Skip to main content Skip to footer

  • Print
TL Audio Logo
Product 184025

TL Audio C-1 2-Channel Valve Tube Compressor

The TL Audio C-1 compressor maintains its position among the most flexible, polished-sounding high-end compressors on the market today. Featuring a s...Click To Read More About This Product

We're sorry-this item is unavailable.

Find a similar product below or contact our experts for a recommendation of great alternatives. Call us at 800.348.5003.

Customers Also Viewed:
OVERVIEW

TL's most famous compressor with low-noise solid state preamp followed by two tube stages per channel.

The TL Audio C-1 compressor maintains its position among the most flexible, polished-sounding high-end compressors on the market today. Featuring a spectacular raven blue 6mm milled aluminum front panel, General Electric US military-specification valves, high retention gold-plated ceramic valve bases and circular back-lit VU meters, the C-1 is even fatter-sounding and more rugged than its legendary predecessor.

All controls are continuously variable (unlike some other compressors with switched parameters) and high-quality onboard mic preamps allow direct-to-tape recording of microphone sources. Stereo front panel instrument inputs mean a keyboard or guitar can feed straight into the C-1 and down to tape with a minimum of fuss. Whether the C-1 compressor is tracking vocals and instruments or adding roundness and warmth to a complete mix, it will become an indispensable part of your signal path within hours.

The TL Audio C-1 features a low-noise solid state preamp followed by two valve stages per channel. The valves are General Electric ECC83/12AX7A types, run from a stabilized 250v DC power supply. The first valve stage acts as a voltage amplifier, with the second stage forming part of the gain control element. The gain control is performed by TL Audio's own unique transconductance stage that avoids the use of VCAs, thus improving transparency and minimizing distortion, which is virtually constant at 0.05% over the full bandwidth. The frequency response of the C-1 compressor is virtually flat between 20Hz and 40kHz, and measured between -3dB points, the C-1's bandwidth is a staggering 5Hz to 70kHz.

About TL Audio
TL Audio began manufacturing audio products in 1990, when the company - founded by Tony Larking - was largely involved in the restoration and reselling of vintage equipment such as Neve and Trident recording consoles. The first TL Audio products were original Neve EQ modules, which were taken principally from broadcast consoles and repackaged to make them suitable for music production studios. A little later, Tony Larking joined forces with David Kempson, a leading designer at Neve for nine years.

By 1993 the demand for used valve outboard equipment had become very strong but most models such as the original Pultec and Fairchild valve devices were already extremely rare and expensive. There appeared an obvious gap in the market for brand new affordable valve products and the result was TL Audio's first valve product - the EQ-1 Dual Valve Equalizer. This product revolutionized the studio market by offering reliable, flexible, great sounding valve processing that was within the budget of most studios. The EQ-1 quickly attracted the interest of mainstream engineer/producers, with the first two production models going to Roy Thomas Baker (who had produced many of Queen and Foreigner's early recordings) and Chris Porter (who was working with George Michael and Take That).

The EQ-1 was the first of what became known as the 'Classic' range, and was followed by what has become possibly TL Audio's best known product - the C-1 Dual Valve Compressor, which shot to stardom as Chris Fogel's mixdown compressor on Alanis Morissette's multi-million selling Jagged Little Pill album.

Today, TL Audio has become one of the most respected names currently manufacturing Pro Audio equipment. According to designer David Kempson, "Our hybrid design approach was not chosen to cut costs: we created it because we genuinely believe it is a better way of producing valve processors. It makes them consistent, reliable, quiet, and - best of all - it means that by gearing ourselves up for large-scale production we can make the products affordable as well. Every studio deserves to benefit from the advantages of valve signal processing - with our products, we make that possible."

TL Audio ” Plug in the real thing.

FEATURES
2-channels of soft knee, variable-ratio compression
Balanced mic and line level inputs
Balanced line outputs, switchable for -10dB or +4dB operation
Unbalanced jack I/O connections
Stereo front panel instrument inputs with gain control and sensitivity switch (for guitar or keyboards etc.)
Sidechain insert points for frequency conscious compression
48V phantom power
90Hz high-pass filter switch (12dB / octave), applies to all inputs
Continuously variable Input Gain, Threshold, Attack/Release times, Compression Ratio, and Gain Make Up
Program-dependent compression characteristic: attack and release times automatically adjust in response to program material
Stereo Link mode: gangs Threshold, Attack, Release and Ratio controls for processing stereo signal sources
Back-lit circular VU meters allow monitoring of either output level or gain reduction
Bypass switch with LED
Frequency response 20Hz to 40kHz +0 / -1dB

A steady diet of TL Audio will make your music fat — and that's a very good thing. Order yours today!

SPECIFICATIONS
Mic Input: Impedance: > 10k
Gain range: +16 to +60dB
Input noise (EIN): -126 dBu (22Hz-22kHz)
Max input level: +10dBu
Balanced XLR connector
Line Input: (Balanced) Impedance: > 5k
Gain range: -10dB to +35dB
Max input level: +30dBu
XLR connector
(Unbalanced) Impedance: > 5k
Gain range: -10dB to +35dB
Max input level: +24dBu
Jack connector
Auxiliary input: Two unbalanced jack connectors for stereo operation, or Input A may be used to drive both channels
Max input level: +10dBu
Switchable sensitivity for guitar or keyboards
Output: Balanced output impedance: < 10
Max level: +22dBu into 600
Unbalanced output impedance: 47
Max level: +20dBu into 10k
Sidechain insert point: stereo jack, tip=send, ring=return
Nominal level: -2dBu
Output impedance: 47, Return input impedance: 10k

Compressor Functions (all continuously variable):
Threshold: -20dBu to +20dBu
Attack: 0.5mS to 50mS
Release: 40mS to 4S
Ratio: 1:1.5 to 1:30
Gain Make Up: 0dB to +20dB
Frequency response: 20Hz to 40kHz +0 / -1dB
Distortion: 0.05% (10Hz-40kHz)
Dynamic Range: 100dB

Power supply: 110-120v or 220-240v AC
Power consumption: 30VA typical
Dimensions: 483 x 205 x 88mm (19" 2U)
Weight: 5kg. Shipping Weight: 6kg.

This oversized item has special shipping requirements

Restrictions

See All TL Audio Compressors & Limiters
Customer Service

Sign up for the latest deals!

You are changing the Ship-To country.

Our product catalog varies by country due to manufacturer restrictions. If you change the Ship-To country, some or all of the items in your cart may not ship to the new destination.