Sound On Sound: The OptoFET (Unlocked Review)

“So what does this thing sound like? Why have RND put two compressors in one box, and what applications do all those routing and character options open up? To answer such questions, I spent a few weeks auditioning a pair of OptoFETs on several active projects. But first, even before dialing in any compression, I should spell out very clearly that it sounds great: full, clear, and with all the details in the source being conveyed with precision.”

“You can use either compressor alone on the whole signal, but the idea is that you’ll deploy them in tandem, and with the controls for both in one box this soon becomes second nature.”

“…I’d imagined that Grit might be a dedicated saturation circuit, but it’s more sophisticated than that….[it leads] the FET compressor to act faster and more assertively, introducing some upper‑mid and high‑frequency harmonics in the process. This can lend energy and urgency to proceedings…”

“[with Bloom] the added energy is in the lows and low mids, so it’s a thicker, richer character. I’m sure it has wider applications, but I found it particularly appealing on clean or thin‑sounding acoustic sources: it can, for instance, lend much‑needed authority to a female vocal, or satisfying weight to an exposed acoustic guitar.”

“…note that not only can you target different frequency bands with compression, but X‑Over mode can be used to shift the focus of the Grit and Bloom ‘effects’.”

“I particularly enjoyed using the two review units in split‑band mode on a stereo backing vocal bus: instant cohesion that felt like a cheat code! I could be more assertive when processing a drum bus, where dominant, centre‑panned kick and snare drums always triggered compression on both channels, but tom and cymbal hits panned in one direction or the other were kept in check without too great an impact on the stereo image.”

“…this is a bold stride outside of RND’s comfort zone, and they’re to be commended for that. More importantly, this is an incredibly versatile, beautiful‑sounding piece of kit, and it almost certainly offers something your existing gear doesn’t. If you’re in the market for a high‑quality analogue compressor, it’s worth a test drive!”