Sometimes, hitting a stereo mix with a touch of compression is just what the doctor ordered. Some compressors don't do so well in this role - they seem to either suck the life right out of the music, or they remain a little too transparent. The ideal mix bus compressor adds punch and character, tightens up dynamics and, if you're lucky, actually adds a bit of sheen to the overall sound. Enter the English-made Smart Research C2 stereo compressor, a solid state processor that really delivers the goods in this applications.

 That the C2 ($2,995) has a lot in common with SSL's legendary analog compression circuit is no accident: Alan Smart was an engineer with SSL for many years, having installed and serviced countless SSL consoles in studios worldwide. Now, what started as a garage project has turned into one of the best-kept secrets among recording engineers. Based on the way this compressor sounds, however, I think the secret will be out soon enough.

Features

 The C2 is a two-channel compressor with switchable link mode. Called "left master" on the C2, this mode slaves the Channel 2 VCA to the control settings and gain reduction of Channel 1. Both channels offer external sidechain and process I/O buttons; underneath the slave button on the leftmost side of the C2 is the crush button (more on this later).
Channel knobs include threshold, ratio, attack time, release time and makeup gain. Each channel has a VU-style meter that tracks gain reduction. Unfortunately, the C2 doesn't let one switch the meter to monitor either the input or output levels.

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