API Select SV12 | 500 Series Compressor

ATI Paragon live analog mixing consoles ruled the touring scene for many years, until the development of reliable, road-ready digital consoles, which eventually supplanted them. The Paragon boards’ success was due to a combination of durability and superior analog engineering that delivered industry-leading sonic performance. The API Select SV12 500 Series compressor incorporates the original circuitry designed for the Paragon, and it delivers the same superior performance and ease of use. Equipped with full LED metering of both output and gain reduction, the SV12 lets you quickly zero in on the ideal compression action to shape your dynamics to perfection.

API’s Thrust circuit
API has also equipped the SV12 with its patented Thrust circuit. This proprietary loudness contour packs a powerful punch by supplying each octave with the same energy (instead of half the energy as the next lowest one, as is the case in most compressors), thus protecting sensitive high frequency content — even under iron-fisted compression ratios. The API Select SV12 is a formidable compressor; pop one in your 500 Series rack and hear what you’ve been missing! Better still, double your value with two of them; they can be linked for stereo use with true RMS power summing of left and right signals.

An exciting new direction: API Select
Along with its API Select stablemates, the SV12 heralds an exciting new direction for the storied pro audio firm. Company President Larry Droppa explains: “Over the years, we’ve acquired the technology and experience to engineer and produce audio products that don’t necessarily conform to API’s classic component structure or topography. ... API Select gives us the opportunity to offer gear that’s very high quality, but that’s different from API’s legendary line of classic products.” The API Select series is certainly a momentous development in the pro audio world: a new generation of modern classics that offer enticing sound-shaping possibilities for audio professionals in music recording, broadcast, and post production.

API: an American pro audio legend
Launched in 1968 by Saul Walker, Automated Processes Inc. began building high-quality consoles for broadcast applications. Soon, the company’s products found favor with recording studios, and a string of industry-leading innovations (including the 500 Series module, the first VCA, computerized console automation, and more) followed. API produced the 2520 amplifier, one of the most famous op-amps in the recording industry, and their consoles and products found homes in such iconic studio facilities as the Hit Factory, Record Plant, Ocean Way, Sunset Sound, and many others. In fact, there are over 700 vintage API consoles around the globe — many of which are still in use. Clearly, the company isn’t resting on its laurels; today’s API products give you the same unbeatable combination of utility, innovation, and stellar sound.