AudioScape have announced the launch of the MK-609 Precision Stereo Diode Limiter/Compressor, which offers their take on the ‘Metal Knob’ version of Neve’s classic 33609. As with all of their products, the company have taken great care in sourcing components and recreating the sound of an original unit, as well as introducing some helpful modern features.
The device is a diode-bridge-based design which offers everything from subtle bus compression that can be applied across a whole mix, to a much more aggressive character that can add some character to dynamic sources such as vocals and drum parts. Its two independent channels are each equipped with dedicated Limit and Compress sections, and as well as a stereo operation mode, there’s a Quad mode that activates a rear-panel connection and allows multiple units to be linked.
AudioScape say that they spent over four years to settle on a design that they felt lived up to the original hardware, using NOS (New Old Stock) components where available and opting for new parts where they felt it necessary for reliability. They also built their own in-house versions of parts such as the PCB, transformers and a number of other crucial components.
As well as capturing the sound of the original design, the MK-609 has been kitted out with some new functions that aim to make it more versatile in modern production environments. The first of the new features is a high-pass filter in the unit’s side-chain, which can be set at either 50 or 100 Hz to prevent low-frequency signals from triggering compression. There’s also a new ‘Super Fast’ attack setting for both the compressor and limiter circuits, and the make-up gain control will function when the compressor section is bypassed and the unit is being used only as a limiter — something which wasn’t possible on the original units.
Pricing & Availability
The MK-609 is available to pre-order now, and is currently (10 September 2023) being offered at an introductory price of $1799£1999 including VAT. The company are also providing the option to place a £500 deposit to secure a pre-order, with the remaining balance to be paid when their device is ready. Units are expected to ship a few weeks time. To celebrate the release, AudioScape UK are running a sale on all of their rackmount outboard gear, which customers can obtain using the code AS609RELEASE at checkout.
