Gyraf Audio Gyratec XXI Magneto-Dynamic Infundibulum

The Ultimate Passive Analogue Clipper: G21 Magneto-Dynamic Infundibulum

Gyraf Audio's gloriously titled Gyratec XXI Magneto Dynamic Infundibulum (G21 for short!) was one of the most unusual products announced at this year's Musikmesse show in Frankfurt — and it turns out also to have been one of the most interesting and innovative. Like so many great inventions, it started with the simple question: "What if?”. In this case, Gyraf's mastermind Jakob Erland asked himself, what if he used 1950s analogue electronics to do something new, rather than simply to imitate or refine popular classic gear. After two years of design and development work, with Danish mastering engineer Emil Thomsen helping to fine-tune the product, Erland has his answer — and it really is something special.

The mystical name gives little away, so what exactly is this 'Infundibulum' — a Latin term that means 'filter'? Well, it's certainly not a simple filter! Its working title during the early stages of development was Audio Shaver, and that gives us a stronger clue: essentially, the G21 is a multi-band soft-clipping processor. It was originally conceived as a device that could be used during the mastering process, the aim being to reduce the crest factor by several decibels, thus helping the final brickwall limiter to operate in a much more comfortable range.

That sounds pretty straightforward, but having had the final product on test in my studio for over a month now, it's abundantly clear that this is by no means a simple processor to deploy! Indeed, there's a label on the front panel which screams 'USE WITH CAUTION' (Gyraf's capitals, not mine), and I can understand why. It's also clear that while this is, indeed, a very useful mastering tool, its range of possible applications extends far beyond mastering.