Best Sellers

The FMR Audio Really Nice Compressor, or "RNC" as it is lovingly known, draws a thick line in the sand between what is "cheap" and what is simply "inexpensive." This tiny little stereo workhorse, originally introduced in the late 1990s, has found its place in both weekend-warrior bedroom studios and top control rooms thanks to its transparent compression and compact footprint. It would be a steal at three times the price, and should make a number of higher-cost compressors blush and get back to the gym.

The Alesis 3630 is a rack-mount, two channel compressor and limiter.

Closely modeled after the classic 1176LN compressor/limiter, the Warm Audio WA76 Limiting Amplifier offers up vintage tones at a breakthrough price point. From subtle transient shaping on a bass guitar to explosive limiting on a drum room mic, the WA76 covers all the bases of an original 1176.

With the exploding world of the 500 Series comes the dbx 560A 500 Series compressor/limiter, a unit that is based after the 160A, a studio standard around the world. Whether you need a subtle smoothing of peaks or some hard-core squashing, the 560A delivers with two compression modes that will work for just about any application you can dream up, automatic program-dependent attack and release times, infinity compression radios that will fend off extreme peaking, and features like overeasy compression and negative ratio.

Tube-driven and Vactrol-based, the ART Pro-VLA II is a two-channel; compression and leveling amplifier that is suited to nearly any situation a musician may find themselves in: mixing, mastering, live sound, tracking, and even braodcasting. Thanks to its VCA-free design, you're able to add more compression without detracting any of the organic musicality from your output. Variable output, ratio, and threshold controls allow you to manage your dynamic output and active balanced XLR and 1/4" inputs and outputs make the Pro-VLA II compatible with a variety of potential rig components.

You'd be hard-pressed to find any studio worth its salt without at least one Distressor in its outboard racks, and the reason for that is quite simple -- Empirical Labs' original product is a tried and true piece of gear, a chameleon capable of about a million-and-one tricks. From subtle transient shaping to all out harmonic distortion war, smooth LA-2A-style curves to the much more aggressive "NUKE" setting, the Distressor is the right tool for almost any compression job.

The dbx 160A is a mono compressor / limiter that takes the legendary 160 platform and cleans up the signal path and ports it over to a sturdier rackmount chassis. Tighten up the dynamics on groups and busses invisibly, dig in a little harder for kicks, snares and bass guitars with the hard knee mode, flip on "OverEasy" to ride the level on the lead vocal, and get absolutely wild effects from negative compression ratios.

The Warm Audio WA-2A is a mono optical compressor / limiter with tube electronics, inspired by the classic Teletronix LA-2A first introduced in the 1960s. The control layout, like the original, is as simple as can be -- just threshold ("Peak Reduction") and gain makeup ("Output Gain") with switchable ratio for compression and limiting.

Taking BBE's original 482i up a notch, the BBE 882i Sonic Maximizer offers the dynamic and frequency-based tonal enhancement associated with the company's affordable Sonic Maximizers but with an added +4dBu of balanced I/O on its XLR connectors. This dual-mono system is a great option for those who want to delve into recording, live sound, mastering, broadcasting, and more without breaking the bank. A bypass switch that allows you to A/B the processed and unprocessed signal, +23dBu of headroom, and a selection of both balanced and unbalanced I/O are just a few of the features the 882i has to offer.

The FMR Audio Really Nice Leveling Amplifier (or "RNLA" for short) is a stereo compressor in the same third-rack format as the famed Really Nice Compressor, but with balanced outputs and a decidedly more "colorful" sound. The result is a tiny little workhorse that sounds like classic optical compressors (yes, really) with a handy logarithmic release mode that changes the curve of how the RNLA "lets go" of the signal, restoring transients under heavier gain reduction.

The Universal Audio LA-2A reissue represents the rebirth of a studio classic. This tube-driven optical limiter has been on more hit records than we can count, and for good reason. True to the original design and performance, the contemporary LA-2A has all of the high frequency glow and huge tone that made the vintage units a staple in studios around the world. Lead vocals, acoustic guitars, and bass instruments are its specialty, but the LA-2A can handle anything you can throw its way.

The PreSonus ACP88 is an all-analog dynamics unit that packs 8 channels of compression, limiting, and gating into a tidy 2U rackmount box. High-quality THAT Corp. VCAs are at the heart of each channel, providing fast, clean gain reduction with remarkably low distortion. These fully variably compressors are ready for any task, with selectable knee and an Auto Attack mode that will get you squared away more often than it won't. Sidechain inserts for each compressor and gate allow for frequency-dependent compression, ducking and keying, making the ACP88 even more versatile than the front panel shows. This box represents an amazing value and deserves a spot in the rack of every single front-of-house engineer and project studio owner.

The Rupert Neve Designs 542 Tape Emulator, a 500 Series adaptation of the popular RND Portico 5042, gives you all the thick tone and pleasing saturation of using a great tape machine. Flip between the "head bump" of 15IPS and 30IPS for different bass response, then dial in the amount of saturation you're looking for along with a blend of the dry signal if desired. At the bottom of the module, you've got Mr. Neve's "Silk" circuit with switchable harmonic characteristics, adding even more options for subtle, musical distortion for anything in your mix.

You'd be hard-pressed to find any studio worth its salt without at least one Distressor in its outboard racks, and the reason for that is quite simple -- Empirical Labs' original product is a tried and true piece of gear, a chameleon capable of about a million-and-one tricks. From subtle transient shaping to all out harmonic distortion war, smooth LA-2A-style curves to the much more aggressive "NUKE" setting, the Distressor is the right tool for almost any compression job. The EL8-X version with "British Mod" and Image Link for improved stereo compression crams even more tricks into the Distressor's sleeve.

The Universal Audio 1176LN reissue follows Bill Putnam's original drawings to bring a classic peak limiter / compressor to the modern studio market without the hassles of repairing and servicing the vintage units. This lightning-fast FET limiter has a place in just about every recording and mixing room, known for being versatile enough to use on any track in the mix but a tried and true favorite for lead vocals, bass guitar, and drums.