FG-116 Blue Series FET Compressors

Vintage FET Limiting

VINTAGE CIRCUIT 1: Circuit 1 has the classic ‘mid-forward’ character that made the blue-striped FET compressors so famous. It adds a wonderful coloration to the upper midrange especially, and adds a warm presence to vocals, bass, drums, and guitars. It will have a softer top and bottom end compared to the Black 116, and more articulate transients due to the harmonic distortion in the midrange.

VINTAGE CIRCUIT 2: Circuit 2 is modeled after a “rev A” unit that had been updated and refurbished, and had a very unique and musical sound. This model has much bigger lows and smoother mids and highs compared to Circuit 1, making it sound amazing on drum room mics, as well as vocals that need to have more ‘bigness’ and don’t require the midrange push of Circuit 1.

Modern FET Limiting

MODERN CIRCUIT 1: Circuit 1’s attack is slow enough that this compressor can sound amazing on close drum mics when set to the slowest attack and fastest release – try it on a snare to bring out the punch while extending the decay. Bass guitars can take on a very edgy sound on this same setting, and by backing down the release you’ll start to tighten things up (which can be great on kick drum too).

MODERN CIRCUIT 2: Circuit 2 will have a more breathable and punchy bottom end and overall smoother response on the top end. It sounds amazing on a drum buss with the Hi Pass filter engaged, and even full mixes can really benefit from this musical compressor! Yes, with the Blue Modern – with the attack on the slowest and release on fastest and with the HP filter on – you can use it on full mix! Compress about 10db, then back off the mix knob to about 25% for incredible energy and excitement.

Parallel Compression

The FG-116 Blue Series Compressors take the guesswork and setup out of parallel compression techniques by offering a Mix control. By dialing in heavy amounts of compression but dialing the mix back to 25%, you can enhance the punch of your drum tracks without making them feel overly compressed. The Hi Pass filter allows the compressor to ignore low frequencies, retaining low frequency impact while still controlling the dynamics.