Opal Comp is undoubtedly the new frontier of compression, representing the best possible combination of old and new, based on the experience of one of the most famous British designers, Mr. John Orama. Sample-accurate, this is one of the best high-quality dynamics processors from the esteemed John Oram, and has been the choice of many industry professionals over the years, including the legendary Al Schmitt.
The perfect combination: Combining two technologies to achieve superior results:
Opal Comp is designed to capture the essence of precision compressors/limiters, made in England and manufactured to the extremely high standards and durability of all Oram products, and is based on Sonicomp compressor technology. This precision limiter/compressor delivers the same vibrations as the famous “Oram Sonics Sonicomp 2” and enhances them using Acustica’s Hyper 3 technology.
The Opal Comp plugin, like its older brother – the hardware Oram Sonics Sonicomp 2, has a high-quality calibrated VU meter for level reduction and gain, a “hybrid” optical-solid-state design, a feed-forward compression mode and additional controls that provide maximum versatility of the plugin, and all this in a pleasant
pastel blue color, preserving the aesthetics of the original devices in the digital domain.
What does Opal Comp sound like?
It sounds just like Oram in a truly amazing way. The musicality of this device is truly amazing. It is characterized by a very smooth and quiet sound. The presence of hybrid compression makes the sound of the plugin truly unique. This magic is achieved thanks to a vintage-style optical system with a soft, round knee at the compression threshold and a solid-state stage with its ability to instantly handle peak control. When finer control is required (such as in final mixing), the optical control transparently manages peak overshoots, gently compressing the program midlevel to reduce dynamic range, ready for increased output gain. Meanwhile, a semiconductor stage capable of instantly taking control of the peaks.
About John Oram
John Oram is a legendary name in the electronic music industry, whose work has been nominated for 23 Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. His creative talents as a musician, producer, touring drummer, mixer and technical engineer have led him to collaborate with some of the most important bands and audio companies since the early ’60s, including the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Vox and Trident Audio. He was part of the Vox team that developed the Wah-Wah, The Fuzz Box and the Continental Organ, and also created the circuitry for the VOX AC50 and Super Beatle amplifiers.
