RCA BA6A Mono Tube Compressor/Limiter #VK-620 (Vintage)

Beautiful on vocals, bass, kick, and snare.

A favorite of Jimmy Page, who loves them for acoustic guitar; the RCA BA6A has huge amounts of gain, with loads of grit and character. It is known for its robust tone and slower release character and can work beautifully on some tracks for bass, snare, guitars and other instruments where you're looking for something 'special' to fatten things up.

First produced in 1951 for use as a broadcast limiter in radio stations, the BA6A uses the famous 6386 tube in a variable-MU design. A typical vari-mu compressor uses a 'push-pull' design, which increases the compression ratio based on the input gain, and has no separate ratio control. It will, however, give you faster attack and release times than an optical compressor.

More of a compressor than a limiter, the BA6A has a unique character that has yet to be replicated in any plug-in. Thick, fat and gluey sounding, this compressor will add some depth and funk to the flat picture of Pro Tools. Far too many of these went into the dumpster when the age of transistors arrived. Here's a rare chance to own the real deal.