Warm Audio WA76-A

The Warm Audio WA76-A is a single-channel analog FET compressor and a faithful recreation of the legendary vintage 76 "Blue Stripe" (Revision A). One of the fastest and most powerful compressors of all time, it is ideal for vocals, drums, guitars, bass and anything requiring tight dynamics, with modern features for today's studio.

Timeless compression with a vintage voice

The vintage "Blue Stripe" 76 compressors are known for their versatility, speed and the harmonic analog tonality they add to recordings. Just like the originals, the WA76-A delivers the classic performance heard on legendary recordings by Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Chris Stapleton, Chris Lord-Alge and many more.

True-to-spec, plus modern add-ons

Using premium custom components such as vintage-spec CineMag O-12 (input) and 5002 (output) transformers, the WA76-A achieves authentic "Blue Stripe" compression: fast, with more harmonic distortion for unmistakable analog character. It adds a dry/wet knob for parallel compression, two versions of active bypass for analog colour, and selectable input impedance for modern audio interfaces.

• Parallel compression: blend the dry signal with the compressed (wet) signal using the Mix knob.
• Sidechain HPF: variable sidechain high-pass filter, 30-300 Hz.
• Input impedance: 600 Ω for analog gear or 10 kΩ for interface outputs.
• Stereo link: two jacks to link up to 10 WA76-A units for surround/immersive compression.
• External sidechain: inputs and outputs for key inputs (ducking) or an EQ for real-time analog de-essing.

Every unit is built and hand-tested in Austin, Texas.