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B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Daking
FET III Stereo Compressor/Limiter
An updated design offers a modern twist on classic performance

While his products are heavily inspired by classic circuit designs and sounds of the past (Trident A Series, anyone?), Geoff Daking is a no-nonsense guy who does not buy into the myths, the hype, or the puritanical nature of the vintage audio world, and as such is not afraid to use modern and more reliable components “to create products that give you the performance of the classics without the headaches.” This philosophy is more than evident in his newest creation, the Daking FET III stereo compressor, which combines his classic sound and design with the modern efficient components at a very affordable price point. Then and now Geoff has been building a fast, singlechannel FET-based compressor for years now which eventually evolved into the single-rackspace FET II. With transformerbased ins and outs, it also has the classic release characteristics found in older Neve, A&D Compex and Fairchild compressors, and has a reputation for versatility with a strong clear sonic footprint. It is built like a tank, has an external power supply, and every knob is a recallable stepped switch. It carries a street price of $1445, or for double that you could have a pair and link them in stereo. Similar in design, the new FET III is a twospace rack unit that offers a choice of dual mono or stereo compression, and yet it is not simply two FET IIs in one box. While some of the FET IIs prominent features have been removed, some new ones have been added making the FET III its own unique
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beast. One of the biggest differences between the II and the III lives under the hood: while the II uses input and output transformers, the FET III features a class-A discrete design throughout and makes use of THAT Corporation differential amps. Front and back panels The FET III is clothed in the familiar Daking green and, like its sibling, is built tank tough. Laid out side-by-side each channel of the FET III contains controls for Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, Highpass Filter and Makeup Gain. Next to the controls are a pair of large orange backlit VU meters that can be switched between input, output and gain reduction. In the center of the meters is a pair of illuminated bypass buttons as well as a single knob for choosing dual mono or stereo modes. With the exception of the ratio switch, the controls on the FET III make use of continuously variable pots. While some users will make a case for the convenient recall of stepped increments, on the other side will be engineers who constantly need a setting that falls in-between. The FET III’s connections are 2 XLR ins and 2 XLR outs. The unit’s power supply is an external line-lump. Form follows function Functionally the FET III has a threshold of ±10 dB. It has an ultra fast attack time of 250 µs to 64 ms, and a release time that ranges from 500 ms to an Auto Dual Time Constant. While the FET II’s Fairchild and Neve settings are gone, the auto release on the FET III is still that of the famous A&D

F760X Compex limiter. Ratios are the same as on the FET II, with a fixed choice of 1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1, 5:1, 10:1, 20:1. The unit also has 11 dB of makeup gain. The next two features set the III apart from not only the FET II, but many other compressors on the market. First is a highpass filter which prevents low-end signals, in this case anything below 200 Hz, from going to the sidechain and making it clamp down the compression circuit. This is extremely useful for retaining fullness and openness on the 2-buss as well as the natural punch of a drum buss. The second function is stereo linking control. While many stereo compressors have this option, and most pairs of mono units can typically be linked with a simple cable, in the FET III this is accomplished differently, and it’s worth a closer look and listen. A new approach to linking Typically, stereo-linking two compressors simply means that the threshold of both channels are linked, and that when either one receives a strong signal, both channels will clamp down and react equally. That is exactly what this unit does, but here is where it gets interesting. In every other compressor I know of, stereo linking is accomplished through a control voltage signal. This electrical on/off message simply lets the other threshold know if and when it has been hit. The FET III instead uses audio signal summing. Because of this Geoff was able to implement continuously variable linking, i.e. not just on or off, but variable levels in between.

Recording - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - March 2011