I bought 2 Soc-20's after hearing some impressive demos on Youtube. It's by far the most useful optical compressor out there imo, compared to LA2's & LA3's (some of my most used optos), the Soc-20 allows me much deeper compression without choking the sound and it can be further tweaked for the perfect response, so the applications are universal, it makes anything sound better.
Read moreMost importantly, while it is pretty transparent it does have a very musical sound, a flattering action, in contrast with some other "extremely transparent" and much more expensive boutique gear which always left me wondering why to use a compressor at all if one can't even hear it, in which case riding the fader seems like a better and cheaper option. Basically, it's like a dream LA2A, I can push the Soc-20 and remain big where the vintage units would start making things small if pushed too far... And it has a sound, unlike some other modern offerings which can be too clinical and plain boring. A winner for me.
