- Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander Tool
- Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander Kit
- Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander Valve
![Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander](/uploads/1/3/4/8/134814909/376187154.jpg)
Description
The Aphex 661 Expressor™ The Aphex 661 is a neat 1-rack-unit mono compressor with a couple of interesting wrinkles. I've had chance now to run it through its paces and use it on a variety of recordings. To cut to the chase, it works really well and merits your serious consideration. Whether you're recording, mixing or mastering, the COMPOSER PRO-XL MDX2600 gives you total dynamic control. It includes all of the features you would expect from a reference class compressor-plus a voice-adaptive de-esser, a new dynamic enhancer, authentic tube emulation and much more. Does anyone here have any information on the Aphex CX-1? It's a '500 Series' style module. Compressor and expander. I just had one come across my bench and I do not know if its working properly. Any help or info would be great. I've been cruisin the net for a while and I have yet to find a lot about it.
Aphex carved a niche in the signal processing market, first with the Aural Exciter, then with a series of superb compressor / leveller units such as the Dominator. They are all super-transparent units with no discernible “sound”. They use proprietary Aphex algorithms to determine attack & release times and to hold gain reduction when required. Aphex units were popular in American broadcast setups and many sat in racks for a decade or more controlling levels to the transmitter. They are beautifully-made with substantial front panels & steel cases, balanced XLR inputs & outputs and very high quality circuitry
Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander Tool
The Studio Dominator 700 is a multiband unit with adjustable high and low frequency bands, each with switchable crossover frequencies. These bands control the contribution each makes to the gain reduction so the low end can be prevented from pumping the signal or excess high-frequencies can be pulled back without affecting the main signal adversely. These controls can, of course be misused creatively…
The equaliser affects the sidechain only, not the main signal, so the compressor can be made more (or less) sensitive in specific frequency bands. It can take a little time to get your head around multiband compression, and controls can be counter-intuitive, but the results are remarkable
The low and high bands can be used to drive compression as required. Used on a loop, pushing the higher frequencies makes the snare drum drive the compression and, by changing the release time and using TEC, this will make the snare snap more – or less, pushing it back in the mix. Release time is the key here. Setting release is confusing at first because the control operates in the opposite sense to most compressors with the fastest release time fully clockwise. The Dominator is definitely a tool to be setup using your ears, not by looking at the front panel
The Dominator has a peak limiter function with zero overshoot. This allows a maximum output level to be set. The output won’t go over that level, so it’s suitable for mastering, in-ear monitoring feeds & etc. Aphex achieves this without the gross clipping typical of low-end compressors that use diode clippers. It also has a switchable TEC “Transient Enhancer Control” which is an Aphex tweak designed to allow transients to be less affected by the limiting process
The front panel controls are
The low and high bands can be used to drive compression as required. Used on a loop, pushing the higher frequencies makes the snare drum drive the compression and, by changing the release time and using TEC, this will make the snare snap more – or less, pushing it back in the mix. Release time is the key here. Setting release is confusing at first because the control operates in the opposite sense to most compressors with the fastest release time fully clockwise. The Dominator is definitely a tool to be setup using your ears, not by looking at the front panel
The Dominator has a peak limiter function with zero overshoot. This allows a maximum output level to be set. The output won’t go over that level, so it’s suitable for mastering, in-ear monitoring feeds & etc. Aphex achieves this without the gross clipping typical of low-end compressors that use diode clippers. It also has a switchable TEC “Transient Enhancer Control” which is an Aphex tweak designed to allow transients to be less affected by the limiting process
The front panel controls are
- Drive
- Process (off / on)
- LF EQ (+/- 6)
- LF crossover frequency (80 / 160 Hz)
- HF EQ (+/- 6)
- HF crossover frequency (1700 / 4500 Hz)
- Release Time
- Stereo tracking (off / on)
- Output ceiling switch
- Range (low / hi)
- TEC (off / on)
- Gain Reduction metering
I’ve used other Aphex models like the Dominator 720 & Compellor but this is the first model 700 I’ve come across. It has the typical Aphex ability to alter dynamics without changing the quality of the signal. It’s a remarkable trick – one that takes me by surprise every time. It reminds me of the SPL Transient Designer in its ability to suppress or accentuate dynamics but it’s capable of much more
I like compressors with an obvious “sound” that leave big footprints all over the signal. The Dominator leaves a footprint alright, but does it without mangling the original signal. For sitting a loop in a track, or making it poke out, this is a great tool. Because it’s a stereo unit it’s ideal for stems & stereo sources or as a stereo bus limiter
As a tool to control absolute peaks, the Studio Dominator is one of the best units around. It manages to sound clean & clear even when driven into heavy limiting or past the output ceiling level. This is what it was designed to do – limit cleanly with no overshoot. But the fact that it’s great at changing dynamics of a drum bus, loop or stem means it has far more uses than just peak limiting
Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander Kit
![Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander](/uploads/1/3/4/8/134814909/449701566.jpg)
Aphex Cx 1 Compressor Expander Valve
Photos are of a Dominator Model 720 and will be replaced by photos of the Model 700