The COMP-554 Compressor from Golden Age Project is a one-channel, vintage-style compressor for the 500 format. The COMP-554 compressor can be used in various environments by musicians and engineers, in recording, broadcast, or live stage and theater applications.
The signal path uses discrete components such as resistors, capacitors, and transistors, and the transformer-balanced input and output use a third inter-stage transformer. The class-A circuit used in the COMP-554 is like the one in the classic 2254 compressor that was designed in 1969. It quickly became popular due to its natural sound character, that is warm, smooth, sweet, and musical.
Vintage style electronics. No integrated circuits in the signal path.
Based on a classic diode bridge design.
Transformer-balanced input and output.
Prepared for a Carnhill transformer upgrade (standard in the Plus version).
Flexible control range for threshold, ratio, attack, and recovery.
All vintage controls except for the gain make-up, which is stepped.
Three selectable sidechain filter frequencies.
Three flexible sidechain options: Internal, Insert, and External.
The external sidechain I/O is electronically balanced @ 4 dBu and appears on the right slot rack connections.
Separate switches for hardwire bypass and compression out.
Two insert connectors for inserting the EQ-573 in the main audio and/or sidechain signal path.
Meter selectable for output (two reference levels: +4 and +12 dBu) and gain reduction.
Possibility to link two units for stereo operation.
Three-position Air EQ switch: Flat, +3, or +6 dB @ 30 kHz.
Two-position output termination switch for different tones.
A soft-start circuit that ramps up the supply voltage slowly (about 10 sec) to avoid a power-on current surge.
A natural sound that suits most sound sources and genres.
