[aka21stCentury]

I've never heard the hardware version of the Fairchild. How would you compare it?

The most awesome compressor EVER is the Telefunken 5 band tube compressor, Q and frequency adjustable. It was used on all Ken Hamann's mixes for a myriad of rock hits. He didn't EQ mixes, but compressed frequency bands. Never saw the Fairchild in NYC even up the Hudson, or at the original Cleveland Recording Studio A.

The hi-end studio I recorded in Upstate NY we used, new at the time, the UK built Joe Meek CS-2, which you can lock to stereo (both optical compressors synced)... in fact, the VC-1 mono compressor, mic pre, DI box, there is an RCA jack to sync two VC-1s to lock the optical compressors for accurate stereo mix down.

Going to get this no brainer too. But... you guys with the old fat iLoks, which came with the 8-9 Digi bundle, some plug-ins no longer support them. What is the deal with that? Hearing they are still both only USB-1.1

Is it best now just to bite the bullet and buy the new one for $50? Transfer the factory stuff over, put 9 on that, so any of the new plugins requiring the new iLok will be available?

Also how would you rate the Purple, Joe Meek compressor plugins? I'm looking for something for the final mix down, like the hardware Joe Meek 'green brick' CS-2.

LA-1 is what, based on the Tectronics Optical compressor? LA-2, what about that? (oh... I also have a MBP and don't have room, nor want to use a powered hub)