Hawaiian outboard makers Alta Moda Audio have announced a new stereo bus compressor for the API 500-series Lunchbox chassis, dubbed the Hippo. A VCA compressor, the Hippo has apparently been “modelled after well-regarded console bus compressors used throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s” — of which, the SSL bus compressor found in their master modules is undoubtedly the best known.
All the usual controls (variable threshold, ratio, make-up gain, attack and release times) are present, but these are joined by some less commonplace ones, such as a Blend control (for parallel compression), and a Warmth knob, which adds varying degrees of harmonic distortion to the signal. A side-chain filter can be engaged to prevent the compressor reacting to low frequencies, and the filter’s turnover can be set to 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, 200Hz or 300Hz.
Finally, a three-position toggle switch dictates whether the compressor acts with a hard knee, a soft knee or — usefully — in dual-mono mode, where the left and right channels trigger independently of each other. Alta Moda say that the compressor should find uses across the mix bus, on individual channels, or while tracking, where a matched pair of compressors could come in handy for stereo sources such as keyboards and drum overheads.
Available now, the Alta Moda Hippo compressor carries a price of $1299.
