Tag Archives: compressors

CBS Volumax and Audimax circa 1964

Posted on 05/16/2013 by chris

CT!  CBS labs, Stamford, 1963 – 1965.   These CBS units still seem like the ugly ducklings of the vintage limiter market.  I have had 3 of the later solid-state audimax 4440′s in the basement for the past 3 years.  They … Continue reading →

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Compressor Roundup c. 1963

Posted on 04/19/2013 by chris

Today on PS dot come: a short but v v informative piece from BROADCAST ENGINEERING , July 1963, which gives specs for nearly all of the broadcast compressors that were available that year.  Models covered include: Collins 26J Auto-level, Collins … Continue reading →

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Novel Vacuum Tube / Diode Compressor: 1950

Posted on 11/07/2012 by chris

Download a short piece from RADIO-ELECTRONICS, 1950, on the subject of a DIY audio-compressor: DOWNLOAD: DiodeCompressor1950 This promises to be an interesting unit.  It’s designed (like a Shure Level-Loc) for Mic-Level-In, Mic-Level-Out, but that could pretty easily be changed for … Continue reading →

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Vacuum-Tube Output Stage for Shure Level Loc

Posted on 03/01/2012 by chris

Many of my regular readers will be familiar with the Shure Level-Loc.  For those unfamiliar, the basics:  the Level-Loc is a brickwall limiter made by the Shure microphone company for public-address-system use (podium mics, specifically) in the 1960s.   It uses … Continue reading →

Posted in Custom Fabrication, Technical | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Altec 436 Compressor: Taming the output level: part 2

Posted on 05/26/2011 by chris

In a previous post, we looked at the Altec 436 vari-mu tube compressor.  I built one of these a few years ago, and it never really got used all that much because the output level is so hot.  The 436 … Continue reading →

Posted in Altec, Custom Fabrication, Technical | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Pro Audio hardware of the early 1950s

Posted on 05/18/2011 by chris

The General Electric (GE) BA-5-A Limiter Continuing our review of the first two years of AUDIO magazine, today we will look at some of the more interesting bits of pro audio kit in evidence during 1954/1955.  AUDIO magazine had just … Continue reading →

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Altec 436 Compressor: Taming the Output Level

Posted on 04/16/2011 by chris

Ah the classic Altec 436C compressor (see here for previous coverage on PS dot com). Here’s a fresh high-res scan of the original product-sheet (2pp): DOWNLOAD:  Altec_436C I built one of these some years ago and it really sounds great.  … Continue reading →

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Orban Audio Processors of the 1980s

Posted on 03/12/2011 by chris

Download the four-page circa 1984 Orban ‘condensed catalog’: DOWNLOAD: OrbanCondCatalog Photos and descriptions (no specs) of the following models: Orban 111B reverberation; 245F stereo synthesizer; 418A stereo compressor/limiter; 424A Gated compressor/limiter/De-Esser (i.e.,  ‘make-it-as-loud-as-the-FCC-will-allow’ box); 516EC 3-channel De-Esser; 526A De-esser; 622B … Continue reading →

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Valley People 610 Dynamics Processor

Posted on 03/10/2011 by chris

Download the original 2-page product sheet for the Valley People 610 dynamics processor: DOWNLOAD: ValleyPeople610 Valley People was the successor to Allison Research.   VP produced many popular dynamics processors in the early 1980′s, most notably the Kepex gate and … Continue reading →

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Fostex ‘Personal’ Outboard Equipment of the 1980s

Posted on 02/28/2011 by chris

Download fourteen-pages of original product information regarding FOSTEX’ “Personal Multitrack” outboard-equipment line of the 1980s: DOWNLOAD: Fostex_Outboard_Gear_1986 Included in this download:  “Echo Buss Vol II, Take 1,” a FOSTEX newsletter to pro-sumer users of the 80s.  Plus 2-side product sheets … Continue reading →

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