the K2 already has a "variale compression and noise gate " chip for the mic preamp... analog devices SSM2165-1 see: http://www.analog.com/UploadedFiles/Data_Sheets/2864404SSM2165_b.pdf#search=%22ssm2165-1%22 I too would be interested to see how much additional ""distortionless"" average amplitude could be generated beyond the AD chip. bill ny9h