wasp (was: Re: [sdiy] Comparator = Opamp ??)

[jh.]

> Companders can also be a musical disaster.  My favorite worst case
> scenario was a DBX cassette recording I made of myself playing guitar.
> This was a completely mellow jazz guitar sound, think Pat Metheny or
> Wes Montgomery but with a lot less talent.  A deep bass sound with
> almost no highs, so you wouldn't think it could possibly cause any
> electrical problems.
>
> But the playback was unrecognizable.  The companding DBX noise
> reduction added a loud "chiff" to the transient of every note.  And
> since there were no highs in original transients, the chiff was extra
> inappropriate.

Yes. These cheap versions of DBX are total crap, IMO. I like Dolby
much better for multitrack recording.

> I hear a similiar effect playing a Wurlitzer piano through a BBD
> chorus.

That's because the companders in BBD boxes are (almost) always
NE571 circuits with symmetrical time constants and - just as the low
cost DBX - wide band companders. Playing a Wurlie thru the ARP
phaser with its fast attack / decent decay is much, much better.

JH.