New VTC: Color/Comp Switch for Pure Tube Color
- 31.01.2023
- Gabriel Maceu Faria
- VTC
Of course, since it is a Vari-Mu compressor, that used to mean that, if you wanted to just add tube harmonics to your tracks, you would still need to run it through the compressor and keep riding the Input and Output knobs until you got the color you wanted with as little compression as possible. Definitely a very creative way to use the VTC, but maybe not the easiest one. So we asked ourselves: how can we make it easier to get any color you want?
Well, now, you can get those smooth harmonics without changing your dynamics at all.
The Color/Comp Switch: Color or Compress
With our new “Color/Comp” switch (1 per channel), you can have total control of what gets compressed and what gets only colored. When the switch is set to “Comp”, the compression is active. When the switch is set to “Color”, the VTC is not compressing, but the signal is still running through the tubes.
New Components, New Logo
But that’s not all: the VTC now has new, perfectly-matched capacitors and transistors, making the L/R calibration process much more accurate, precise, and long-lasting.Finally, we cannot help but point out that the new VTC is the first 19’’ Tegeler device with our new logo and font. We hope you liked it as much as we did!
What the Vari Tube Compressor Is – and Why "Color" Alone Is Worth It
The VTC is our vari-mu mastering and bus compressor – a complete tube signal path built on the same principle as the Fairchild 670. Per channel the signal passes through three transformers and four triodes: the tubes add harmonics the ear finds pleasant, and the transformers' gentle non-linearity provides saturation before the compression even kicks in – the bass gets tidier, the highs are rounded off. Exactly this part of the signal path stays active in the "Color" position while the compression steps back completely; the input control sets how hard you drive tubes and transformers. A separate bypass switch takes the unit out of the signal path entirely.
In the "Comp" position the VTC works as it always has: it starts compressing very gently and only grabs harder as the input level rises; a low-cut filter in the side chain keeps low frequencies from driving the compression. All controls have 42 detents, and both channels run as a coupled stereo pair or – link switch off – as two separate mono channels. How engineers use the VTC is shown by Dominique Klatte on a vinyl production and Zeitgeist Mastering on video.
Find out more about the VTC by having it in your own setup and seeing how it goes with your workflow!
Learn more about the Vari Tube Compressor
Related: Jazz on Vinyl: All-Analog Recording with the VTC · Zeitgeist Mastering: VTC and EQP-1 Video Review · Schwerkraftmaschine vs. VTC: VTC Mode Explained
