KT-76 and EQP-KT

[MJKlein]

Recently I acquired 2 of each of the above titled units. Over time I will update this topic and let everyone know how they are working in my studio. But my first impression is:

The KT-76 is an excellent compressor. I am mostly familiar with the "blackface" 1176, which this emulates. The KT-76 does not color the sound as drastically as the original, but if you push it hard you can get that classic 1176 snare sound with the fast attack/release times. It would be a good unit to put on your "Spank Bus" but you have to slam it good. I found that a mix I did with the KT-76 handling the bass resulted in a very smooth bottom end that was easy to manage in Mastering. The problem with this compressor is that you want to put it on everyting! You'll end up re-recording your tracks with the compressor to free it up for other stuff. I got a pair for obvious reasons. I need to do some white noise tests and see how well matched they are and whether I need to make some adjustments. Fortunately the analog VU meter has a screw adjustment on the rear panel. Also, the VU meters have a decidedly "vintage bulb" look to the backlighting. I really like that look because it's like they've been in my studio since 1976, hehe.

For re-recording analog processing in Reaper, this video will be an eye opener. My mind was a little blown, but This Is Reaper:



The 2 EPQ-KTs have made an incredible difference in my mixes. Of course they are patterned after (but not modeled from) one of the original Pultec program EQs, of which I have extensive experience. While not as dramatic with the audio coloration, they sure do have that "Pultec sound" in abundance. I used one on a lead vocal track and it cut through the mix with a beautiful sheen. The 20kHz Cut function can reduce or even eliminate some of the annoying high end garbage from acoustic guitars and even vocals. The Q control makes it even more useful. Yes, it does the "Pultec low end boost/cut trick" too.

Again, I got 2 of them for obvious reasons and eventually I will get around to employing them for Mastering.

The next compressors on my list are the 2A-KT, so stay tuned. A friend of mine has some excellent LA2A mods and I'm going to ask him if he can do any of those on the KT version.