Recording - February 2016 - 47

audible repeated clicking sound. Just
above this is a small screw head trim pot.
Turning the pot alters the phase of the
tubes; when the clicking sound is at its
quietest, the unit is aligned. Now that I've
told you how to adjust this, Chandler's
Wade Goeke recommends that there is little need-each unit is scoped and tuned
at the factory with proper test equipment,
and this feature is more for historical
accuracy than for practical modern use.
Next up: the Input control, labeled
1-10. This control is fully variable as
opposed to the stepped pot of the original. The same goes for the Output control
to the right of the meter. Chandler does
offer a stepped option at additional cost.
Next are the Attack and Recovery
(release) controls. Attack features a 9position switch with settings of 1-9 in
black. Attack times go from fastest on
the left to slowest on the right. Settings
3, 5 and 6 are replaced with the classic
units' serial numbers in bright red.
Selecting each of these gives you instant
access to the exact attack constant found
on the originals. Essentially you get all
three units in one box!

In use
Unlike many vintage 2-knob compressors, the RS124 is a complex box with
many sonic variables. Side by side with an
LA-2A and a Sta-Level, I could occasionally
get it to be similar in attack and release to
either, but sonically it is a very different
beast. Like the Sta-Level, the RS124 loves
to dig in deep with 10-12 dB or more of
compression without breaking a sweat,
and still doesn't sound overcompressed.
The RS124 is round-edged and even. It
thickens a source nicely as it compresses
and squeezes in a very buttery-smooth
way. I also found it quite clean for a
vintage-style compressor.
I used it on pretty much everything,
from individual sources like vocals, guitars, bass, and lap steel, to bus work. I
only had a single unit, so I had to sum
all my busses, like drums, to mono...
hey, it's how the Beatles did it!
Compared to many modern compressors
(especially VCA and FET units), the RS124
is quite slow. Having said that, engaging

The Recover control is an 11-position
switch, moving from fast to slow. In
between the 6 black numeric settings
are 4 red dots and the word Hold.
Switching to this freezes the release of
the compressor indefinitely at the last
loudest level. Doing this primes the unit
and keeps it from clicking and thumping
as it encounters a new signal-this feature is rarely found on compressors, new
or old, and I am still getting the hang of
if and when to place a signal on Hold.
You may have noticed that I have listed no absolute values for attack or
release times. There aren't any. This is a
by-ear, feel piece. Also note that there's
no ratio control; as a push-pull style compressor, the RS124's ratio increases the
harder it is driven.
The front panel finishes off with a
rotary on-off switch and a bright orange
jewel-style power indicator, plus one
more hidden control...
The modern unit's electrical fuse is on
the rear panel; what had been a fuse cap
on the vintage unit's front panel is now a
2-position rotary switch that engages
Super Fuse mode. When active, the jewel
light gets brighter, and the unit's time constants and other parameters are altered to

Super Fuse mode makes the RS124 quite
fast and punchy, giving you the best of both
worlds. Most of the time I left its recovery on
the fastest two settings. My favorite vocal
attack was the 60070B, the fastest of the 3
historic units, which I found nice and lively.
Moving to the 60050A setting pinned the
vocal in place more solidly. It was great on
backing vocals that needed to know their
place behind the lead.
On bass this unit is a winner for the most
obvious reasons-in your musical memory
you have heard the RS124 on almost all of
McCartney's Beatles bass tracks! Here it's
hard to dig too deep. It has an even
pinning-in-place effect like that of a StaLevel, but the sound comes across a touch
more natural and lively, even when hitting
12-15 dB of compression. Here the Super
Fuse mode adds great growl and aggression as well. I can see why the Abbey
Road engineers loved it.
My big surprise was on acoustic guitars-this is a place where I'd use the
RS124 often. With 10-12 dB of reduction, 61010B attack, and the fastest
Recovery, the RS124 yielded a great
controlled classic rock strum. Again, I
liked the added attitude of the Super
Fuse switch when applicable.

make it more aggressive, faster, and
more punchy.

RECORDING February 2016

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