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Safe Sound Audio Dynamics Toolbox Description
Want to read Bob Katz' impression of the Dynamics Toolbox? Read Here
Compressor
Two great stereo linkable compressors in one package PLUS a choice of 'peakride' or 'dynamic tracking' compression, so a fantastic range of compression for tracking, submix effects and mastering.
Switchable compressor formats
Peakride compression uses three linked sidechains each with different ratio, attack, and release characteristics, which in tandem allow for very musical dynamic control of source material, especially on vocals and acoustic instruments which can often suffer badly from over compression in an effort to bring fast transients under control. Peakride compression is very easy to dial in when tracking and evens out levels in a very musical way without robbing the sound of life, so bringing the performance a new energy whilst remaining transparent and not sounding overly effected.
Dynamic tracking compression was developed primarily for use during stereo submix and final mix duties. It allows the attack and release times set by the user to be dynamically modified by analogue processing which tracks the dynamic content of the audio material being processed. It's capable of working in two very distinct ways; with moderate settings of ratio and attack time, and set to auto release, it helps quickly glue elements of the mix together, but push into fast attack and short release time territory and you have access to a real in your face compressor which can pump and fizz drum tracks and anything else which needs some added character.
Includes the fabled
New York parallel compression - very rare in a stereo linkable compressor.
Allows an infinite blend of compressed and uncompressed material.
'New York Compression' became a trademark sound of many New York based mixing engineers and uses a form of parallel compression which mixes in a small amount of very heavily compressed stereo submix, usually drums or rhythm guitars, back into the main uncompressed submix. The beauty of this technique is that since you have full control of the blend between compressed and uncompressed submix strands, you retain the timbre and dynamics of the original submix whilst adding gritty texture via the heavily compressed element.
We thought it would be nice to offer this feature 'right out of the box' rather than having to set up separate aux busses in your mixing console or DAW. The Dynamics Toolbox provides a fully variable blend between dry (uncompressed) and wet (compressed) audio, can be used with the compressor or limiter, and offers
New York compression in both mono and stereo modes of operation. Parallel compression also has other 'more gentle' uses particularly a subtle form of 'bottom-up' compression widely used in classical music.
Technical Specification
Whitepaper (pdf)
Flexible sidechain
Reaching further into the toolbox you'll find sweepable hi and lo pass sidechain filters which add huge flexibility to both compression modes so you can easily add low end punch into the mix and dial in top end sparkle and air on demand. If that's not enough then the balanced sidechain insert and listen facilities allow additional processing to be added and monitored.
Limiter
Adjustable threshold limiter for ultimate protection and great as a dynamic effect when used with the '
New York' blender. The limiter design combines programme related elements of 'look ahead' dynamic threshold control with dynamic adjustment of attack time. Another great tool with a dual personality; very fast clipping protection when tracking but also very useful as a creative tool in its own right when pushed into heavy levels of limiting...
The Power Supply System
The Dynamics Toolbox houses a 100% analogue power supply unit with a super high quality toroidal power transformer feeding two 100% linear power voltage regulators.
Fully stereo linkable
The two channels are fully linkable with channel 1 controlling all dynamics functions in 'link' mode, so there's no need to match left and right settings manually. To the mix we've added VU level and gain reduction metering which can operate at nominal levels of +6dBu during tracking, or +18dbu during mixdown and mastering, so optimising noise floor and headroom for the job at hand.
Output stage
With many recording systems now offering +24dBu audio handling capability we decided to go one better and designed the Dynamics Toolbox's electronically balanced output stage to handle +27dBu signals, so typically 3dB of additional headroom above most pro-studio set ups.
Plugging in one of the optional classic output transformers from Lundahl, Sowter, Jenson or Cinemag, whilst retaining the same +27dBu high signal handling capability, opens up a whole additional palette of tonal shaping for the professional audio engineer.
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Safe Sound Audio
Dynamics Toolbox Review / See
All ZenPro Audio Reviews Here: Review Page
I am one of the lucky few who was
able to tell a former Neve designer (Robert Campbell, owner of Safe Sound Audio
UK) what I’d like to see in the feature set of a “do all” compressor /
limiter and then…actually have it happen. The Dynamics Toolbox started with a
blank sheet of paper, no clones or copying, but with one question: “what is
everything one could want in a single compressor?”. To me the answer was
simple, well…everything!
The Dynamics Toolbox is designed and
hand built in the
UK, very boutique stuff.
