Anyone have info on Vac Rac limiters?

I've been reading about the types of compressors that some of the top mixers use, and read about Inward Connections Vac Rac limiters (apparently one of Tom Lord-Alge's fave compressors). However, an online search yielded scant information regarding whether they're still manufactured, details of the unit itself or even any distributors or dealers who have them. Does anyone have any information on these limiters, if they're still being made, and/or where one could look to find these units for sale?

 

I'm good friends with the person that designed the Vac Rac line. The limiters are one of my favorites, but the preamps kick some serious a** as well. They at one point had a 10 channel box of preamps in the line that are very cool to bring out on gigs-- 4 spaces for the pres and 3 for the power supply.

To answer your questions, though: The Vac Rac line is no longer being manufactured. However, if you contact Steve Firlotte, who made them, he does occasionally do short runs when enough order pile up. The units he makes now are not the modular system, but rather stand alone 2 channel boxes with the power supply built in. It is unfortunate that they never did particularly well commercially because they do sound so good.

I don't know if they still have it, but Coast Recording supply in Hollywood had a single 4-module rack left that would make a hell of a vocal channel (or anything else...). It had a preamp, limiter, EQ, and ?? (I can't remember what the 4th module was, but perhaps a DI...). I think they wanted about $4500 for it.

--Ben

 

Great! Thanks for the info, Ben. I'll try to find the contact info for Steve. You don't happen to have an email address for him, do you?

 

The new Vac Rac limiters are built in very limited qualities and the waiting list is very long. They are about $2600. One of the last batches was bought by the guys over at Trent Reznors studio. I spoke to the gentleman who handles the orders and he mentioned that the waiting list for the Stereo Vac Rac limiter is a who's who of top mixing engineers and studios. I was actually on it for a while(almost six months) and then I decided on something else for the mean while(Cheswick Research stereo tube compressor). I may go on it later on this year. Good Luck!!!

 

Zach,
Do you want to try innerTUBE audio's atomic squeeze box? Its here in south Fla.
Let me know if you are interested.

 

Is Steve the same guy who builds VHT guitar amps?

 

I don't think so, but I really don't know. What I do know is this:

Steve is a tech for a lot of big studios around Los Angeles... He's been involved with several major retrofits of rooms around town. He will do custom jobs. He's built some kick-ass tube regulated tube microphone power supplies as designed by the same person that designed the Vac Rac gear. (they sound AWESOME!)

--Ben

 

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Yeah I've been wondering about these as well. They're fairly well priced arent they? (for what they are... i know they're not cheap) What do you like to use it on? Good for heavy rock type stuff?

 

So...

Tell us about the Cheswick...

You got it. The Cheswick was by far the one of the most smoothest, creamiest, beautiful sounding compressors I have used in a long time. I actually bought one for a record I was mixing
that had over 50 tracks of vocals on each song. I needed something that would glue the tracks together and still maintain some kind of fidelity. The Cheswick was this and more, very big sounding. I tried it briefly on a stereo mix and it blew me away. Sadly I sold it(but I will buy one again later). I used it mostly as part of my background submix(it is now a Avalon 2044 comp with a pair of Amek CIB's).

 

Sounds interesting. What are some of the details about it?