Sonic State Studio / Outboard /
 Behringer T1952 (Compressor) At a Glance  
Picture needed
arrowReleased: 2001(?)  arrowVersion: 0.00
arrowRated: 8.3/10arrow User reviews: (3)
arrow Outboard LinksarrowSubmit a link
cTrix writes:
Yes, it's another "cool to be vintage" rack to compliment a growing number of on-the-cheap outboard processors trying to look like retro classics. But does the Behringer cut the mustard?

Well, in a way - yes it does. As a compressor the T1952 is to the point and more than able of delivering a fat yet crunchey sound. We used it as a compressor for an overhead mic on a kit during a live recording; and it really brought the whole drum mix under control and gave us a huge amount of control. On a bass line generated by a Juno 106 it also proved to smooth sounds out and the peek limitor quickly flattened a res over-tweek. (saving the old Motu and the Alesis M1's in one huge peek limit!)

So in use; if you've used a compressor before, this is about as functional as you'll get. A few things... instead of soft/hard knee modes, there is soft and interactive knee modes (known as IKA). This is a mid way point and seems to give pretty smooth results making compression slighly more natural sounding. Well, it seemed to make the hats slightly crunchier anyway.

One thing though - the whole tube warmth thing is a bit of a gimik. Quite funny actually. It's one of those knobs you max out to have a listen to, and shortly followed the tweek by a glance for another hidden switch to turn it on. More of an exciter than a tube warmth; it also adds a bit of noise (although noise generally doesn't bother me much). Doesn't really add body and warmth though. My dbx MiniPre packs more tube punch than this rack. Being me I pulled the casing off had a bit of a laugh, not because there was nothing in the case, but because the tubes are BACKLIT! (you can tell from looking at the unit front on too. It just looks more pathetic when you take the casing off) Yep; that's right - upon a quick measure with a test meter to confirm my fears, the tubes arn't even driven hard enough to emit a decent glow. Ahh well. Nice try.

So would I get a T1952 over the standard Composer Pro?

Yeah, I think so. It's built slightly chunkier and the sound has a slightly more "out-there" impact. It also seems to take abuse with a slightly higher tollerance level than some gear I've used. The tube thing has a pleasent if different effect to what i'd expected. I still prefer the bar leds for level monitoring and comp/limit info, but the 3 leds on the front of the unit are sufficient for me and my raw and fat style of recording.

I'm sure dbx or Focusrite users would dismiss this unit; but compared to a Compounder, it sounded fine to me. A good compressor rack for the price.

Good Points
+ Good compressor / limiter combo + IKA system works well (as always) + Price is awsome + Looks and feels good (cute tube glow!)
Bad Points
- "Vintage" VU meters a bit impractical on a compressor/limitor - Tube warmth? Or glowing gimick? Go figure...
 

 Behringer T1952 (Compressor) Specifications:

Digital IOs:

Analog IOs:
2in , 2out - XLR and ΒΌ in. TRS jack
Dynamics:
Compressor with

 T1952 (Compressor) Links


Try the Outboard links page for more..