Price History
Product Overview
Slate Digital's FG-116 Blue Series delivers faithful emulations of the sought-after vintage "rev A" FET limiter, paired with two distinctly modern circuit variations that expand the tool's practical range across contemporary mixing scenarios. The plugin captures both the sonic signature and operational character that made the original hardware a studio staple for decades.
The vintage circuits prioritize the midrange coloration that defined the original design, with Circuit 1 delivering the characteristic "mid-forward" presence that flatters vocals, bass, and drums through subtle harmonic distortion in the upper midrange. Circuit 2, modeled after a refurbished unit, trades some of that midrange push for extended lows and smoother high-frequency response, making it particularly effective on drum room mics and sources requiring body without the midrange emphasis.
The modern circuits retain the FET's core behavior while refining its transient response and frequency balance. Modern Circuit 1 excels on close-miked drums, allowing slow attack times to preserve punch while extending decay naturally. Modern Circuit 2 provides smoother top-end response and tighter bottom-end definition, particularly useful on drum bus applications with the high-pass filter engaged or full mix material.
Practical features including hi-pass detection, adjustable parallel mixing, and the full range of vintage FET controls position the Blue Series as a genuinely versatile compressor rather than a one-trick specialty tool. Experienced engineers will recognize it as a capable alternative to hardware units, with the added flexibility of modern circuit options for work extending beyond pure vintage emulation.