Black Lion Shure Level-Loc Classic Effect Compressor / Saturation Module

The Black Lion Audio Level-Loc is a boutique re-creation of the classic, hard-to-find hardware compressor developed in close partnership with Shure, the original developer. Today’s Level-Loc is a heavy effect compressor and saturation module with the tonal qualities of the original—plus modern connectivity and control options.

The original Shure Level-Loc of the 1960s was designed as a simple, affordable compressor/limiter intended for speech reinforcement and leveling in live sound and broadcast applications and was quite successful at its intended purpose.

As years rolled on, the original Level-Loc became an increasingly popular secret weapon of studio engineers due to its sledgehammer approach to compression while doubling as an optional saturation module. The heavy hand of the Level-Loc imparts some serious grind to anything you throw at it—it sounds particularly aggressive on a drum bus. Once word got out, prices of the Level-Loc skyrocketed on popular auction sites, and plug-in emulations predictably began to pop up.

But now, thanks to a close collaboration with Shure, Black Lion Audio has brought the Level-Loc back to the masses with all the heavyweight slam of the original… without the auction site price tags or questionable reliability inherent in buying anything that was already in used condition sixty years ago.

While the Shure Level-Loc had admittedly utilitarian beginnings as a simple tool for controlling audio levels, its accidental aggressive and colorful sonic fingerprint has been embraced in modern music production as a creative effect.

We worked closely with Shure to keep everything that made the OG Level-Loc great; quirks and all—while adding modern conveniences and connectivity not found on the original:

• Mix control: get instant parallel compression, adjustable to taste.
• Combo jack input: Connect either line-level or mic-level signals without an adapter.
• ¼ TRS Output: We added a TRS jack while keeping the original’s XLR output and high/low impedance options.
• Phantom power and pad: The original Level-Loc was intended for use with dynamic mics, but we’ve added a +48v power source and an A15LA 50 dB pad to our version for modern studios.
• Release mod: The original Level-Loc had a fixed release time; we’ve added fast/slow release times to modernize our take on the classic.

The Level-Loc’s compressor threshold is set by the “Distance Selector,” true to the device’s origins as a unit originally intended for public speaking. Pick your threshold and adjust the input level to apply heavy-handed compression; adjust the mix to taste for some instant parallel comp. This will really bring out the room tone of your drum sounds.

The Level-Loc’s compression ratio is fixed, and heavy.
If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try disabling the pad and sending the Level-Loc a line level signal and boost the line level to overdrive it a bit, then use the Mix knob to adjust the coloration to taste; you can get everything from subtle saturation to all-out distortion. You can even overdrive the input and compress simultaneously.

When it’s time to bring some serious bite and grit to your productions, there’s simply not a better tool than the Level-Loc.

• Creative effects tool for heavy compression, saturation, and distortion.
• Modern re-imagining of the hard-to-find and expensive Shure Level-Loc, designed in close partnership with Shure
• Mix control for instant parallel compression
• Modern connectivity options include TRS and XLR Outputs and a Combo jack input, plus +48v for condenser mics; a pad, and a release time mod