BA-6A is a tube compressor and limiting amplifier with vari-mu compression, known for its high gain and fat yet gritty sound.

With three-stage amplification, moderate drive, hard knee, fast attack and medium release, BA-6A delivers vari-mu valve compression, often called true tube compression, which offers faster attack, variable release times and more musical, forgiving compression than the later opto designs. The original hardware, with its three-stage amplifier, nine valves, rectifier and voltage regulator, produces a beautiful array of harmonic distortion that Antelope Audio has carefully emulated. Although it was originally designed for TV and broadcasting, its character, thickening effect, straightforward controls and all-analogue circuitry made it a quick shortcut for beefing up snares, kicks, bass and vocals with even minimal compression. Much of its reputation comes from Jimmy Page’s huge-sounding guitar recordings.

Features

• Balanced, three-stage limiting amplifier
• Prevents overmodulation and overloading
• Brings vocals to the front
• Gives vintage thickness to any instrument
• Adds character, grit and recognisable analogue mojo to your guitar tone

Technical details

• Type: Plug-in (tube compressor and limiting amplifier), runs natively without additional hardware
• Operating systems: Windows, macOS
• Plug-in formats: VST3, Audio Unit (macOS only), AAX
• Architecture: 64-bit
• Licensing: iLok (iLok Cloud or iLok USB key), internet connection required for activation
• Content: Native plug-in plus a licence for the real-time version on compatible Synergy Core devices, assigned to your Antelope account on code redemption

System requirements

• macOS 11 Big Sur or later (recommended: macOS 14 Sonoma or later)
• Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) with the latest Microsoft updates
• Processor (Mac): Intel or Apple Silicon
• Processor (Windows): Intel i3 / AMD Ryzen 1st generation or newer
• RAM: 8 GB
• Disk space: 1 GB
• Stable internet connection required for download

The licence is registered with the manufacturer at https://en.antelopeaudio.com/get-started-native/. You will receive your serial number and the download link by e-mail immediately after purchase.