Where do you use your PWM compressors?

I don't have any PWM comps. I want some though. . But if I did - I'd use em wherever they sound good. LOL. For me, gear is NON genre or instrument specific. Works or doesn't work. I like the surprise of trying things in places they wouldn't expect to be used.

Cool thread. PWM is the most overlooked category of compressors!

I've never heard one.

I'm curious to know what are the differences between something hi end like the CraneSong Trakker and something cheaper like the Great River 501 and bargain basement stuff like the ART PWM dual compressor. Do they all have this clean character?

But yes, more importantly, where do you use PWMs and when do you choose them over other options?

That may be the only one.

 I irc Rob Schnapf said he liked the Trakker on acoustic guitars.

 Cheers,
 Geoff 

I had a PYE clone pair for a bit. Loved them on toms. Also quite good on acoustic guitar and on bass.

They can't be used in parallel because there's some inherent latency, which is a bummer, because they can get super explosive when pushed, and it would be way fun to blend that back into a dry signal.

Oh man. I love love love PWM comps.

I have a Fearn VT-7. For vocals, I never need to buy an LA-2A or CL-1B because this thing helps me get it done on the way in. It can do a lot of work and can make something sound massive without stepping all over the performance. The line amp is also very classy in that old school RCA-Hi-Fi sense. It's also subtly gushy and can work really well for slower drums that you want to thicken up. People tend to use the word "rubbery" in a good way about PWM comps and I get what they mean. It contours as opposed to clamps, if that makes sense. Maybe it's an inherently softer knee or something.

I've used the PYE comps at Avatar / Power Station and they're awesome. We used them on rooms and they have an explosiveness that's distinct. I will for sure be emailing POM in the next few years about a POMPYE.

Also do not sleep on the Great River PWM. Only reason I don't have one is the aforementioned Fearn, but it's such a solid utility comp. Total sleeper.

Yeah, drum buss is also where I place a PYE if I’m using one. Before I began using a Fairchild excessively on my drum buss, a PYE pretty much lived there. Now when i’m reminded I  might actually try that again. I think the reason for the switch was 1. A new sound. (They are very very different) 2. The Fairchild sat so well with the current setup and room I have. 3. The Fairchild gave that soft fat oomph I was looking for at the time, with the expense of that attack of a PYE.

I have been playing a little with a Lindell 254E (Neve 2254) plug on the drum buss lately, and thinking about going 33609 there, but going back to PYE actually could be fun.

It’s basically physical digital control. 1-bit on/off and filtered like dsd but electrical and more like a light dimmer. No harmonic distortion, just noise that must be filtered and quantization. technically as not good as properly dithered or floating point pcm control that reconstructs and filters the signal or heavily smooths and filters the control path but about as clean as you can get in analog.
www.cranesong.com/pwm_comp.pdf

Avedis has a pye comp coming out eventually
pyeaudio.com/product/5060/