Anamod, makers of the highly regarded ATS1 tape simulator, have released a new API Lunchbox-series module, called the Realios TL Compressor. Designed to offer a similar sound to the compressor modules found in vintage Helios consoles, the Realios TL Compressor is unusual in that, instead of employing an FET, a VCA, a vari-mu tube, diodes or a photo cell, it uses a tungsten lamp as its gain-control element. The lamp is placed serially in the audio signal path, and as the signal gets louder, the filament heats up, increasing its resistance and reducing the signal’s level. The advantage to this approach is that it apparently yields lower distortion than traditional compressor designs.
The control arrangement is remarkably simple. Only input gain and output gain can be adjusted (the input control governing the amount of compression), and a toggle switch allows you to bypass the compressor.
Technical performance appears to be extremely high: frequency response apparently extends from 3Hz to 285kHz (±3dB), noise lies some 74dB below +4dBu, and distortion is lower than 0.001 percent, for any amount of gain reduction.
Available now, the Realios TL Compressor is selling for £900, including VAT.
