We meet the Black Lion Audio Bluey 500 vintage-style FET compressor
4,3 / 5,0 | 
Introducing the Black Lion Audio Bluey 500. Yes, the popular 1176 clone is now available for the API 500-series format. Let’s take a look at this new iteration of the famous FET peak limiter.
The rackmount version of the Bluey was designed in collaboration with well-known mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge, an extensive user of the original blue stripe 1176LN (first released in back in 1967).
Black Lion Audio Bluey 500
The Bluey 500 takes up two slots in your 500-series rack, with all the same controls and features as the rackmount edition. Apart from being closely modeled on Chris Lord-Alge’s heavily modified 1176 including his console’s insert path, the Bluey also has some added features of its own.
Black Lion Audio added a mix control as well as a stereo link feature, which increases the utility of the already versatile design. Another unique feature of the Bluey is the way its attack control works.
By turning the knob clockwise, you decrease the attack time which is the complete opposite of how the original works. Although purists might question this, it does seem more intuitive, especially considering that the new generation of users might not have used a vintage 1176.
Bluey 500 · Source: Black Lion Audio
Overall, the Bluey 500 offers plenty of value. Although you obviously require a 500-series chassis, it’s still a very attractive option. If you consider the power of having two of these stereo-linkable units for both tracking and mixing, the prospect becomes even more intriguing.
Let’s take a quick look at the features:
- 500-series version of Chris Lorde-Alge’s personal 1176
- Equipped with two Cinemag transformers
- Recreations of the original UTC input transformer and Reichenbach output transformer
- Wet/Dry mix knob for parallel compression
- Stereo-linkable
- Input and Output buffering from Chris Lorde-Alge’s console inserts
Pricing and availability:
The Bluey 500 will be available soon from your favourite retailer.
More about the Black Lion Audio Bluey 500:
- Black Lion Audio official page
- All about Black Lion Audio
- More about 500-series gear
- All about compressors
Videos:
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