What was your first studio compressor?

[unit13]

I'm still using mine!!
It's a shitty Behringer MDX4400 :( I've got a couple of them!
Can't afford to replace them just yet but it needs to happen.

I'm beginning to really dislike them, need something more transparent.

[Ragan]

Behringer Composer baby! Got that thing with paper route money for tracking into my Tascam 424 MkII. I was sure (correctly of course) that the Composer was just the thing to give my that punchy, truly pro sound!

Those were good times.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Gearslutz.com

[Jo E]

Fostex 3070 early 80´s, don´t have one today, but did actually get on a couple of years ago just for fun and terrible gating.....don´t have it today.

IRL:
Tk Audio BC-1
Urei La-4
Joe Meek SC2
Drawmer 1960
DBX 160 XT

In tha box:
(Universal UAD´s)
La-2
Urei 1176
Fairchild
Neve

[Jerry Pbury]

Back in the 80's I had a Fostex 3070. Learned a lot about compression using this. I really liked this unit. Now I have LA2A's, 1176's, SSL, DBX, all great units but I really liked the way this thing sounded and it was real easy to use for ducking vocals.

[McDingus]

Originally Posted by Ward Pike

Although I see some of you (like McDingus) started near the top of the heap.

It also shows how young most of the crowd is here.

The LA2A didn't always have the value it does now- not even close.

It was just a mono compressor!

I bought it and then an 1176.

Remember, at one point, for the cost of ART compressor now, you could get an LA2A... The good ol days...

[roy_mattie]

DBX 160x. Still use it and love it.

[erikdrink]

Art pro VLA

[Santiago...]

Alesis 3630. Sometimes I used it as a main bus comp.

[subzero]

Behringer Composer, used it once. Nuff said.

[henge]

The venerable 3630. My god what a life sucking piece of gear!!LOL
But it was the only thing I could afford at the time and there were no plugs.
At least every comp I've bought since then has been a huge step up. That should be their saying " your next comp after the 3630 will be a huge step up!"

[Jules]

Behringer composer!

[kraku]

Api 2500

[Kumbari]

Mid 1970's Urei 1176LN. Had no idea what it really was but thought I should hang on to it when I bought it back in 2002. Now I know what it is and what Compressors should sound like.

[daez]

behringer autocom pro. Got many years of use out that bad boy suprisingly!!!

[Drumsound]

I started at a place with 2 3630s and some boss 1/2 rack things I never used. A DBX 166 and Berrhinger composer showed up, and then a VLA (still in a lot of use ). The first compressor I purchased (and I still have and use) was a used Joe Meek SC2.2.

[John N]

RNC followed by an RNLA
Then a Symetrix 501
ART Pro VLA II
Symetrix CL100

currently having fun using my newly acquired DBX 166A (modded with Burr Brown opamps and upgraded power supply caps) - sounds great on bass! liking it more than my 501, but that might be because the limiter section of the 501 is not functioning.

[Wayne]

Yamaha 2020 was my training wheel. Learned 'slow attack fast release, ratio way down low as it'd go.

Second was a Valley 610 I bought from Fostex's R&D of all things.
New lights came on there

[Voyage.One]

Dbx 266xl

[GSGuitarest]

UA 2-1176 was my first. Still own it, and love it!

[jpgerard]

Wow, took me a few minutes to remember... it was an LA-Audio GCX-2, which actually did a great job although its gate was not the greatest feature. It offered very nice RMS compression though. Then there was a dbx MC6, the tiny tabletop stereo comp. Worked quite well too!!! Then I moved up to JoeMeek. Then it gets a bit blurry!!!!