Description
The Warm Audio WA76-A is a premium FET studio compressor designed to accurately recreate the legendary “blue stripe”-style compression known for its ultra-fast attack, aggressive dynamic control, and rich vintage analog grit. Inspired by one of the most iconic compressors in recording history, it delivers the unmistakable tone heard on recordings by Jack White, The Beatles, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin.
Built with premium components and authentic vintage-style circuitry, the WA76-A features custom large-core CineMag input and output transformers modeled after the original classic designs. Its vintage-voiced preamp stage, premium poly film capacitors, and carefully selected resistors work together to produce the gritty analog character and punchy compression response that made the original units legendary in professional studios.
Designed for modern recording workflows, the WA76-A combines traditional controls such as attack, release, ratio, input, output, and meter display with advanced features including stereo linking, dry/wet mix for parallel compression, selectable input impedance, external sidechain support, variable sidechain high-pass filter, and active or true bypass operation. Like all Warm Audio products, every WA76-A is meticulously hand-tested and inspected in Austin, Texas to ensure professional-grade performance and reliability.
Product Specifications:
Design: Vintage “Blue Stripe” Style Recreation
Signal Path: 100% Discrete Audio Signal Path
Input Impedance: 600 Ohm Attenuator / Selectable 10k Ohm
Output Stage: Class-A Line-Level Amplifier
Transformers: CineMag USA O-12 Input / 5002 Output
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz ±1 dB
Total Gain: 58 dB
Compression Controls: Vintage-Spec Attack (20 µs – 800 ms), Release (50 ms – 1.1 s)
Sidechain Filter: 30 – 300 Hz (12 dB/Octave)
Mix Control: Dry/Wet Blend
VU Meter Modes: Gain Reduction, +8 dB Output, +4 dB Output, Off
Bypass Modes: Active Bypass / True Bypass
Special Mode: “All-Buttons-In” Limiting Mode
Linking: ¼” Stereo Link & External Sidechain
Inputs/Outputs: Balanced XLR and TRS
Power Supply: 100–230V IEC Universal Inlet
Chassis: 2U 19-inch Rackmount
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 86 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -62 dB @ -13 dBu
Product Weight: 8 lbs
Product Dimensions (L × W × H): 19 × 3.5 × 6.25 inches
Shipping Weight: 10 lbs.
Shipping Dimensions (L × W × H): 24.5 × 11 × 5.5 inches