Gainlab Audio Dictator: levels peaks, gives warmth and creates a glue effect on the master

Today I present a very interesting and reasonably priced machine especially in the Pro Audio sphere, this is the Dictator Dual Mono vari-mu.

Technical characteristics of the Gainlab Audio Dictator Dual Mono vari-mu

The Dictator incorporates the feature of a vari-mu compressor with tube-based dynamic control. It is based on the legendary Fairchild 670 and Gates STA-Level with in addition contemporary solutions for better control over the sound.

The Dual Mono version is the same as the pentode vari-mu version but with the versatility of being able to work with single channels as well.

The two compressor channels can provide synchronized operation for stereo signals or completely independent operation with the Link switch. The operating parameters based on attack and release time and saturation characteristics are very familiar from well-known tube compressors.

The Dictator is a true vari-mu compressor consisting of pentode-type thermionic valves mass-produced in exceptional quality during the Warsaw Pact in countries such as Hungary, East Germany, or Poland. In fact, the valves are referred to by Gainlab Audio as "Military grade 6k4p-EV valves."

The Dictator was designed primarily for use in master bus as a compressor or even just as a saturator with minimal dynamic control.

Recall that having the Dual Mono version under test, it is much more versatile and perfectly usable in mono sound sources such as bass and vocals.

Usage experience and strengths

I tested it on bass, vocals, masterbus and orchestra, it has a very warm, super enveloping sound and beautiful the glue effect it gives to the track when mastering.

I really enjoyed the overall operation of the machine, with its all-step controls for fast recall of various sections.

It can also be recorded on the SessionRECALLsoftware for that matter, and forget about taking a picture of the position of the parameters each time for use in a later session.

Very useful side-chain to avoid compressing some frequencies too much and avoid having the "flooded" effect in the mix.

The only sore point that makes me turn my nose up a bit is that theoutput is controllable only at positive values. It often happens that we want to push the compressor a lot with the input and the volume goes way up, this can be a problem in the master or mix phase where we want to hear the differences with or without the compressor on the fly and we have a bump in volume that can be misleading.

I recommend using plugins to manage outboard inserts, so you can manage the return level of the signal. For example, I personally use Studio One and it natively has the plugin called Pipeline, which allows me to create a digital insert with an analog outboard and manage the send and return and phase levels of the signal itself.

As always, I refer you to the YouTubevideo to learn more about the Dictator and to purchase it directly from the Milk Audio Store website.