Lindell Audio 7X-500 Series FET Compressor/Limiter

A Modern Take on a Classic Compressor

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

The Lindell 7X-500 compressor packages the sound of one of the most popular compressors of all time into a convenient and remarkably affordable API 500 Series rack module. This late '60s-style FET compressor/limiter may be small, but it still manages to pack all of the useful functionality you could ask for inside. There's a a highpass sidechain filter in the 7X-500, which lets you focus its response, and a mix knob lets you blend its wet and dry signals to taste. Overall, the Lindell 7X-500 is an amazing compressor for the money.

Related Videos: 7X-500 Series FET Compressor/Limiter

• Simple controls make dialing in the perfect compression easy
• Mix control lets you crush your sound, without losing definition
• Highpass sidechain filter allows you to fine-tune your dynamics

Ever try to dial in compression and get immediately slammed with option anxiety? "Did that attack sound better a 20ms or 25ms?" It's a serious issue that can trip you up and ruin your workflow. Lindell gets around this problem elegantly with the 7X-500, without robbing you of effective dynamics control. Instead of burdening you with knobs, you set the 7X-500's attack, release, and ratio with simple yet effective 3-way switches. Wether you're trying to punch up a bass track or mellow out some vocals, the Lindell 7X-500 is the right tool for the job.

Here's another common scenario: you're trying to get an absolutely MASSIVE kick sound, so you crush the living snot out of that track, and just when you've giving it all the umph you need, you realize that the transient from the beater's completely buried in the mix. Normally, that's when you give a profound sigh, zero out your compressor, and start over from scratch. Lindell's 7X-500 compressor saves you that frustration with its mix control, allowing you to beef up your compression and the blend in the dry signal to bring back some of the original dynamics. So go ahead, set your 7X-500 to its 100:1 "all-in" mode and abuse your tracks. The mix function always brings you back to golden.

Want to compress your snare sound, but the kick keeps pushing you over the threshold? No worries - the Lindell 7X-500 compressor's onboard highpass sidechain filter is ready to come to the rescue. With three settings to choose from (off, 100Hz, and 300Hz) it's easy to block out lows and reclaim your dynamics control. And best of all, you get all the benefits of sidechaining, without needing to patch external signal into your 7X-500.

• A powerful, affordable, and musical 500 Series format compressor
• FET-based technology sounds eerily reminiscent of classic compressors from the late '60s
• Variable mix control lets you blend compressed and uncompressed signal in parallel for maximum compression without losing transients
• 3-step switched attack and release times make dialing in the perfect dynamics easy
• 3-mode (off, 100Hz, and 300Hz) highpass sidechain filter lets you focus your dynamics
• Choose from mild 4:1, heavy 12:1, and "all-in" 100:1 compression ratios
• True-bypass hardware preserves your sound when bypassed
• 20-LED gain-reduction metering lets you keep an eye on the mix