New Fairchild 670 Tube Compressor Debuts at AES 2023
After five years of extensive R&D and precision testing, Fairchild Recording Equipment LLC debuts at AES the new authentic recreation of the legendary Fairchild 670 vacuum tube compressor. Hand built in Estonia and fully tested/burned in at Fairchild’s headquarters in Connecticut, the new 670 is available in very limited numbers.
Toni Fishman is hands-on during the final QC on the new Fairchild 670.
One of the first to test out the new Fairchild 670 was LA-based producer/mixer/engineer Rafa Sardina, an 18-time Grammy(r) & Latin Grammy(r) Award-winner. He commented, “I’ve heard other attempts to recreate this remarkable unit they lack that real Fairchild gain structure and tonal balance. I’ve worked with this new Fairchild 670 in my studio with my own recordings and I really pushed it. I did A-B comparisons and the stereo was perfectly matched left and right, no artifacts at all.”
Visit AES booth #427 to experience the legendary sound.
Toni Fishman, founder and CEO of microphone designer/manufacturer TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, is behind the new company and unlike other Fairchild 670 recreations, Fishman’s new 670 utilizes the same tubes, custom-wound transformers and is built to the original specs. The architecture, point-to-point soldering and turret-style construction make this the only authentic recreation of the original 670 designed and built by Rein Narma at the request of recording innovator Les Paul in 1959.
The original Fairchild 670 has a reputation as the best sounding and most versatile compressor ever made. Used on countless hit recordings over the years, its unique combination of tube driven amplification and gain reduction gives the 670 a wide range of compression effects, from subtle and transparent to heavy and pumping. After an extended presentation at Blackbird Studio, the new Fairchild was purchased for the famed Nashville studio.
Fairchild 670 detailed view (clockwise from upper left): front of unit; faceplate removed showing DC offset panel for calibrating; back of unit showing tubes, transformers and capacitors; inside point-to-point architecture. Photos by Nick Sonsini.
Fishman’s new vacuum tube Fairchild 670 provides modern producers and audio engineers with the classic sound of the first intelligent automatic volume control limiter. With its dual-channel design and unique compression characteristics, the Fairchild 670 is capable of adding warmth, depth, and character to virtually any audio signal. The vacuum tube technology used in the 670 adds a natural, organic quality to the compressed signal, providing that distinctive classic analog sound to both digital and analog productions.
Key Features: Dual mono operation, six selectable time constants, threshold, compression, makeup gain controls, VU metering, hand-wired point-to-point construction, custom-designed transformers, tube-driven amplification.
Applications: vocals, drums, bass, guitars, strings, piano, brass, orchestral instruments, mix buss/mastering.
Sweetwater Sound, Inc. and Vintage King Audio have been named initial domestic dealers. European dealers include Klemm in Austria, Germany and Switzerland; Funky Junk in France, Italy and Spain; Cyber Farm in Denmark and Sweden; SX Pro in the UK. Asian dealers include MID in Japan; Gearlounge in South Korea, and Budee in China.
Learn more about Fairchild Recording Equipment LLC: www.fairchildusa.com
Tel: 860-882-5916 ext 26
