Miloco Resource - Equipment Reviews
Altec 436C Compressor review by Joe Hirst
Founded in 1930s America, Altec Lansing have been leaders in the production of audio equipment for several decades, with recent success in the manufacturing of computer speakers, most notably the "inMotion" range for Apple iPod.
The now vintage 436c Compressor is designed for automatic level-control applications in recording, TV Broadcasting and public address systems. It's renowned versatility has made it a firm favourite for most audio installations.
Technical Data:
Attack Time: 50 milliseconds
Release Time: Adjustable - 3 seconds to 1.3 seconds (63% recovery)
Threshold: Adjustable - 0 dbm to +16 dbm output
Compression Ratio: 2:1 at 0 dbm threshold, 4:1 at +16 dbm threshold
Miloco 3 (Hoxton Square) has a large selection of outboard in its racks including several tasty bits of vintage gear, the oldest piece of outboard is an Altec 436c compressor datingfrom the sixties. This unit has a distinctive look with its racing green front panel and large VU meter, the controls on the front are very simple and just offer input gain, release time and threshold. The unit has an all valve signal path and works on the famous vari-mu gain reduction system as found in the legendary Fairchild 660 and 670 compressors.
To some the Altec is a poor mans Fairchild but really it has its own thing going on, characteristically it has a slow attack and a fairly slow release, for me it seems to work well on bass guitar and fairly smooth vocals, definitely one for the crooners! Because the unit has an all valve signal path it is fairly easy to use the compressor to add a little harmonic distortion to warm up all those sterile digital sounds, its also possible to abuse the unit into less subtle distortion and is generally my first port of call for such duties when working in Miloco 3.
The front panel controls are very simple and don't offer much flexibility compared with more modern units, its definitely a very easy unit to try out. The Altec won't work on everything though and I don't think I've ever used it successfully on drums yet. If you happen to find yourself in Miloco 3 or come across another of these American legends anywhere else don't hesitate to plug it in and have a listen.
Joe's CV can be viewed here: Joe Hirst
