The Fairchild compressor was designed in the 1950s and is still in use in top-flight professional studios these days (Abbey Road has several). In fact, it may just be the most highly regarded compressor ever made.
The 660 (single-channel) and 670 (twin-channel) Fairchild units are large, intricately engineered boxes that are full of many valves and transformers, although that hasn’t daunted J Rockett, who describes its Airchild 660 – a stompbox barely big enough to contain a single valve or transformer! – as a sonic interpretation of the famous compressor.