It happens to be the most feature laden analog compressor / limiter on earth as
well. It has two modes of compression, “Dynamic Tracking” mode for smooth
control of 2 buss mixes and mastering (but can be pushed for crunch when taken
to extremes) and “Peakride” mode which employs an auto release design and swift
control for tracking purposes. The DTB also has 2 internal sidechain EQ’s,
completely variable to roll out low end and high end to affect those
frequencies less with the compressor’s action. You can also use a hardware
insert to key or EQ the sidechain, and SOLO the sidechain also to dial in what
you need to control. There is “
New York” style / parallel
compression right in the box also, and can be mixed linked or used separately
in dual mono mode. This enables you to blend compressed material with the
original unaffected sound, which is great for everything from drum buss mixing
to 2 buss to mastering to mixing wildly dynamic orchestral recordings. You can
also add Sowter or Lundahl transformers to the output (and swap them yourself) which
gives the DTB four functioning outputs at once. In other words, add the
transformers and wire all 4 outputs into your patchbay and choose on the fly.
Ground lifts on every input and output also keep the DTB playing nice with any
strange ground schemes you may have.
Getting the picture on this “Toolbox”?
It isn’t called that for nothin’…!
The creamy white finish I thought
was a nice touch too, it stands out in the rack.
The “Peakride” mode is based on the
now legendary Model P1 compressor which simply holds stuff in place while
tracking without pinching it or making it sound small or obviously compressed.
Super easy to dial in, I cannot live without Peakride for tracking voice, bass
and more. The “Dynamics Tracking” mode is interesting because in lower ratios
it is very smooth and forgiving, great for 2 buss and mastering. However, if
you crank the ratio all the way up and speed up those attack and release times,
it can do a great job of bringing smack and crunch to drum kits, bass, guitars,
voice…you name it! Not a super crazy crunch, but enough to bring new flavors to
the table for driven rock n roll sounds. Cranking the high end internal
sidechain EQ down does a pretty good “LA3A” impression as well (compressing top
end less, leaving a brighter sort of sound).
The limiter is pretty gentle, not a
brickwall type but a bit more of an “oops” style limiter that does not try to
sound very obvious. It’s quick but not so quick it easily distorts. It is a one
knob threshold setting, easy to dial in and the red LED’s in the white meters
let you know when you’re hitting it.
The Lundahl transformers certainly
have a big and open sound to them, very linear in response. The Sowters have
that somewhat exaggerated low end response and slightly driven mids, and is
ever so darker up top. Choose the Lundahls for all purpose work, choose the
Sowter when you want more character in your tracks.
Conclusion: My very biased opinion
is that the Dynamics Toolbox is the most effective and versatile box in my
arsenal. I track with it, submix and perform final mixdown with it. The price
vs feature set is stunning, and it’s all done in the
UK by a guy who knows
dynamics control.
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Reviews:
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Average Rating:
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Safe Sound Dynamics Toolbox - Wow!
John Culleton
(Florence, SC)
11/28/2010 7:13 PM
I bought the Safe Sound Dynamics Toolbox with the intention of using it for tracking on location gigs. The Peakride compression and limiter were the features I was looking to use for tracking. Once I read the manual (yes, real men sometimes read the manual) I fell in love with the sidechain and blend features. The box quickly moved into the home rack for tracking and mixing. For 2-buss work, the Dynamics Toolbox easily keeps up with the Crane Song STC-8, Pendulum ES-8 and Pendulum OCL-2 comps that already live there. What a sleeper piece of gear! The flexibility and straightforward controls are amazing. If I needed a one-size-fits-all compressor , this would be it. The bang-for-the-buck with the Toolbox is truly incredible. Thanks for your advice and the great service at Zen Pro!
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Fantastic Addition
Woodcrest Studio
(West Chester, PA)
11/27/2009 1:57 PM
Note: This is a portion of my full review. I ran out of characters in this review form and decided to make a web page for it. The link is at the bottom of this review if you wish to read it all and see a couple pictures.
Here begins the review:
This all started with an Electrodyne CA-700 I picked up for the studio then I really realized I had missed some of the musicality of analogue outboard compressors when I went from a full analogue studio to full digital then back to a hybrid digital / analogue setup. The difference to my ears and my connection to the music I was mixing was seriously altered, for the better. I've always known this, but as we get lost in software it takes a whack to the ears to wake us up sometimes. I am by no means saying digital software plugins are terrible, but to my ears the difference in sound woke me up from my cozy digital slumber.
I found some my trusty plugins, good ones by Universal Audio and others seemed almost fake. Not as much with the Universal Audio ones (I remember when I inserted the LA-2a plugin for the first time with the 1st UAD-1 I bought and was awe-struck making me a UAD convert), but with the other compressor plugins I had that I have been using for years as my go-to software compressors that I have mixed countless albums on. I then evaluated my small selection of outboard compressors and decided I needed a stereo buss compressor to pick up where my 4 Mindprint DTC tube compressors and the Electrodyne CA-700 couldn't fill. I started looking for a stereo, ultra flexible and tunable compressor.
Continued Here :
http://woodcreststudio.com/dynamics_toolbox_review.html
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