Just bought an Altec

[philc]

Offer accepted on this Altec from Canada, here's the info:-


Vintage REFURBISHED ALTEC 436C vari mu tube compressor.
         The famous compressor that the EMI RS 124 BEATLES is based on! The EMI RS 124 was a modified Altec with a grey front panel and an output attenuator.
       
          ps. The listing is for the Altec only.

CONDITIONS

This unit has recently been re-tubed, entirely recapped, checked and everything and is of course in perfect working condition.
Keep in mind it's more than 50 years old! However, the unit is in exceptional condition, take a good look at the pictures showing the guts and you will know what I'm talking about!
As you can see, the needle is fully on the right in idle position which for an Altec is extremely rare.
You won't find one in such good condition!


The dc modification has been added which take it a notch closer to the famous rs124 Beatles compressor!
The unit has an all valve (Tube) point to point signal path and works on the famous vari-mu gain reduction system as found in the legendary Fairchild 660 and 670 compressors as well as the universal audio 176.
The schematic is actually extremely close to a 176.
It has the Peerless 4551a/6216 transformers!
This unit has XLR connectors, Plug and play!
SOUNDS PHENOMENAL ON BASS AND DRUMS! and forget trying to get that sound with anything else especially not plugins!












I'm thinking of selling my Focusrite Producer Pack, the one at the top?

[driftin]

morning phil,
looks the bizz ! hope to hear it doing its stuff soon

regards
les

[shadfan4]

I would have thought you really shouldn't hear it.

Mike.

[Steve Reynolds]

Looks an amazing setup you have there Phil

[philc]

Hi Les...we will have to wait and see

Sept 15, 2016 13:02:26 GMT shadfan4 said:

I would have thought you really shouldn't hear it.

Mike.

The attack, the click, on the initial pluck, I find is thin with digital compressors, this is valve amplified, so I would imagine that the overall compression is warmer.

Thanks Steve, the outboards are not usually all lit up like that

Phil

[bor64]

Looks good Phil, again a step towards to that sound
Looking forwards to a sound demo with the new red girl and Altec!

Cheers Rob

[philc]

See what I can come up with Rob, it probably won't be delivered for over a week, this was the cheapest alternative to the actual RS 124 which if you can find one for sale would be around £30,000

Phil

[philc]

Just an update...after much pushing and shoving, the Altec is going in the post from Canada today, I had to pay a four day delivery (not cheap) as I will be on hols soon.

The valves are removed and packed individually, also some iffy cables have been replaced.

Phil

[philc]

Here's a demo of a Chandler EMI RS124 Compressor, the Altec 436c that I bought is based on the original RS124 so hopefully it should sound very much like this.

Phil

youtu.be/hk0ivctLfGw

[fenderplucker]

Hi Phil,

I thought that you mightn't be able to resist! Looking forward to hearing how it goes and how it compares with the plug-in.

Paul

[philc]

Hi Paul,

Your right the temptation was too great and the price was better after some negotiation, although vat and import duty will be added

I have the plugin, as well as the other AR toys but I can't load them with my old OS, I think you will agree though that no matter how good these digital effects are, they still can't emulate the real thing...valves and all

We know that the Altec was a big part of the Shadows/Beatles sound and the fact that we haven't been able to try them out for our selves is a missing part of what we do...so curiosity got the better of me in the end...let's hope that it pays off

Phil

[shadfan4]

F.Y.I.

www.soundonsound.com/news/klark-teknik-pay-homage-1176-compressor

Interesting?

Mike.

[philc]

A very nice compressor Mike, the original came out in 1968 I believe, a good write up but not quite an Altec because of a few things including solid state circuitry, so the effect on Shadows tunes would not be the same as the original sounds and that's why I bought the Altec.

Phil

[philc]

For those interested, I have upgraded the Attack, so I now have the factory 50mls plus a faster 25mls, it was done with much help from Dick (twang46) and Paul R.(fenderplucker) I wouldn't have had a clue myself so thanks both for your time and effort!

I did also try a cap which gave a faster again time of around 17mls but it proved to be too unstable and could only be used with one setting of the Threshold and Release, adjusting from this setting gave a considerable amount of gating and noise, so I decided to just add the 25mls.

