The WA-1B accurately recreates world-class Scandinavian compression, combining smooth tube-optical warmth with precision controls. Like its original inspiration, favored by producers and engineers from Chris Lord-Alge to Rick Rubin, the WA-1B delivers that revered “forgiving” musical compression of tube-optical circuitry with speed and control more closely associated with modern dynamics processing. Hand-wired to authentically recreate the sound of a renowned circuit, the WA-1B combines custom large-core transformers from Ludahl Sweden, select tubes from JJ and Tung-Sol, and a premium high-precision optical element for ultra-fast and accurate operation without sacrificing authentic analog warmth.

Features:

• Like the original, the WA-1B has all of the key controls normally absent from more vintage optical compressors. Using the threshold, ratio, attack, release, and makeup gain controls allows for precise dynamic control and tone shaping without sacrificing vintage tube-optical tone.
• In the “fixed” mode, the WA-1B delivers the natural attack & release time of the optical element. In “manual” mode, dial in attack/release controls on the WA-1B front panel. In fixed/man mode, the release time combines settings in fixed and manual mode with the fixed attack (1 msec) mode.
• The dedicated sidechain bus selector offers three positions (Off, Bus 1, Bus 2), allowing you to interconnect and link up to 10 WA-1B compressors in your signal chain.
• The WA-1B is outfitted with a front-mounted meter-adjust control. By having this knob on the front panel, there’s no pause in creativity and no need to un-rack gear in the middle of a session when you need to zero out the VU meter.

Technical Specifications

Product Description & External Specs (Per Channel)

• All-Tube, Transformer-Balanced Optical Compressor.
• Output Gain: Off to +30 dBU.
• Input Impedance: 600Ω.
• Two Bus Connectors to Connect Multiple Sidechains.
• Meter (VU) Input, Output, or Compression Amount.
• Linear, Low-Noise Power Supply with Toroidal Power Transformer.
• Chassis Depth: 9.25” | 23.13 cm.

Components & Internal Specs (Per Channel)

• True-to-Spec 270 Volt, 100% Discrete Analog Signal Path – Handwired with Through-Hole Components.
• Transformer-Balanced Fully Floating Input and Output – Custom-Core Large Transformers from Lundahl, Sweden.
• Premium Vacuum Tubes.

Performance Specs (Per Channel)

• Frequency Response @ -3 dB: 5 Hz – 25 kHz.
• Self-Noise: < -75 dBU @ 30 dB Gain.
• CMRR: > 60 dB @ 10 kHz.
• Ratio: 2:1 to 10:1.
• Variable Threshold: Off to -40 dBU.
• Continuously Variable, Fixed, or Fixed/Manual Attack and Release Times.
• Fixed – Attack: 1 millisecond | Release: 50 milliseconds.
• Manual – Attack: 0.5 – 300 milliseconds | Release: 0.05 – 10 seconds.
• Fixed/Man Mode Blends the Release Times of Fixed and Manual Mode.