I have a CRL processing chain that I'm setting up and I'm just
wondering if anybody has any advice or experience regarding these
units. I have the SGC-800 Stereo Gain Controller, SEC-800 Spectral
Energy Compressor, and the SMP-950 AM Stereo Matrix Processor. I'm
setting this up on an AM station (and yes, it will be in full-fledged
AM Stereo!), but the first two units apparently can be used for FM
processing as well.

I know these are all late '80s units so they won't be as smooth or as
loud as a modern Optimod, but I would at least like to achieve a
reasonably "polished" sound, similar to the other CRL-equipped
stations I've heard. The manuals list a whole page of suggested
settings for each unit, but I have yet to discover a configuration
that provides the ideal compromise between loudness and fidelity.

I may experiment with using additional processing in front of or in
combination with these CRL boxes, but if anybody has their favorite
"magic" settings which help this CRL trio perform at its best, I would
appreciate your advice and recommendations (other than "toss it all
out and spend the $$$ on an Optimod 9100-B2!).