Based on a special Blue Strip 1176 unit beloved by recording engineer to the starts Chris Lord-Alge, the Black Lion Audio Bluey is a single-channel compressor / limiting amp sporting continuously variable attack and release controls and ratio selections of 4:1. 8:1. 12:1, and 20:1. Combined with new features like Mix control for parallel compression, Bluey can be a vital tool in the studio.
The fully analog Bluey FET limiter provides input and output gain control and continuously variable attack and release controls. I/O includes balanced XLR 3-pin input and output jacks and an RCA connector for stereo link support. Bluey offers a true analog VU gain reduction meter with options for +4 or +8 settings (0 = +4 or +8 dB) or off. The AC input is universal, with a slide switch for selecting the appropriate input voltage for your region. With a brushed metal front panel, classic blue strip, and high-quality vintage-inspired PCB layout, this unit looks great and is built to last, while offering the authentic sound of a classic dynamics compressor with a one-of-a-kind modification setup.
Chris desired more channels of this golden unit, and reached out to the guys who know modifications best, the team at Black Lion Audio. Intrigued by Chris’s praise of the unit, head design engineer, Jesus Ortiz, boarded a plane from Chicago to LA to discover what gave this Blue Stripe its edge. He found a series of mods done to the unit over the years to keep it working that miraculously cumulated in a uniquely beast-like 1176. BLA analyzed the unit with pain-staking detail, and worked closely with Chris Lord-Alge to recreate Bluey.
- Custom Cinemag transformers
- Rebuilt input path identical to the prized Bluey unit
- Active wet/dry mix for easy parallel compression
- Stereo link via RCA connection
- Vintage-inspired PCB layout
- 1% resistors, polyester capacitors, and a linear power supply
- Hand assembled and tested in the USA