BURL BC5000 Bigfoot: The Ultimate Modern LA-2A?
A versatile high-end opto compressor for any audio application.
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The BURL BC500 Bigfoot is a high-end solid-state opto compressor and limiter designed for recording, mixing, and mastering workflows.
Based in Santa Cruz, California, BURL Audio is known for creating some of the best digital conversion stages in the game, and although they offer preamps and summing mixers, a piece of processing outboard gear is certainly unexpected.
BURL BC5000 Bigfoot
The BC5000 Bigfoot uses an optical element within a completely balanced Class-A transistor circuit. A notable feature is that the input and output transformer stages are switchable, which enables you to choose between the I/O stages of the BAD4M and BDA4M modules or the BX1 and BX5 transformers with an added fast FET limiter circuit.
This is ideal for shaping prominent transients in a recording or a mix, and the ability to compress and limit with the same processor is particularly effective for mastering workflows. The Bigfoot also has a range of useful features, like a high-pass filter to preserve the low-end in a signal, and a high-frequency boost switch (10 kHz) for adding sparkle to darker recordings and mixes.
For cleaning up vocal recordings and cymbals in your overhead mics, there is a de-esser switch that can come in handy while tracking or mixing. What’s more, the input and output gain controls, as well as the threshold, attack, release, and ratio controls, are all stepped for dialing in sounds accurately and recalling them.
Overall, BURL has achieved its goal of creating a compressor that can be used for any application under the sun. The stereo-link switch allows the use of two units in tandem, for a monster bus processor or mastering dynamics stage. Could this be the compressor you never knew you needed?
Pricing and Availability:
The BURL BC5000 Bigfoot will be available soon from your favourite retailer, shipping this April, priced at $3,450 MSRP.
More about the BURL BC5000 Bigfoot:
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