Fairfield The Accountant Data Sheet
THE ACCOUNTANT
Compressor
OVERVIEW
Every operation needs an accountant, and your
signal chain is no exception. This little guy will t
right in, no questions asked. Call upon his services
to crunch numbers, cook your books and calculate
ratios in all condence that your shit will remain
tight.
We’re talking about a mostly utilitarian relationship
here, but one of trust as well. Whether you enjoy
slight, nuanced dynamics control or you just want to
squeeze your signal into one dimension, you’ll nd a
use for The Accountant.
Featuring all analogue, JFET feedback compression,
The Accountant works well with all signal sources;
guitars, bass, vocals, synths, even whole mixes. A
simple control interface allows you to change the
threshold, compression ratio and makeup gain.
EXTENDED WARRANTY
Faireld Circuitry will repair or replace any malfunctioning product for a period of 2 years after
purchase date. Problems resulting from modications or misuse may cancel this warranty. The owner
will cover all shipping expenses. This warranty
applies only to original owner of the product. Proof
of purchase might be required.
In short, the best thing to do is to contact us as
soon as possible with a description of the symptoms, even if the warranty is expired.
COMPRESSION
F A I R F I E L D
C I R C U I T R Y
V O L
C
M
P
0
0
0
PAD
R A T I O
2
1
0
1
2
0
PHYSICALS
Compression as an effect is a form of dynamics
control; that is to say controlling the difference
in volume between loud parts and quiet parts.
Often, the transients (i.e. the attack, the very beginning) of a signal will be the loudest, and that
limits how loud you can set your amplier before
there is distortion. Compression allows you to
make the transients less loud, therefore allowing you raise the volume at the amp, making
your signal louder, beeer, and depending on the
amount of compresison, perhaps quite dirty.
The way this works is that everytime your signal
is louder than a certain level, called the threshold, the compressor will automatically lower the
volume. The Accountant has a xed threshold,
which cannot be changed. This volume change
doesn’t happen instantly however. The time it
takes for the compression to be applied is dictated by the attack and release. These param-
eters are xed to 5 ms and 500 ms respectively.
The PAD and RATIO controls, together, will determine how much compression actually happens.
First in the chain is PAD, simply attenuating your
signal before the compression. Remember that
the louder the signal, the more compression happens, so in effect with the PAD setting you can
change at what level the compression happens.
Output volume
Compression ratio
• 1
• 2
• 0
6:1
12:1
3:1
Output
Input pad
• 2
• 1
• 0
Input
9 VDC
0 db
-8 db
-16 db
USING THE ACCOUNTANT
The Accountant compressor is well suited to a number of tasks.
Here a few typical compressor settings and their uses. These settings serve only as a guide, as your gear and your playing style will
greatly affect the end result.
Light Compression (PAD : 0, RATIO : 0) : This type of compression is
sometimes barely noticeable. There is a slight coloration, but nothing overbearing. This setting will help you to get a more consistent
sound, to blend in better with other instruments, to ensure your
quiet parts don’t go unheard.
- true true bypass
- 1/4” mono input/output jacks
- 2.1mm DC connector
- 3.7” x 1.5” enclosure dimensions
TECHNICALS
- input impedance 1 MΩ
- output impedance <5 kΩ
- power supply 9-9.6 VDC
- current draw 12 mA
- threshold 50 mV
RMS
- attack time 5 ms
- release time 500 ms
NOTES ON POWERING
The Accountant was designed to
operate using your typical centre
negative, regulated 9-9.6 VDC power
supply. The pedal is protected
against reversed polarity. Always
check your power supply for proper
voltage and polarity before connecting. There is no battery connection inside the pedal.
Then comes RATIO, which determines how
strongly loud parts are compressed. For example,
a setting of 6:1 means that, when the signal is
above the threshold, it takes 6 dB at the input to
make the output change by 1 dB. Remember that
parts below the threshold will not be affected.
Finally, with VOLUME, you can control the level
at the output. It doesn’t affect the compression
at all, as it is post-effect.
Heavy Compression (PAD : 2, RATIO : 2) You will denitely hear the
compression working. The effect will add a noticeable amount of
richness and distortion to your sound, and everything you play will
be louder than loud, all the time. The attack and release will also
be heard, as a kind of pumping will be imparted to your playing.
Just roll with it.
Limiter (PAD : 0, RATIO : 2) A limiter is a kind of compressor that
has a high threshold and a high ratio (> 10 :1). You can emulate it’s
function with these setting. Use when you want to set yourself an
absolute maximum volume that you cannot exceed no matter how
hard you try.
UNIQUE & ROBUST
MADE IN HULL, QUÉBEC
FAIRFIELDCIRCUITRY.COM
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