The Black Lion Audio Bluey is a meticulously recreated version of Chris Lord-Alge’s heavily modified “Blue Stripe” 1176 compressor, affectionately named “Bluey.” As original components for the unit became unavailable, various changes were made over decades of use, resulting in a one-of-a-kind compressor with unique sonic character. The Black Lion Audio Bluey has featured on countless hit records and stands out for its powerful vocal presence and musical compression tone.
To accurately reproduce the unique qualities of Chris’s original, Black Lion Audio worked directly with Lord-Alge, reverse-engineering every nuance of the modified circuitry. The recreation features custom Cinemag transformers that replicate the original UTC unit and even includes a recreation of Chris’s console insert path to deliver the same integration and feel.
Beyond just replication, Black Lion Audio enhanced the design by adding modern workflow features such as an active wet/dry mix control for easy parallel compression and stereo link capability. The Black Lion Audio Bluey is constructed with high-quality components including a vintage-style one-sided PCB, 1% tolerance resistors, polyester capacitors, a linear power supply, and fully discrete Class A circuitry. Built to professional standards and hand-assembled in the USA, the Black Lion Audio Bluey offers the exact character of a vintage classic with improved durability and functionality.
Features
- Fully discrete, Class A circuitry
- Through-hole components
- Polyester capacitors
- Vintage-inspired 1-sided PCB layout
- Cinemag remake of original UTC transformer
- Wet/dry mix feature
- Stereo-linkable
- Linear power supply
- Precise meter calibration
