Gearank

Gearank High Notes

• 2021.12: Equal Highest Rated Single Channel 500 Series Compressor
  Tied With:
  FMR Audio RNC500
  Rupert Neve Designs 543
  Rupert Neve Designs 535
  Crane Song Falcon
  

Gearank Recommendation

The BAE 500C FET was on our recommended list for Single Channel 500 Series Compressors from December 2020 until April 2022 when it was removed due to a lack of availability.

Overview

Designed to be similar (but not quite) to the famed 1176 compressor, the BAE 500C FET features classic FET-style compression with two 2520 op-amps.

An 1176 style FET compressor isn't complete without the unit's famed "all buttons" mode, which in the case of the BAE 500C Fet, comes in the form of the ABI setting on the ratio.

For imbuing your tracks with character and punch, the BAE 500C FET is a good pick at this price range.

Specifications

• Controls: Input, Output, Release, Attack
• Maximum Input Levels/Output Levels: +28dBu.
• Attack: none specified -- assume similar to 1176: 20 to 800 microseconds
• Release: none specified -- assume similar to 1176: 50ms to 1.1sec
• Ratio: 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, 20:1, ABI
• Threshold:Fixed. Controlled by input.