Pawn Shop Comp 2.0 - User Manual
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get the meter jumping. Too short a RELEASE can result in some strange things in the
bottom end as the compressor starts “riding” the peaks and valleys of the waveform rather
than responding to the bass sound in its entirety (all compressors with a fast release do
this). Use the ATTACK to get control of the transient, set it slower to make the bass
punchier.
On the Other Side, use BIAS to get a fuzz bass e
ff
ect, FOCUS can make things more
articulate, and WEIGHT set at 63Hz can strengthen the bottom end if you crank it way up.
You might also think about doing a small cut with WEIGHT at 63Hz if the bass is getting in
the way of the kick, or if the whole bottom end is a bit too big.
On Electric Guitars
Pawn Shop Comp ’s designer, Dan Korne
ff
, is renown for guitar sounds, so it is a given that
the Pawn Shop Comp sounds great on electric guitars. Use slower settings on the ATTACK
control to bring out picking and percussiveness. Setting the RELEASE long can make hand
noise and hum less obtrusive, but too long a release tends to dull down the entire guitar
sound.
On The Other Side, the WEIGHT control is almost speci
fi
cally designed to add back in
missing bottom end on compressed guitars, while FOCUS will bring out note articulation.
Use the 63Hz setting for really low guitar parts (maybe throw a high pass
fi
lter on the
channel
fi
rst to get rid of any guitar subharmonics). The 171Hz setting will bring out electric
guitar warmth. BIAS and PREAMP can be used together to add a nice simulation of old
tube amp crunch and breakup. Switch to the ECC83 and the IRON transformer for a more
high gain amp sound.
On Acoustic Guitars
The same ideas apply to acoustic guitars as electric: control the percussive character of the
acoustic guitar using the ATTACK knob, use the RELEASE to control resonance and sustain,
as well as sparkle.
The WEIGHT control on the back can be used to cut out some lower end boom (171Hz), and
a boost in FOCUS at 1.2kHz will increase articulation and presence. For more sheen, set
FOCUS at 2.4kHz.
On Vocals
The Pawn Shop Comp can be used to barely touch a vocal or smash it to hell and back.
ATTACK controls the bite and intelligibility of the vocal, RELEASE controls breathiness and
can be used to increase intimacy (at faster settings). Long RELEASE settings will dramatically
smooth vocals out. Start with RATIO at 4:1 and see where it goes from there.
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