Must have 500 series Comps?

FC526

FC526  also the serpent chimera, from what I've been told the la500 from JLM audio is no slouch?

Great River 501, Elysia X-pressor, Alta Moda Hippo, Retro Doublewide and Empress ECM-519. All of these do their job and bring unique flavors to the table when used properly. Honorable mention for the DBX 560a and Fredenstein Artistic compressor for affordable but still quality options.

FC526
level-Ors
BAC-500
Old big meter 525's
Alan Smart 500 comp

As mentioned, the LA500 is a nice "optical" compressor (on the La3a flavor). Not mentioned yet is the excellent recreation of the classic 1176 FET from Hairball Audio with their FET/500 series. Its available in the "A", "D", and "F" versions. I have the "A" and "D" versions and both are great (I also have 3 vintage UREI 1176's but have no problem using the 500 stuff). I especially love the "A" when you need some grit on that snare, kick, or bass. They come in kit form or built. The build is pretty straight forward, but the alignment can be a bit touchy. And, they can be strapped together via a front panel jack for stereo stuff as well.

So far a consensus on the FC526 and the JLM LA500.

More Please!

Of the ones you recommend, what do you find them useful on, or what do they do that you find irreplaceable?

The Serpent SB4001 is cool for that SSL type thing, I'd like to hear from anyone having one side by side with the Alta Moda Hippo.

It's similar in that it destroys audio.
No mix knob.
Input output control.
Level/crush switch
Fast/slow attack switch

I like the FET/500, I actually sold mine because I want to build the rack versions because, well, I like big knobs and meters. I did a lot of A/Bing with my Rev A and D and I think they compliment each other, Rev A is more aggressive and works nicely on vocals and drums, while I liked the Rev D on acoustic instruments and bass.

I ordered a Rev D. I wonder how the mnat's Rev A sounds against the Don u76 that I built? I may eventually test it out! Figured I did not need 2 Rev A right now.

For some reason I want compressors to be big 19 inch things. Maybe that's a hangup I need to get past because there are certainly some good 500 series options.

I'm going with what I've tried...I can't comment on much else. This list is longer than I expected, but most of the compressors I've tried for the 500 series have been pretty AOK. I'm leaving out redundant designs, so if you are looking for me to compare twenty 1176 clones, that's not going to happen. If there's other types that are similar to what I've chosen, chances are it's a price Vs. performance issue and I'm going with what's worth the money. However, for SSL G-Compressor clones....I'm listing three that are worth investigating, depending on your needs.


FET, OPTICAL, AND PWM COMPRESSORS:

01. Chandler Little Devils (Mini Germanium Compressor, with fewer Knees and slimmed down controls, but still has parallel compression built in. That being said, I prefer the full rack mount Germaniums in terms of flexibility and tone.)
02. Lindell Audio 7x-500 (It's honestly great for the price, and has parallel compression built in.)
03. JLM LA500 (Prefer it to LA3A's since it has a great Side Chain, also it's cost effective.)
04. Shadow Hills Mono Gama (Stepped controls for perfect recall! If you can spare two spaces and the $$$ this is a great choice for an optical.)
05. Great River PWM 501 (Super flexible in every respect, however it lacks parallel compression. Overall this is a real "Swiss Army Knife" with a lot of personality. Incredible customer service and build quality too.)
06. FMR RNC500 and RNLA500 (Cheap, well made, great customer service, flexible, and great metering. Both models are total pro for the money.)
07. Radial Komit (really awesome when you need to crush the snot out of something since it has a compressor AND a limiter section.)


SSL STYLE VCA COMPRESSORS:

01. Serpent Audio SB4001 (Best bang for the buck SSL VCA G-Comp clone, also has parallel compression built in.)
02. Dramastic Obsidian 500 (It just sounds fantastic, but this one is expensive if you're looking at VCA SSL G-Comp clones, unlike the Serpent you lose parallel compression features, but it can be a GREAT final limiter, best tone of the three for sure. Also I prefer this unit to the rack mount version. You have the option to expand with a dual mono card, though it's expensive and will take up four spaces in your 500 series rack. Also it has better ratio settings than the original.)
03. Alan Smart CL1 LA (It's also a great final limiter, extremely close in tone to the Dramastic, but cheaper. It's a toss up whether you would want this or the Dramasitc if you're willing to pay more than what the Serpent costs, so feature set becomes the criteria. While this lacks transformers that widen your stereo image and depth, it can operate in dual mono, which is something the Dramastic and the serpent both can't do, unless you spring for the dual mono expander for the Dramastic, which nearly doubles it's price. This is adds a different kind of dimension to things for sure.)

*Depending on where I prefer to keep an SSL style G-Comp in the signal chain...that's what would influence which of those three I would pick.


ELYSIA UNITS (THESE GET THEIR OWN CATEGORY):

01. Elysia Xpressor 500 (Totally flexible in ways none of the SSL style compressors are, this is in fact a powerful compressor if you need transparency.)
02. Elysia Nvelope 500 (A transient designer on steroids! I LOVE this box!)