Antelope Audio BAE-10DCF

BAE-10DCF is an official model of a multi-purpose 1980s compressor classic, allowing for clean and transparent compression but also colorful and vintage dynamic processing or straight-up limiting. Great for drums but also perfect for vocals and guitars. 

BAE-10DCF allows you to keep compression transparent and smooth or completely transform the input signal into the signature vivid sound of the compressor. A Gain Make-up knob allows you to additionally control the signal volume. BAE 10DCF is a multi-purpose unit that can be used both during tracking and in post-production. As you can guess, it does an absolutely great job on an array of instruments like drums and percussion and is suitable for recordists, producers, and mastering engineers but podcasters and vloggers who need their voices polished and neatly produced as well.

The 10DCF features a fully independent Compressor and a separate Limiter providing maximum flexibility and dynamic control over any source and any type of material. With dedicated knobs for Threshold, Ratio, Bypass Filter, Attack, and Recovery for both modules users can achieve enough depth when sculpting the perfect sound. Dynamic processors that offer such a variety of controls are often clean and colorless. In contrast, the 10DCF offers that same versatility and control, but also character and color.

We also recreated that same Bypass Filter inspired by the B182 card of 1073. That is essentially an EQ filter using a Carnhill Induction providing smooth, transparent, and musical filtering. In the case of the 10DCF, that filter acts as a side-chain to the compressor. That feature alone expands the versatility of the 10DCF to not only recording & mixing applications but also mastering.

Another unique feature of the 10DCF, which can be found on the Recovery switches both for the Compressor and Limiter, is the two 2 automatic release times. Modern music is quite often too variable in dynamics. That means that setting one release constant for the compression/limiting of a whole mix can often do more damage than good. Having two automatic program-dependent recovery settings means you can now tailor the response of this compressor to any genre and any music.

• Recovery A1 – 100mS isolated peaks, 2 Sec prolonged levels
• Recovery A2 – 50mS isolated peaks, 5 Sec prolonged levels

Those two automatic Recovery times found on both dynamic circuitry combined with the Bypass Filter and a variety of Ratio and Attack options make the 10DCF a true “get out of jail” card for your mix bus.

Other popular applications include vocals and guitars. The 10DCF can add urgency to highly dynamic vocals like pop & hip-hop whilst preserving clarity. In a similar way adding that same effect to rock guitars can the whole track jump out of the speakers.

Highlights

• Smooth and transparent compression or full-on vintage sound
• Gain Make-Up knob for additional volume control
• Versatile unit, suitable for tracking, mixing, and mastering
• The compressor you need to make vocals and rock guitars truly stand out
• Bypass Filter for additional tone-shaping
• Recovery switches to tailor the response of the BAE-10DCF