AEA 1029 compressor

General

Compression without compromise! The AEA 1029 is a half-rack stereo VCA compressor, built around a proprietary discrete op-amp design by Fred Forssell, complemented by two THAT 4305 VCAchips driven by a single RMS detector acting on the summed input signal. The result: balanced, extremely transparent compression that is equally adept at taming vocals and smashing drum overheads – without the harsh edges typical of many VCA designs.

Features of the AEA 1029

This is not an entry-level model that ‘can also handle stereo’. It is designed as a dedicated stereo bus compressor, with the RMS detection fed by the summed signal so that your stereo image remains intact, even with substantial gain reduction. The Dry/Wet control gives you parallel compression straight on-board, without having to set up a separate bus. And with true bypass relay switching, you can be sure the signal path remains crystal clear when you take it out of the chain for a moment. Compact in size – a half-rack unit that fits on your desk or takes up half a space in your rack – but by no means a lightweight in terms of functionality. From subtle glue compression to brickwall limiting: the 1029 goes as far as you want it to. Designed to integrate seamlessly with AEA’s TRP and RPQ preamps, but equally at home behind any stereo microphone setup or on the mix bus.