The audio examples available on this page accompany my review of the Mercury 666 Studio Limiting Amplifier. I’ve provided a few examples of how I enjoyed using this high-end hybrid solid-state/tube device. As I explained in the review, this is a compressor that you can use for subtle tone shaping or for really changing the personality of a source.
www.soundonsound.com/reviews/mercury-666-limiting-amplifier
01_Female Vocal_RAW
An example of a recent recording I did for the artist Naomi Randall. This is a vocal mic from a live voice and guitar recording.
02_Female Vocal_666
I used the 666 to add some presence and air to the vocal, being careful not to spoil the delicate performance. I liked setting 3 (medium attack and release) here, with a touch of high-frequency EQ to help bring out the top end of her voice. I dialed back the wet/dry control slightly to remove the audible sound of the compression working. The side-chain filter was set at 90Hz.
03_Male Vocal_RAW
An example of a male vocal kindly provided by SOS contributor JG Harding.
04_Male_666
I used the 666 for its tone-shaping qualities here, and the setting ‘3’ combined with some low-end EQ helped to bring out some body in JG’s voice. Again, I dialled the wet/dry control back to the point where I was less aware of the compression.
05_Bass GTR_RAW
A bass guitar recorded via DI with no processing.
06_Bass GTR_666
I like how the attack/release position ‘11’ worked on bass with a fast attack and medium release characteristic. In this example, I also added a little low-end using the on-board Baxandall EQ. The side-chain filter is set at 90Hz.
07_Drum Room
A mono drum mic from a recent recording session at my studio. This channel is a little thin and lacking in energy.
08_Drum Room_666
In this setting, the 666 was nothing short of transformative! I settled on position 1, with a fast attack and release, to create a pumping, overblown effect that I could blend in with the rest of the drum mics. The EQ section worked well to add a little weight and dial back the higher frequencies. The side-chain filter was set at 150Hz.
09_Snare_RAW
An example of a snare drum recorded with a classic SM57.
10_Snare_666
I used the 666 to add snap and weight to the snare. This was setting 6 (fast attack and release) and with just a touch of low-end adding using the EQ. The wet/dry control was set at around 50%, to bring back in some of the transient information lost with the compression.