Purple Audio ACTION 500 Series Compressor / Limiter
Regular price £611.42Designed to work in standard 500 racks.
The Action by Purple Audio features a constant impedance 600 ohm input attenuator feeding the input transformer, just like our MC77 units. This makes the input more resistant to overload by hot signals. After the input transformer, the signal is attenuated by the same gain reduction FET as in the MC77. The attenuated signal is buffered by our class A KDJ3 opamp, which feeds the output fader. Lastly, our class AB KDJ4 output opamp drives our custom hexafilar nickel and steel output transformer. The total gain (with no attenuation) is 45dB, just like the MC77.
Attack and release times cover a broader range than the MC77, which can cause distortion… which may or may not be what you are looking for. Use at extremes with caution. The ratios are the same as the MC77, and the threshold moves up as the ratio goes up, just like the MC77.
Stereo linking is accomplished by cross connecting pins 3 & 6 on the edge connector. On the Purple Sweet Ten Rack, there is a second output 1/4″ that can be used to link two Actions. The link is accomplished using a TRS to TRS cable with tip on one TRS connecting to RING on the other TRS and vice versa. Plug in the cable, flip the front panel switches and you are linked. Non-Purple racks do not have an easy way to connect pins 3 and 6, and will need modification to link two Action units.
Input attenuator feeding input transformer
• Output level control
• Input and output tricolor LED metering
• Eight LED GR metering
• Five ratios including “All buttons in” mode
• Attack and Release controls
• True Relay Bypass
• Stereo Linking
• Compression on/off switch
• Discrete signal path
• Over Current Resettable Fused
(prevents module issues from affecting your Purple Audio Sweet Ten Rack)
• ROHS – Lead Free
SPECIFICATIONS
• Total Gain: 45dBu
• Ratios: 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, 20:1, ∞:1 (All buttons in)
• Attack time: Variable from 800 to 20 microseconds
• Release time: Variable from 1.1 seconds to 50 mls
• Input impedance: 600 ohms
• Output impedance: 600 ohms
• Current consumption: 90ma
5C1
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Action
*click on a photo above to see a larger preview
I'm an engineer and a Bassist/Guitarist who admittedly is a compressor freak. My studio has almost every imaginable high quality compressor in the rack at the ready, as well as a Purple MC76 (serial number in single digits) that used one of my 1176's as the benchmark during design. I've fallen in love with the 500 series Action as my go to on Bass lately. It gives me the most "grab" without altering the tone of the instrument compared to all of the others I'd used over the years (1176, 175, 160, 525, Sta Level etc...). Great product, especially at this price!!
This little compressor has quickly turned into a workhorse for our studio and I don't think I could ask any more out of it than it gives.Vocals? Clean or dirty, squashed or controlled, the Action will give you both.Bass? Control, punch, tone, every bass I run into the Action comes out sounding either more aggressive or smoother, both with all the detail you'd want.Kick and snare can get really mean and tight!Anything else you want to throw at it? I guarantee this box will help it sound better.Now the Action also comes with a warning... It has a TON of gain and it takes every engineer that plays with it for the first time an "OMG" moment as they scramble for the output knob... 😉 but it can be a super clean gain if you want it to be. Basically I'm in love with this box. I even had Andrew @ Purple Audio match the two that I have so I can use them on a stereo buss and it does miraculous things.Buy it. In fact, BUY FOUR!But if you get 4 I'll be jealous because I only have 2. So far...
You want some punchy tone on kick and snare, this baby has it. What's great is you can link them in your purple sweet10. I love them, again amazing product from Andrew.