Here's a picture with the modification.

Phil.

[fenderplucker]

Hi Phil,

Great job, looks very neat and professional. Is the front panel really green or is it just a reflection of my envious face?

Regards,

Paul.

[scanners]

Impressive set up, I was curious, did Hank and the Beatles use a compressor back in the day? You see a lot of things on youtube and in magazines about getting that early British sound, they all say add a compressor, I would have thought it was just the amp?
Matthew

[philc]

Thanks Paul,

Thanks Matthew,

Yes they used compressors, it was one of the major factors of the Shadows and Beatles sound, it has also been mentioned as their "Secret weapon".

Phil

[grip]

Hi Phil,
Nice and neatly done, it blends in well with the original, well done. I'm looking forward to hearing the difference it has made (an A-B comparison using the 2 settings would be nice ).

Kind regards,


Chris

[philc]

Thanks Chris,

The difference with an A/B is not "Very" noticeable and to a lot of people it would sound the same but there is a difference with the initial "pop".


I'm still experimenting with what they might have done it at AR, last night I re-recorded The Frightened City with my earliest 62 Strat through the Altec, (not standard procedure today but who knows back then) later on I'm going to try the whole mix (my BT) through the Altec, so the lead would be compressed twice, to be honest, the attack is still not fast enough for mastering but I'm a little bit curious

Norman Smith sometimes compressed Paul McCartney's bass a few times to get a punchy sound.

Phil

[philc]

Here's a clip of a newly recorded early 62 Strat through the Altec with the 25mls. Attack.

It's in the process of being mixed, I've added a re-recorded rhythm guitar, ride and toms as I've noticed a few more things compared to my previous bt....no mastering with this...straight out of the box

app.box.com/s/bgfv3e0npyanhtct6qlnfz8ydx440dka

Phil

[grip]

Hi Phil,

It's given a great sound to your guitar, but not so for the snare drum e.g. 26 seconds in (seems to be less "crisp" sound than the original) although I'm not sure whether that's because you put everything through you Altec.
Kind regards,


Chris

[philc]

Hi Chris, as I mentioned, it's in the process of being mixed, actually, only the lead is through the Altec, I did try it on the whole mix but the attack and release is still too slow for mastering.

Phil

[paul1968]

Hi Phil
Do you use the Altec live on stage or purely for recording purposes?

Paul

[philc]

For recording Paul, they weren't really designed for live use.

Phil

[Cruachan]

Hi Phil,

What a great sound! For whatever reason, and for want of a better description, I've never been able to get close to that 'chirp' sound in 'The Frightened City'. Maybe I should be prepared to experiment more with my Keeley Limiting Amplifier GC-2. Perhaps getting rid of that ugly scratch, as seen on the original image, was the necessary vital ingredient 😉 You must be really chuffed with this acquisition.

Regards,
Mike

[philc]

Thanks Mike...it does what it says on the box I'm glad to say

You do have to experiment to get a close sound, as for your "Limiting" Amp, I don't know...as you really need a compressor not a limiter.

Phil

[Cruachan]

Mar 27, 2017 18:48:27 GMT philc said:

........as for your "Limiting" Amp, I don't know...as you really need a compressor not a limiter.Phil

Hi Phil,

Apologies in advance for hijacking this interesting thread.

I confess I'm not entirely au fait with this aspect of audio tech, but my understanding is that the GC-2 does in fact have Compressor capabilities.

Quote: "The Keeley Compressor GC-2 Limiting Amplifier provides true high-fidelity compression and limiting."

robertkeeley.com/product/gc-2-limiting-amplifier-compressor/

Regards,
Mike

[philc]

Give it a shot Mike, you should be able to get your sound closer with it, but bare in mind that it's not just the compressor that's involved, good luck.

Phil

[sandytuck]

Hi Phil,
That looks like a really good find phil, some pieces like that are as
rare as hens teeth. To get in good condition is a big bonus.
Cheers Les.

[philc]

They still pop up now and again Les, the trick is to get one with original parts, transformers etc, but the sound is certainly different with whatever is put through it

Phil