Wes Audio Pandora is a fully analog, stereo multiband compressor with digital recall capabilities, designed to deliver superior dynamic control across different frequency ranges while combining the warmth of analogue sound with the flexibility of modern digital technology.

The Pandora compressor represents the evolution of multiband compression. It stands as a powerful tool for shaping dynamics in audio production, offering precise control over frequency ranges with the distinct advantage of analog warmth. Pandora provides a seamless user experience by integrating digital recall and automation, making it an essential component for both professional and home studios. Whether enhancing punch or providing smooth dynamic control, Pandora offers the ideal fusion of traditional analog sound with the convenience of digital control.

Pure Analogue Design with Digital Control

At its core, the Pandora compressor is built as a purely analog unit. It features a three-band compression design that offers up to 24dBu of headroom, ensuring that the integrity of the signal is maintained while providing superior audio quality. Despite its digital recall functionality, all signal processing within the unit remains analog, providing a tactile, warm sound that is highly sought after in audio engineering.

Three-Band Control for Precise Dynamic Shaping

Pandora includes three independently controlled bands, allowing for intricate dynamic manipulation across low, mid, and high frequencies. The crossover filters operate within the ranges of 40Hz to 2kHz for the low band, 2kHz to 15kHz for the mid band, and above 15kHz for the high band, enabling users to target specific frequency ranges with exceptional precision. This multiband approach ensures that each frequency can be controlled and compressed independently, offering enhanced flexibility and control over the dynamics of the audio.

Tuned Harmonic Distortion for Added Character

Pandora incorporates tuned harmonic distortion, optimised for each individual frequency band. This feature ensures that the compression process imparts a rich, analog warmth to the signal, enhancing the character of the audio without introducing unwanted coloration. The distortion is crafted to be frequency-specific, so the lows, mids, and highs each receive the ideal amount of harmonic enhancement, improving the overall texture and depth of the sound.

Highly Flexible VCA Compression

Pandora’s independent VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) compressors provide a high degree of flexibility. Each band is equipped with its own compressor, allowing users to fine-tune dynamic range compression for low, mid, and high frequencies separately. This flexibility makes it possible to apply different compression characteristics to each frequency range, offering greater control over the final sound.

Low Band and High Band Sidechain Filters for Precise Control

The low-frequency band benefits from three selectable sidechain high-pass filters, which help prevent unwanted low-end frequencies from triggering the compressor unnecessarily. This feature is particularly useful when dealing with bass-heavy content, ensuring that low-frequency compression is triggered only when desired. The high-frequency band, on the other hand, is equipped with three selectable sidechain low-pass filters, allowing for precise control over which high frequencies trigger compression, maintaining clarity and definition in the upper ranges.

Parallel Compression for Enhanced Flexibility

Pandora provides the ability to blend dry and compressed signals using a dedicated MIX knob. This functionality is ideal for parallel compression, a technique that retains the original dynamics of the signal while adding the control and punch of compression. By blending the uncompressed signal with the compressed one, users can achieve a dynamic, punchy sound without sacrificing natural dynamics.

Modern GUI for Intuitive Control

Pandora includes a modern graphical user interface (GUI) that provides full control over hardware parameters through a plugin. This interface allows for seamless integration into a digital workflow, enabling users to operate the analog unit with the precision of digital automation. With the GUI, users can tweak settings and monitor changes in real-time, enhancing both usability and efficiency.

Compatibility with 500 Series and ng500 Series

Pandora is designed to be fully compatible with the 500 series format, taking up three slots but only using the first two for audio routing. This allows the unit to offer stereo processing while maintaining compatibility with the 500 series chassis. Additionally, Pandora supports the ng500 series, an enhanced version of the 500 series standard, which provides expanded functionality and compatibility with the _TITAN chassis. The ng500 system enables control of all devices within the chassis using a single USB or Ethernet connection.

Total Recall and DAW Integration

Pandora incorporates a total recall feature, a highly sought-after function in the audio industry, enabling users to recall settings via DAW integration. It supports VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats, ensuring compatibility with nearly all major digital audio workstations (DAWs). This functionality allows users to save and load their preferred settings easily, facilitating smooth transitions between projects. Moreover, the integration of analog automation within DAWs allows users to draw automation lines that the physical unit follows, making real-time adjustments possible.

Touch-Sensitive Encoders for Automation

Pandora features touch-sensitive encoders that enable users to record automation directly into their DAW. This offers the convenience of fine-tuning and automating parameter adjustments on the fly, ensuring that dynamic changes can be accurately captured and replicated within the digital environment.

Advanced Metering and Gain Reduction Display

Pandora offers accurate metering of gain reduction on both the hardware and plugin versions, allowing for precise monitoring of each frequency band’s dynamic reduction. Input metering is also available for each band within the plugin, ensuring users have full insight into the performance of the compressor and can make informed adjustments.