J Rockett | AIRCHILD | Six Sixty Compressor based on Fairchild 660
The J. Rockett Audio Designs Airchild Six Sixty is poised to elevate your guitar tone with the sound of what's not-so-arguably the most revered studio compressor of all time. This 660-style compressor pedal offers much more than mere dynamics control. Like the studio hardware that inspired it, the Airchild Six Sixty makes everything you run through it sound better, even with its Threshold control set to zero. This stompbox also includes a Tone control, enabling you to compensate for any post-compression high-frequency loss, as well as a Blend control for balancing your dry and effected signals. You also get an Output knob that interacts beautifully with the Threshold control to help you achieve your desired sound. As you'd expect, the Airchild Six Sixty is capable of producing a wide range of compression effects, from subtle sustain and ear-grabbing harmonic enhancement to noticeably thick and perceptibly squished. Players seeking to infuse their pedalboard with a world-class studio vibe will be gobsmacked by everything the J. Rockett Audio Designs Airchild Six Sixty does for their tone.
Interactive Threshold and Output controls
The most crucial controls on the Airchild Six Sixty are its Threshold and Output knobs. The Threshold knob controls the amount of compression that the pedal produces. All the way counterclockwise allows your signal to pass through the unit without any dynamics control; fully clockwise, the pedal will straight up crush your signal. The Output knob controls how hard the pedal pushes the front end of your amplifier. Keeping the knob at unity gain enables you to dial in more obvious compression; increasing the gain makes the dynamic control less obvious, but it increases the sustain and harmonic richness of your signal. These two controls are highly interactive, and they require careful tweaking to hit the sweet spot. With the Airchild Six Sixty, patience truly is a virtue. Once you nail your settings, you'll reap sonic benefits beyond anything you thought possible.
Tone and Blend knobs add the perfect finishing touches
Despite their usefulness, one of the more frustrating things about some compressor pedals is how they suck out all your high end. That's why the J. Rockett Audio Designs Airchild Six Sixty includes a Tone control. Turning the knob clockwise will reintroduce high frequencies into your signal while also balancing out your low end, allowing you to mitigate any potential post-compression frustration. Of course, you can also turn the Tone knob counterclockwise for the opposite effect. The Airchild Six Sixty also brandishes a Blend control, enabling you to fine-tune the mix between your dry and effected signals for a less-obvious effect — even with high compression levels.
- 660-style pedal inspired by the most revered studio compressor of all time
- Sounds like studio hardware — makes everything you run through it sound better
- Ranges from subtle sustain and ear-grabbing harmonic enhancement to noticeably thick and perceptibly squished
- Threshold knob controls the amount of compression from zero to maximum crush
- Output knob controls how hard the pedal pushes the front end of your amplifier
- Tone knob mitigates post-compression high-frequency loss
- Blend knob balances your dry and effected signals
- Threshold and Output knobs are highly interactive