Waves Audio has released the Abbey Road RS124 Compressor plug-in – presently the only software emulation of the ultra-rare RS124s approved by Abbey Road Studios.
Heard on every Beatles recording made at Abbey Road, the custom-built RS124 compressor was the secret weapon of Abbey Road engineers during the 1960s, favoured by Geoff Emerick for punchy bass sounds, by Ken Scott for lush guitar treatment and by Norman Smith for lightly gluing the rhythm bus. It was also a popular choice for mastering in Abbey Road’s cutting rooms.
Abbey Road engineers would typically push the input of the RS124 deep into 15-20dB of gain reduction, producing lush results on numerous sources. Since its rediscovery in the early 2000s, this important, rare and unique compressor in still being used at Abbey Road Studios today.
The RS124 was an extensive in-house modification of the American Altec 436B compressor. It is believed only 25 units were ever created, and each unit/serial number was hand-built by Abbey Road/EMI technical legends Bill Livy, Len Page and Mike Bachelor. No two units sounded exactly the same; each had different sonic qualities and attack/release times, due to constant tinkering of the components used. As a result, some units were more suited for tracking, others for bus compression and disc cutting/mastering duties.
Accordingly, the Waves Abbey Road plug-in offers two models derived from original hardware. RS124 (s/n 60070B) was used for tracking at Abbey Road from the late 50s into the 60s, due to its faster attack and release times. This is the more aggressive sound of the RS124, which creates a ‘squashed’ sound on transients. Alternatively, Cutter is a modification with slower attack and release times preferred for studio reduction mixes and in Abbey Road’s cutting rooms during the 60s. The more relaxed attack made these units suitable and more forgiving for bus compression and mastering purposes.
‘The RS124 left a massive sonic fingerprint on Abbey Road Studios’ 1960s sound,’ says Abbey Road Studios Head of Audio Products, Mirek Stiles. ‘This rare beast is a thing of beauty for any genre in the modern production chain. Inserting the RS124 plug-in instantly creates vibes hard to emulate in other ways. It pumps beats and glues synths quite unlike anything I have ever heard in the studio. It’s unique, crunchy and lush – it will not disappoint.’
Key features:
- Precise modelling of Abbey Road’s ultra-rare RS124 tube compressor.
- Developed with Abbey Road Studios.
- Studio and Cutter options.
- Super-Fuse mode for more aggressive results.
- Sidechain, Mix knob and MS options.
‘Since the beginning of our collaboration with Abbey Road Studios in 2011, we have developed an impressive line of more than a dozen exclusive products including this new release,’ says Waves EVP of Sales and Marketing, Mick Olesh. ‘Waves is delighted to offer musicians, producers and engineers accessibility to this unique tool, enabling new and innovative sonic capabilities. This exciting release is another step in our ongoing policy of offering distinctive and creative tools for enhancing the artistic creativity and workflow of Waves users.’
The Abbey Road RS124 Compressor is included in the Waves Abbey Road Collection bundle.
See also:
Chandler Limited RS124 Compressor
