The Dangerous Music COMPRESSOR is a stereo analog dynamics processor built to deliver serious control without sacrificing the source's detail, punch, or stereo image. Designed by Chris Muth, it takes a decidedly transparent approach to compression, making it equally at home on individual tracks, buses, and full mixes.
At the heart of the COMPRESSOR is Dangerous Music’s Smart Dynamics circuit, which uses a dual-slope detector to manage fast transient peaks separately from average signal level. Combined with independent RMS detectors for the left and right channels, the design allows engineers to achieve substantial gain reduction while preserving transients, maintaining stereo width, and avoiding the pumping or dulling that can come with more aggressive compression.
The COMPRESSOR also offers stepped ratios from 1:1 to 20:1, selectable hard and soft knees, automatic or manual attack and release controls, internal sidechain filtering, and external sidechain access. It can operate as a linked stereo processor or as two independent mono channels, giving engineers a flexible dynamics tool for everything from vocals and drums to mix bus compression and mastering.
In our latest Hear The Gear, we’re heading to the Scramble Shack to hear how the Dangerous Music COMPRESSOR responds to a wide range of sources and settings. Read on for Vintage King's in-house engineer Bryan Reilly’s tracking and mixing notes, then compare different ratios and amounts of gain reduction on drums, bass, guitars, vocals, piano, and two full mixes.
Dangerous Music COMPRESSOR Sound Samples
Drums #1
When tracking the first sample, Bryan went for an extremely dead drum sound. He used a single Neumann M 49 V as a front-of-kit microphone. The signal was recorded without EQ or compression on the way in, giving the Dangerous Music COMPRESSOR an untreated drum sound to work with.
6:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 5–7 dB of gain reduction
- Medium attack
- Faster release
- Soft Knee engaged
1.4:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 10–15 dB of gain reduction
- Medium attack
- Faster release
- Soft Knee engaged
Drums #2
For the more "rock drum" sample, Bryan multitracked the kit using close microphones along with a number of room mics. No EQ, compression, or other processing was used during tracking. The cymbals were intentionally kept loud and washy to make the pumping characteristics of the compression easier to hear.
4:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 5 dB of gain reduction
- Added makeup gain
- Slower attack
- Faster release
20:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 7–10 dB of gain reduction
- Added makeup gain
- Very fast attack
- Very fast release
Acoustic Guitar
Bryan tracked a Martin 000-16 with a pair of Peluso P-414 microphones through a Mystery Magicians M808A dual-channel preamp.
3:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 3–8 dB of gain reduction
- Slowest attack
- Fastest release
- Smart Dyn engaged
- Soft Knee engaged
1.7:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 5–7 dB of gain reduction
- Medium attack
- Fastest release
Electric Bass
The electric bass examples feature a 1978 American Fender Precision Bass through an Ampeg B-15 amp, captured with a Manley Reference Gold microphone and an UnderTone Audio MPDI-4 preamp.
4:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 5–8 dB of gain reduction
- Slower attack
- Faster release
6:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 5–20 dB of gain reduction
- Slower attack
- Fastest release
Electric Guitar
When tracking electric guitar, Bryan played a Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro through a 1974 Fender Twin. The amp was captured with a Neumann U 67 reissue and recorded through an API 3124V preamp.
2:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 5–10 dB of gain reduction
- Slower attack
- Faster release
- Smart Dyn engaged
3:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 5–7 dB of gain reduction
- Very fast attack
- Very fast release
- Smart Dyn engaged
- Soft Knee engaged
Female Vocals
Vocalist Olivia Dear was recorded in the Scramble Shack vocal booth using an Austrian Audio OC818 through an UnderTone Audio MPDI-4 preamp.
20:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Up to approximately 9 dB of gain reduction at the loudest point
- Slowest attack
- Slowest release
3:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 3–7 dB of gain reduction
- Slowest attack
- Fastest release
- Smart Dyn engaged
- Soft Knee engaged
Male Vocals
Vocalist Mike Leslie was recorded in the Scramble Shack live room using a Telefunken TF51 through an API 3124V preamp.
4:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 2–10 dB of gain reduction
- Slow attack
- Medium release
- Soft Knee engaged
20:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 2–15 dB of gain reduction
- Slow attack
- Medium release
- Soft Knee engaged
- Smart Dyn engaged
Piano
Bryan tracked his 1920s Steinway baby grand using a pair of Coles 4038 ribbon microphones positioned outside the shell and sent them through two Neve 1073LB preamps. No EQ or compression was used on the way in.
4:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 1–3 dB of gain reduction during quieter passages
- Up to approximately 8 dB during louder sections
- Slow attack
- Fast release
Full Mix #1 - "Something In The Blue"
Every source on “Something In The Blue” was tracked through a Shadow Hills Mono GAMA Hammer Forged preamp using the Stacked transformer setting before the finished mix was sent through the Dangerous Music COMPRESSOR.
2:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 3–5 dB of gain reduction
- Slow attack
- Fast release
- Soft Knee engaged
1.4:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Approximately 2–4 dB of gain reduction
- Slow attack
- Fast release
- Soft Knee engaged
Full Mix #2 - "No Flowers"
Every source in “No Flowers” was tracked with a single Neumann M 49 V through an UnderTone Audio MPDI-4 preamp before being sent through the Dangerous Music COMPRESSOR.
3:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Up to approximately 3 dB of gain reduction
- Slowest attack
- Near-fastest release
1.7:1 Ratio Sample Settings
- Up to approximately 5 dB of gain reduction
- Slowest attack
- Near-fastest release
- Soft Knee engaged
