian

Out of curiosity, has anyone compared this to a Shadow Hills Vandergraph? Only because I was interested in the Vander because of the great sound and the huge bottom it seems to give - especially on drums. In the video it almost sounds like the Fatso is capable of a very similar sound and a huge bottom as well! The vandergraph looks like a great comp, but I'm just wondering if I can slide it further down the "to buy" list!

Also - there's 2 link buttons. How does the linking exactly work? Does whatever side you press link on control the other for stereo? Or do both link buttons have to be engaged?

Thanks,
Frank

I have both the Vandergraph and the UBK Fatso and I would say they are unrelated products.

I love both, but it would never occur to me to compare them. I'm not sure I would even know where to begin. Not trying to be difficult or snarky. They just don't feel like the same thing to me at all.

Also: this "huge bottom" on the Vandergraph... that doesn't feel like an accurate description to me. It has a nice, full-bodied response, but... it's not like it's an EQ, you know? It's just a compressor with a really nice feel.

I recommend both these products!

In particular, the UBK Fatso is probably the most fun thing you're likely to have in your rack. It's just really, really fun and interesting.

- c

[ionian]

Originally Posted by Silver Sonya

Also: this "huge bottom" on the Vandergraph... that doesn't feel like an accurate description to me. It has a nice, full-bodied response, but... it's not like it's an EQ, you know? It's just a compressor with a really nice feel.

- c

Thanks for taking the time to give me a nice, detailed reply. I just kept suggesting the big bottom thing because whenever I hear samples done with the Vander, my sub woofer gets a bump that other comps don't seem to give it!


Thanks again,
Frank

[nuxnamon]

Originally Posted by huggie

Having the insert of the Fatso on your patch-bay certainly gives you some very useful options.

I bought the Level Pilot specifically for Fatso threshold control: TC Electronic | Level Pilot

I have it on my patch-bay as well. So I can patch in the Level Pilot or an EQ... or both!


Hugo

noobie question .. you connect the outs (male XLR using TRS adaptor) of the Level Pilot to the insert of the UBK.. is that it or is that totally wrong..? what about the female XLR's?

[ctrlshft]

Originally Posted by nuxnamon

noobie question .. you connect the outs (male XLR using TRS adaptor) of the Level Pilot to the insert of the UBK.. is that it or is that totally wrong..? what about the female XLR's?

On the Fatso's SIDECHAIN: TIP is OUT, RING is IN. You'd need to use a Y-Cable (TRS splitter to 2 TS) for each sidechain. You'd need a specialized connector to do that w/ the Pilot.

While the Pilot is cool, I'm going with a cheap 1-space rack EQ that has some volume control as well. This way you control not only the threshold for the compressor but also what frequencies are going to get compressed. Very useful when you don't want the comp going smashysmashy w/ your low-lows (drums with beefy kicks or for mastering applications), or for broadband de-essing (not that warmth doesn't already do a pretty darn great job of making trouble frequencies melt into a bubbling pot of golden awesome).

[ericmould]

Originally Posted by u b k

Yeah, if you patch a simple gain control device into the sidechain, you can hit the input as hard or as soft as you want and use the sidechain as a 'threshold' control of sorts to shift the amount of compression you get.

The beauty of this technique is you can hit the distortion and sat circuits the way you want, then shape the compression separately.

1) Engage the unit with 'no compression', i.e., no preset lights are lit.

2) Dial in the desired amount of harmonic juice and, if desired, clipping.

3) Engage desired preset, use sidechain control to adjust gain reduction.

Works in both directions. Hit the inputs harder and ease off on GR for more sat less comp, or tickle the inputs and crank the GR for less sat more comp.

Lovely!


Gregory Scott - ubk

I ordered mine-will be delivered Wednesday; can't wait to hear this thing-will be mounted right above my Dangerous Music BAX EQ. I plan on chaining the UBKF before the BAX and planned on using these two during Mastering phase only; any suggestions for settings during the summing phase (or the Mastering phase for that matter)?

[u b k]

Originally Posted by ericmould

I plan on chaining the UBKF before the BAX and planned on using these two during Mastering phase only; any suggestions for settings during the summing phase (or the Mastering phase for that matter)?

For mastering, odds are pretty good you're either going to want no compression engaged (no lights), or Glue. Like we've been talking about, your options will expand exponentially if you patch a level control or (better still) a cheap eq with level control into the UBK Fatso's sidechain, to shape what the compressor is responding to.

Once you've got the amount of Saturation and any Compression dialed in, play with the Warmth. Hit the threshold control one tap at a time, slowly, and find the setting where you first start to see some activity on the Warmth meter. Then cycle around and park it at the next setting down. Even though you don't see any activity on the meter, it's still having a subtle but pleasing effect on the hf transients.

I don't generally use the Trafo on mixes, it rolls off the lows and adds a harmonic density and color that is amazing on individual instruments and busses, but can be blurry on whole mixes. But, ya never know, so play around with it.

Enjoy!


Gregory Scott - ubk

[JimmyTurbo]

Hey Greg,

have you ever thought about making a treshold control yourself?
Like a 19" rack unit with those EL knobs on them so the settings are fairly repeatable (two of them, so it could be dual mono)...
Or stepped pots or something...
I have a level pilot on the insert now and I really need it.
I use the UBKF a lot on my mixbus in a live setting.
And there's always someone who asks 'hey what's that thing do' while they turn the level pilot...sigh...
If you made it in the same colour as the UBKF so it matches up, I'm sure you'll sell a ton of them (if you can keep the price reasonable)!

Just a thought...

Greetings,

jt

[T800]

Is it worth it to go with the UBK Fatso simply for the easy compressor settings always (for idiots), or is the Stock one good enough?

Are these easy comp settings the only differences? Or is the tape simulators different too?

[T800]

And also, which one sounds both tighter it I wish, AND more colored for electric guitar?

And is this DSP technology or analog? I'm so lost.

And should I buy an Aphex 230 Preamp and run it into a Fatso (either stock or UBK depending on which one is better), or should I buy the Mike-E EL9 and have all functions in one box? (if that one even has the tape sim). But then I am not gonna get the tube of the Aphex to act on the BCM 104 condenser I wanna use to match the sound of the AM radio station I refer to in my other thread Titled "I have to have this sound".

Please help.

[insomnio]

Hi Greg,
I still love mine here. For tracking I tend to go with Glue, which I find pretty non destructive and smooth, although I love each one of your presets.
But I would want to know which one is your current mixing favorite for vox.
Cheers