The Boss CL-50 Compressor Limiter is a compact half-rack dynamic processor from BOSS’s PRO Series that combines compressor, limiter and gate functions for professional studio and live applications.
Centred on a high-performance VCA chosen for low distortion and a favourable signal-to-noise ratio, the Boss CL-50 provides precise control of threshold, ratio, attack and release, while a separate gate section offers adjustable threshold and decay to cleanly mute low-level noise between phrases.
The Boss CL-50’s fast time constants, including attack down to 50 microseconds and release to 70 milliseconds, make it suitable for peak-control and protective limiting, while longer settings provide smooth programme compression.
Operational feedback is clear via gain-reduction, power, overload, gate and COMP in/out indicators. Practical connectivity on the Boss CL-50 includes main input and output, a side-chain detector input for keying, stereo link jacks for compressor and gate operation across a pair, a COMP remote jack, and an AC adaptor input.
The Boss CL-50’s PRO Series platform adds a reinforced power supply to enhance dynamic range and S/N performance, plus switchable reference levels at −10 dBm or +4 dBm to integrate with instrument or professional line systems. Two half-rack units can be mounted together in a standard 482.6 mm rack using the optional RAD-50 adaptor, fitting a 1U height.
Features
- High-performance VCA dynamic processor providing compressor, limiter and gate functions
- Favourable S/N ratio and low distortion for minimal sonic degradation
- Fast attack to 50 μs and release to 70 ms for precise peak control, with wide ranges for musical compression
- Dedicated gate with adjustable threshold and decay for effective noise muting between signals
- Eight-style indicator set including power, overload, COMP in/out, gate and gain-reduction display
- Side-chain detector input for keying and stereo link jacks for paired operation
- Switchable reference levels at −10 dBm or +4 dBm to match instrument or line systems
- PRO Series reinforced power supply enhancing dynamic range and S/N performance
- Optional RAD-50 adaptor mounts two half-rack units in a 1U, 482.6 mm rack space