Pawn Shop Comp 2.0 - User Manual
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INPUT
and
OUTPUT
- these are trims and what you think it does: adjusts the input feeding
in and output levels feeding out. If you're adding a lot of gain via the PREAMP, BIAS and the
OPERATING LEVEL controls you will be adjusting the OUTPUT down. A lot. If the signal
feeding into the Pawn Shop Comp is low
—
like the track was recorded too low—you’ll be
able to compensate for that using the INPUT control.
WET/DRY
- use this to blend unprocessed signal (dry: what is feeding into the Pawn Shop
Comp) with processed signal (wet: the signal after you run it through all of the elements of
the Pawn Shop Comp). This is a very useful control.
Sometimes, after you work on a track or a bus or a channel in solo (which everyone says
you shouldn't do but everyone does), you'll un-solo the track and hear it in context to the
rest of the mix, and realize you maybe went too far. Back down the e
ff
ect by turning the
WET/DRY counterclockwise until it
fi
ts in better.
RESISTORS
- There are four resistor choices, which a
ff
ect mainly the high end of the plugin.
Metal Film 1%
is the brightest and most transparent, while
Carbon Composition
is the
darkest. Metal Film settings will give the Pawn Shop Comp a bright, modern sound, while
Carbon settings round o
ff
the high end a bit and add a bit of noise for a more vintage vibe.
This is a very subtle e
ff
ect and it will get lost in a big, thick mix. However, if you're working
with less sound sources—a voice and an acoustic guitar, as an example, switching it over to
Carbon resistors is a nice touch.
FET
- this allows you to adjust the compression curves by selecting between two di
ff
erent
sets of FET emulations. 2N5486 FETs give a lot of predictable punch and give the Pawn
Shop Comp a response similar to vintage '70's Neve solid state compressors, API
compressors, 1176's and more esoteric things like the ADR Compex. 2N3820 models an
FET set that had some design issues which cause some unpredictable behavior. Sometimes
you'll click over to the 2N3820 setting and hear no di
ff
erence, but sometimes it will sound
better, and other times it will loose punch and sound smoother... it really depends on what
you send through it.
IDEAS ON TWEAKING THE OTHER SIDE
There is so much tweakabilty on the back side of the Pawn Shop Comp it is hard to know
where to begin in terms of giving guidance. BIAS is great for adding buzz and distortion to
basses and really hard-assed vocals. Turning up PREAMP can get a little more oomph and
sparkle out of a softer vocal, acoustic instruments, and snare drums.
If you're not wacking the preamp gain up, the choice of tubes won't matter that much, but
at high preamp gain settings, the tube choices make a HUGE di
ff
erent. ECC81's are the
preamp tube of choice for Marshall and other high gain guitar amps for a reason. Switching
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