LANG Electronics of Heritage Audio has launched the P.LANE Type 436 all tube vari-mu compressor, a modern take on the modified ALTEC 436C behind “the fresh and furious British Invasion sound that conquered the world in the ‘60s”.
Described as one of the most mysterious vari-mu (variable gain) compressors of all time, the modded ALTEC 436C was notably used on recordings by The Beatles, and has gone on to be used across contemporary pop, rock, hip-hop, EDM, and more. LANG’s revival is a two rack unit that encompasses all development stages of the original.
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The P.LANE Type 436 covers all stages of the ALTEC 436’s life, including the “simple yet extremely effective” model 436C to the more evolved ‘London Mod’, with six selectable constants and hold positions for each, keeping the source signal compressed to the most recently processed peak level.
The design hosts three tubes to match the original – a NOS 6H5P, a JJ E88CC, and a NOS 6AL5 – plus custom-made input and output LANG Electronics transformers designed by Heritage Audio. It also includes a SuperFast (S.F.) setting not found on the vintage 436C that adapts this compressor to the modern needs of studio recording.
It offers controls for Attack (selectable, stepped – six settings) and Recovery (selectable, stepped – six settings, plus Hold), all within a sturdy steel rack-mount chassis hosting a worldwide internal power supply. Check out the videos below for more information:
Earlier this year, Heritage Audio and LANG Electronics revealed the LANG PEQ-2 plugin, emulating the Lang PEQ-2 program equaliser (also from the ‘60s), which was reissued in 2023.
Heritage has given several of its own hardware classics similar treatment in the past, recreating all of its Successor stereo bus compressor’s features as a plugin with new features. It also similarly transformed its Symph EQ, and its BritStrip console channel strip.
The LANG Electronics P.LANE Type 436 is available now for £799. You can find out more via Heritage Audio.
The post LANG Electronics’ P.LANE Type 436 revives a classic compressor used by The Beatles appeared first on MusicTech.
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