Bluey
FET Limiting Amplifier 

 

 

 

Setup and installation

Mute your studio monitors. Using balanced XLR cables, connect your Bluey to your mixing bus or patch bay. If you are using two Blueys in parallel (or stereo), connect the two units using an RCA cable. Set all controls to full counter-clockwise position, and all pushbuttons deselected or in the off position. Press the On button to power the unit back up.

Unmute the monitors, and verify that signal is passing to and from the unit. Set the INPUT, OUTPUT, ATTACK and RELEASE controls to about 12 o’clock, set COMP MIX to full clockwise, select RATIO 4, and press the ON pushbutton. Increase the INPUT until the meter is deflecting a few dB. Again, verify signal is passing through the unit. Done!

Connections and Controls

 

1. Power Button: This turns the unit on and off.
2. Input: Sets the threshold and controls the level at which the compressor starts compressing
3. Output: Applies makeup gain to compressed signal to compensate for signal lost during compression
   Attack: Controls the amount of time it takes for the unit to react to an incoming signal
   Release: Controls the speed at which the compressor releases the compressed signal
4. Comp Mix: Allows the user to blend the dry uncompressed signal with the wet compressed signal to allow more natural sounding compression
5. Ratio: Controls the amount of compression applied (Yes, it does all-buttons-in-mode)
6. Meter Mode: Selector switches GR meters the amount of gain reduction applied  (+4 meters output level at 0 with +4 dB output; +8 meters output level at 0 with +8 dB output)
7. Power IEC Input: Power input jack
8. Voltage Selector: Set to correct voltage in country used in
9. XLR Output: Balanced line-level output
10. RCA Stereo Link: Use standard 2-conductor RCA cable for stereo linking

11. XLR Input: Balanced line-level input. 
     

    Note: For proper performance, balanced XLR must be used for all inputs and outputs.

A note on Bluey’s buffering: 

Bluey features additional input and output buffering circuitry not found on most other compressors; as such you may find the input to run a little hotter than you might initially expect. This extra gain is useful for directly inserting Bluey in a console insert point. Additionally, it serves to model the manner in which the original Bluey was used as a console insert while also ensuring stable level balance when adjusting the Comp Mix control.

All-buttons mode

By pressing in all four ratio buttons you activate what is referred to as “all buttons” mode. This “secret” mode changes the ratio to roughly 20:1. It also changes the bias of the circuit and the way that the controls interact with each other. The unit will become much more aggressive with its reaction knee becoming more like a plateau than a gentle curve and will have a more aggressive, dirty tone that sounds incredible on aggressive drums. The attack will become very punchy with a gooey “sucking” sound on the release. 

Stereo linking

When running a pair of Blueys via a stereo link, start by setting both units to matched settings, as the detector circuits are the linked elements - not the controls. Note that due to design limitations of the ‘76-style compressors,  no two units will ever be 100% matched without an external battery-powered balancing box. If you don’t have a balancing box, you may need to make slight alterations to the Input and Output controls to create perfect stereo matching.

The Attack control

The Attack control on the Bluey works a little differently than you may have encountered on other ‘76-style compressors. Turning the Attack knob to the left (counter-clockwise) will yield faster attack times; slower times result when turning to the right (clockwise). We’ve found this control scheme to be more intuitive; akin to a volume knob decreasing level to the left and increasing to the right.  

• Attack: Continuously variable 20 uS to 800 uS
• Release: Continuously variable 1200 mS to 50 mS

Specifications

Attack    Continuously variable 20 uS to 800 uS
Release    Continuously variable 1200 mS to 50 mS
Ratio    Pushbutton selected 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, 20:1 and any combination
Voltage    115 VAC, 230 VAC rear panel switchable
AC Mains Input    IEC320-C14 standard plug
Fuse    50 Hz uses F2AL; both are 20 mm x 5 mm
Dimensions   
Width 438 mm (19”) 
Height 88 mm (2U) 
Depth 250 mm
Weight    8 kg