Am I the only one who finds it kind of hideous looking?

I'm hoping the people at Smart have plans for a C2LAheh

if smart were smart they would release a plugin.
C2 resale values are incredibly low these days - I waited over 1,5 years until I could sell mine
at a reasonable rate.
Nice comps but software gets closer and closer...

Actually I think it's a good move on their part. You get a nice compressor at a nice price point, and 500 series is still in high demand, should be a hit.

I just don't care for the color very much, the rest of it looks great.

500 series is a nice concept
but from an environmental standpoint
it´s so ****ing stupid having a rack of 8 devices
which I don´t need powered on all the time
but can´t switch off individually...

As good as plugs have gotten, my 2 mix comp has to be hardware for workflow purposes...

I love the C1, and unless something amazing comes along in the next few months, I'll be happy to add this to the rack.

I love the Dramastic Obsidian and can't imagine wanting anything else for stereo buss, but I'm definitely excited by this thing for other purposes.

- c

Just take a look at Dramastic Obsidian, talk about blast from the past.

This thing looks awesome!!! beautiful! That's the one i would like to have in my lunchbox (with the aml 54f50)! I presume it sounds really good too.

How Much AC Current do you think most modules draw?
For example: a 60 watt bulb draws about the same as 60 API 512C mic pres...and that is on the high side...
Not much, no doubt some draw more, Your computer draws far more..

Or IF an API 6 space is at max current for all 6 slots a 60 watt bulb will draw about twice as much...

....no Mix/Blend knob or side-chain filter?? and no Crush button? i know it's not a C2 but why not make it a C2....not enough room?
missed opportunity to really take over the 500 VCA buss comp market. the Obsidian and Serpent are both better-featured. i'll pass.

It has 3 built in side chain settings, and bantams for external triggering. True it doesn't have wet/dry, but I demoed it and it sounds awesome!

You don't need wet/dry with the C1. It's not that kinda thing.

The only reason you'd want it is if you were using Crush, 'cause that thing sounds AWFUL.

- c

Perfect if you aint got a ssl eq around though

Really? I have found ssl-type vca comps to often be pretty fidgety/too much on mix buss - a mix/blend control I reckon is a GREAT selling point! How is it not a great feature?? For me anyway....it makes a great compressor even greater by increasing its flexibility/versatility. I trialled the Gem Audio zener Preceptor & API 2500 earlier in the year & bought the Gem....because of that Blend knob! I loved the tone of the 2500 but the Gem always managed to make things better - even with just 10% wet dialled in where the API was just a bit too much on mix buss a lot of the time (for my taste anyway) - GREAT on drums tho - but I don't need another drum compressor.....& I think that's what happens a lot of the time : we say a compressor is great on drum buss when it could also be great on mix buss (and other stuff) if it only had a Mix/Blend control. I have no doubt the C1 would be totally badass on drums but it needs that extra knob to get me on board. But that's just me...sorry to rant.

Well, this stuff is subjective. Not gonna argue.

I generally only use parallel processing when the limiter is rude and "transgressive" sounding. Like the TG1 or Spectrasonics 610 or Valley People Dynamite. That kinda thing.

Otherwise parallel processing is too fussy or fidgety to bother with.

But that's me.

- c

"Otherwise parallel processing is too fussy or fidgety to bother with."

....I agree - parallel processing is a faff! That's why it's so great if you can do it in the compressor with one easy knob! Then it's a piece of cake!

I decided against it because the meter is not lit.

I tried one out while tracking drums at Sunset Sound yesterday. I used it on the room mics, and it had way more attitude than a c2. It was awesome, and I think I'll be getting one. Actually it's the first 500 series comp that I've liked, other than API. Really curious to see how it will sound on the mix bus.

You may want to check out the Alta Moda Hippo; it's easily my favorite 500 series compressor and I've checked out quite a few.

Ha, Ha, Ha, ......I think I'd have to really toss out 9.9/10ths of all my "Audio Equipment" (With No Console or Monitors) in My Racks & paint the names out in Black if Livery and Aesthetics were an Issue!, You'd be locked into a Minimalist Black Scheme or a White Scheme with certainly no colour involved! That would be 6 full Racks gone, then 6 Racks replaced with 1 unit x 50 plus of Behringer's type Coloured Equipment. Lol....C1LA..Hideous Looking?.....wow, I know looking at stuff on a DAW can be a real drag, though in thinking Audio I'm listening, and couldn't give a flying F*ck what colour any piece of equipment is.... I'm amazed., seriously...I can Nearly..Imagine you "Dry-Retching" every time your Led's turn from Green to Orange to Red! My goodness, what would a VU do to you? Or are you stuck on Black Sifam PPM's?


TLB

I realize this is an old thread, however, being that I have made a recall sheet for this, I would like to share if anyone is interested. BTW, I find it a beautiful 500 series!

Has anybody added the output transformer option to this unit ?

Well I’ll revive this
A shout out to Smart C1LA, it is really really good,in a world of vca choices , this one is still killer

Totally agreed. I like it better than my old C1 which was also awesome. An absolutely first-rate tool with incredibly flexible controls, and I love the lack of wet/dry because frankly, on 2-buss I'd never want it. All or nothing!

This recall sheet is killer, thanks endorphin!! The C1LA, like you might expect of good hardware, easily bests all of the 2-bus comp plugins I've tried (Slate VBC, SSL Duende, Waves, the Glue, etc - haven't tried UAD). It has a way of pushing the audio out to what I call 'the four corners of the mix' (front right, back right, front left, back left) like nothing else I've used, all while glueing the whole works together. Pretty phenomenal unit.

Hi Pertergreeny, you're quite welcome on the recall sheet. I always make them if I can't find them.

I am still a great fan of the C1LA, I'm certainly not the best mixing engineer, but the beauty of this piece of gear is the openness when using it on the 2-buss. For instance, many of the great plugs out there now that emulate this type of compressor have nailed the personality, but not the openness, YMMV. I use two NEVE 1272 line preamps after the compressor and back into my DAW as well. This also adds weight IMHO. I built my own preamps from SCA. My wife and I own a studio where we do one or two projects a year. The C1LA is on the 2-buss for anything that rocks. We mix into the compressor. The C1LA needle always moves less than the plugins needles do at the same desired result on the 2-buss. We're usually at 2:1 ratio, slow attack and fast release and 130hz sidechain engaged, but that does vary sometimes. The needle barely moves, but turn it off, and the mix falls apart! It truly is awesome! The plugins when reducing needle movement still does not produce the openness but the personality goes away when doing that as well, so I'd say we are able to match the personality between the two, but to beat a dead horse, the openness is quite apparent with the C1LA, YMMV.

Jumping in to add the latest revision has a backlit VU. It’s a brilliant compressor. I used to have a C1 rack and it’s like a enhanced and better version of that. To me the C1 was closest to the e/g desk comp and the C1LA is basically that but a tad cleaner and wider in the stereo field. It moves like the desk comp moves. Compared to the SSL 500 series it’s night and day. The C1LA is much closer to the classic desk comp vibe than the 500 ssl comp.

I must have lucked out and got a newer rev as mine has backlight metering. And it doesn't have the "SunsetSound" logo.

The hand-feel of the knobs and switches is absolutely dreadful considering the price of the unit. I don't have experience with other compressors to say a whole lot about it, but I'm happy to have it. I'm very curious if anyone has snagged the output transformers for this.