Fredenstein V.A.S. Comp

I use this between a Camden EC1 pre-amp and Audient ID14, for voice over, with various mics including hyper-cardiod. I am using it primarily as a peak limiter and sibilance suppressor and chose it for its cleanliness and it worms for this by using the sweepable side chain Bandwidth Filter to focus what it responds to - and this side chain filter adds a gentle what I would call musicality?I am not a musician so cannot comment on that side. It is a mono unit and pairs with the Fredenstein mic pre-amp, which might be the best way to use it? But it has a “do not remove sticker” on so I am not sure if it is rack mountable as a pair with tje Pre-amp - it is smaller than a half rack. The compressor is driven by an input gain adjuster which goes from -10db to +distorting level. The knobs are tricky to use having no logical grading increments and are sweep only (no notches), so repeating a setting is virtually impossible - there is a lot of change for only a tiny amount of rotation. There are increment lines marked, but in threes so you cannot work out what the setting is between the five settings marked on each knob - essentially you are going to do most of your adjusting by ear- which is fine in a way - it’s analogue after all..You have to be so careful though, a tiny turn of the input knob can add what feels like too much. There is no Threshold option - I set up the mic Pre- Amp with the compressor on bypass, with enough gain to deliver -12db peak audio into the ID14, then engage the compressor and use the pre-amp gain to drive the signal up and then the gain on the Fresenstein for fine tuning, so that the compressor brings it back down to -12 db peak and this acts as the make up - I have around 4:1 or 5:1 ratio, more than if using a DAW plug-in compressor. As you sweep the Filter Knob you get different qualities from bright to rich - its not clear what frequencies you are shelving though - it’s intuitive and there is nothing in the very thin instruction booklet, to explain. I do not use the makeup gain because it adds too much noise, but the dry/wet function is interesting as it is sweepable and just adds a bit of clarity without increasing the peaks. I have already bought the ART Dual PWM Limiter, pending delivery, for some fast peak limiting, and then this might frees up the Fredenstein so I can use it more like a compressor to add character.. It is a boutique bit of kit, not a workhorse in my limited experience, and there is literally only one review about this on Youtube - one guy in the USA. You have to have patience and be prepared to make subtle changes, and to all intents and purposes use your ears, rather than logic to choose the attack and release and all the other settings. It is a fascinating bit of kit at a reasonable price,

Very capable and solid compressor. Fredenstein did a great job with the little guy. It may be a FET compressor, and it is good at doing 1176 style stuff. However, it is also capable of very mild and transparent compressor. I would not even be surprised if two these could handle a master buss in a pinch. I use mine on everything from vocals, synths, drums, guitars, and they are very solid. I have other higher compressors and VAS is just as good as any of them. Fredenstein really does a great job finding a way to make affordable products that punch well above their price point.

Ich benutze den Fredenstein zusammen mit einem Great River Pre für Gesangsaufnahmen und bin damit vollauf zufrieden. Er greift sehr musikalisch und gut dosierbar in das Signal ein und auch die optische Anzeige ist fein genug, um eine sinnvolle Rückmeldung zu geben. Ich kann nicht feststellen, dass er das Signal in irgendeiner Weise verschlechtert.

Besonders hervorheben möchte ich den DRY/WET Regler, mit dem sich eine parallele Kompression realisieren lässt. Im Moment jedenfalls finde ich als nächstgünstiges Gerät mit dieser Funktion lediglich einen Black Lion für knapp 700 €.

Damit steht der Fredenstein jedenfalls für mich in dieser Hinsicht konkurrenzlos da.

Den einen Stern Abzug in der Verarbeitung gibt es lediglich, weil keines der Potis gerade in der Frontplatte sitzt, so dass der Knopf bei Drehen sichtlich "eiert". Ich habe insgesamt drei dieser Geräte und es ist bei jedem so. Das hat aber keine Auswirkungen auf die Funktion, nur ist es eben nicht ganz so schön.

INSGESAMT: Sehr empfehlenswert!