The Radial Komit is a feature-rich 500 series compressor-limiter that simplifies the process of dynamic manipulation while expanding upon creative tone shaping.
The design provides exceptional flexibility by introducing various automatic functions that are both musical and intuitive. Developed by Burgin-McDaniel, the new Radial Komit retains the original design with full-size 100% discreet components throughout the audio path to ensure maximum signal transfer. Where it differs from the original is with improved dynamic monitoring using a dual-function LED bar graph, a key-input via the Workhorse 5000’s Omniport and easier to use front panel graphics.
The design begins with a feed-forward VCA compressor that is designed to react real-time to program material and is easily adjusted from slight 1:1 compression all the way to 10:1 hard compression ratios using a single dial. This is augmented with a dynamic control with program-dependent slow, medium and fast settings of the attack and decay times that auto-track as signal passes through.
According to Radial Engineer Kevin Burgin: “During the Komit development stage, we tested all kinds of compressors and found that the front-panel controls rarely matched what was actually going on inside. In essence, the controls had very little to do with the audible settings. This caused us to reassess how compressors are used and we came to the conclusion that most folks simply use their ears when setting the controls. By rethinking the approach we felt we could cover all of the bases with a single control and a 3-position switch. This way, the user does not have to set all kinds of knobs to achieve the dynamics he may be looking for. This speeds up the process without hampering the creative flow.”
In the past, the traditional way to link compressors has been to share the VCA control voltage for two devices. The limitation of this approach means the accuracy of the attack and release characteristics is limited due to part tolerances and voltage tracking lag time. The tracking becomes all the more impractical when mixing in 5.1 surround where several devices must work in conjunction. To solve the problem, the Komit features an innovative ‘sync’ function that allows a pair of compressors to share the same time constant components to give you incredibly accurate stereo tracking for the most demanding mix environments.
A separate 20:1 limiter is on-board that may be bypassed or inserted to provide a dynamic ceiling for the audio track and prevent distortion from reaching the digital workstation. This function is performed using an ‘old-school’ diode bridge limiter that ranges from ‘quiet & confident’ to down right ‘nasty’ depending on how the drive output gain is set. The 12 position switch provides repeatable settings from -10dB up to +21dB of gain. When driven hard, harmonic distortion can be introduced to add pleasing overtones reminiscent of the finest vintage devices. The drive output gain control is post-compressor, pre-limiter and is equipped with auto-gain make-up to ensure more stable and natural sounding dynamics. As most of the work is done automatically, a +4/-10dB input selector provides and input reference and sets the threshold for optimum performance.
When used with the Radial Workhorse 5000 rack, the Omniport acts like a key input to allow ducking for automatic voice-over or when combined with an EQ, frequency depending compression can be introduced for de-essing and other dynamic effects.
The Radial Komit combines the power of an advanced VCA compressor with the vintage tone of a diode bridge limiter in an easy to use, great sounding format.
