F.M.R. A.R.C. ; Articulation, Resonance and Clarity

FMR ARC

This is a great unit for getting clean sustain at high volumes. I used it last night at the Broken Spoke here in Austin TX. The rig is a 69' Telecaster through an early 70's Vibrolux. The fidelity was great for a live show. Don't know how it would be for recording but FMR makes great studio gear already, the R.N.C and R.N.P to name a few. The A.R.C. is FMR's first foray into the world of stomp boxes and it rules. You can get the sustain without the crunching that happens with other stomp box compressors. Easy to adjust on the fly because of the big knobs. This is really cool if you're playing through a loud, powerful amp in a small venue. Great stuff. 

-Reviewed by Gary Newcomb
after playing at the Spoke w/ Dickie Lee Erwin 07/13/2010

Api 500 series

I brought one of these home a few weeks back. Hearing for years about how great the eq and pre's were, I was exited to hear what everyone was talking about. Part of me wanted to think it was over priced hype. Within minutes, I was trying to imagine how I could buy one. You know, like what could I sell and do I really need a car or a kidney..etc.
Even at full gain the mic pre's were super quiet and sounded great. I'm kind of a compression junkie and I got a great fix. Its the most transparent sounding compressor I've heard. Not at all "effecty" - even at full squish.
Api eq is legendary. Its easy to see why. I found myself reamping older tracks like kick drums and vocals just to get some of that sugar. Really amazing stuff, so musical.
In the end, its so inexpensive to rent that its really ideal for any recording project. Its so portable too. I'm sold. Anybody need a third kidney?
Gary

available for rental @ Rock n Roll Rentals (only in Austin, TX!)