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Press Release |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eventide Omnipressor takes long nap, wakes up refreshed
— Eventide commemorates the 50th anniversary of the coveted Omnipressor® with the introduction of the golden-anniversary Omnipressor Model 2830*Au, a faithful recreation of the iconic compressor that introduced the concept of dynamics processing for special effects —
— View a brand-new Gear Club Podcast interview with Eventide founder Richard Factor on the Omipressor Model 2830*Au at https://etide.io/Omni-Comm —
New York, NY, October 26, 2023 – In 1973, Eventide Clockworks introduced the Omnipressor®, the first studio product to encourage the use of dynamics for special effects. It joined the Instant Phaser® in studios worldwide, with the Instant Flanger® following shortly after. All were used on countless recordings and are now considered truly classic products. Unlike the Phaser and Flanger, the Omnipressor, with its still-unique dynamic reversal, infinite compression, variable gating and separate “side chain,” was discontinued a few years later. It had become difficult to obtain some exclusive parts and even more difficult to explain it to an industry that was much less sophisticated than it is today.
Mistake! As the few hundred original Omnipressor units found homes with rabid fans or suffered unspeakable fates at the hands of entropy, they became so scarce that the few that were available on resale markets multiplied in value many times, if they could be found at all.
The original Omnipressor was born from an idea that Eventide’s founder, Richard Factor, got while talking to Mark Weiss, one of the scientists investigating the “18-minute gap” of the Nixon Watergate scandal. The side-chain idea that resulted enabled feats of compression that was impossible (and unstable) with the compression architecture of the previous era, but doable with the emerging, more modern hardware of the 1970s. The earlier “white face” (Model 2826) Omnipressor was not just hard to explain, but it was hard to use, and it yielded shortly to the “black face” (Model 2830) unit designed by Jon Paul, another ex-colleague of Mark Weiss. This version, after selling another few hundred units, in its turn yielded to the darkness of commercial necessity – what we now call “supply chain” – and so became a legend to collectors and a desideratum to recordists worldwide.
In those few years of production, the model 2830 was a success! Engineers and producers discovered what was possible by using dynamics as an effect. Many of the original units are still in operation today. They rarely come up for sale; when they do sellers are asking north of $6000! A clamor from those coveting the unique Omnipressor dynamic effects resulted first in Factor developing a hardware emulation using VSIG for the Eventide Orville, and later Eventide’s development team creating an Omnipressor plug-in for ProTools. Fatefully, in an episode of the Gear Club podcast, Factor impulsively suggested that Eventide would reintroduce the rack mount classic.
Today, Eventide announces the golden-anniversary Omnipressor Model 2830*Au. The original hand-drawn schematics were in the Eventide archives, and the new model is a faithful replica designed with the same circuitry and the same sound as the original 2830. With supply chain issues resolved after 50 years, you can now find the 2830*Au for sale and priced about the same as the original, even though in 2023 dollars.
(View a brand-new Gear Club Podcast interview with Eventide founder Richard Factor on the Omipressor Model 2830*Au at https://etide.io/Omni-Comm.)
The new *Au model features the ability to link multiple units and is fitted with input and output audio transformers, which were a costly option on the original. Other improvements include a universal power supply and a back-lit meter. More convenient TRS/XLR connectors replace the original terminal strip.
The MSRP for the Omnipressor Model 2830*Au is $1999, and it will ship in January 2024. Pre-orders are available now.
Links:
Eventide
Gear Club Podcast interview with Richard Factor: "Introducing Omnipressor® 2830*Au, 50th Anniversary Reissue"
Omnipressor Model 2830*Au
Eventide 50th Anniversary Flashback #3 – The Omnipressor
Gear Club Podcast interview with Richard Factor on Omnipressor
Richard Factor Omnipressor plug-in introduction video
Vintage British Omnipressor ad
...ends 593 words
Photo File 1: Omnipressor_Model_2830Au.jpg
Photo Caption 1: Eventide has faithfully recreated the coveted Omnipressor® on the iconic compressor’s 50th AnniversaryPhoto File 2: Omni-Flashback.jpg
Photo Caption 2: The history and technology of the Omnipressor® was lovingly, whimsically and comprehensively chronicled in an Eventide 50th Anniversary Flashback episodePhoto File 3: VintageCommercial.jpg
Photo Caption 3: The capabilities of the Eventide Omnipressor® were demonstrated in an early British commercial, with audio examplesPhoto File 4: PresentingEventideOmnipressor.jpg
Photo Caption 4: Cartoon illustrations and a little humor proved an introduction to the capabilities of the Eventide Omnipressor®Press Kit: https://etide.io/Omni-Re-PR
About Eventide:
For more than 50 years Eventide has remained at the forefront of recording technology. In 1975 they revolutionized the audio industry by creating the world’s first commercially available digital audio effects unit, the H910 Harmonizer®. Since then, their legendary studio processors, stompboxes and plug-ins have been heard on countless hit records. Eventide®, Harmonizer® and Blackhole® are registered trademarks of Eventide Inc. www.eventideaudio.com
Clyne Media
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Web: http://www.clynemedia.com