Manufacturer's description
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.
Vintage vibe, modern options
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 pad (-30 dB low impedance / -15 dB high impedance) to our version for modern studios.
Crunch and grind
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.
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.
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK, 'next working day' shipping is free if the order value is over £150, and £5 otherwise. We can also ship on a 'next working day before 12pm' service, which costs £6 for orders over £150 and £7.50 for orders under £150.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of DPD and Royal Mail for the UK, and for international orders it's either DPD, DHL, FedEx, UPS or Royal Mail depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 16:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes the couriers may come to collect a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Saturday/Sunday delivery
If you're in the UK and you order before 16:00 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday or Sunday delivery with DPD. This is FREE for order values over £350, £5 for order values between £75 and £250, and £7 for order values under £75. (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). Please note that any orders placed after 16:00 on a Friday will ship on the Monday.
International shipping times
Most orders are delivered within 3 to 5 working days if sent on a courier service. Royal Mail services can take a lot longer and are often less secure.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
Manufacturer's description
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.
Vintage vibe, modern options
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 pad (-30 dB low impedance / -15 dB high impedance) to our version for modern studios.
Crunch and grind
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.
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.
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK, 'next working day' shipping is free if the order value is over £150, and £5 otherwise. We can also ship on a 'next working day before 12pm' service, which costs £6 for orders over £150 and £7.50 for orders under £150.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of DPD and Royal Mail for the UK, and for international orders it's either DPD, DHL, FedEx, UPS or Royal Mail depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 16:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes the couriers may come to collect a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Saturday/Sunday delivery
If you're in the UK and you order before 16:00 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday or Sunday delivery with DPD. This is FREE for order values over £350, £5 for order values between £75 and £250, and £7 for order values under £75. (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). Please note that any orders placed after 16:00 on a Friday will ship on the Monday.
International shipping times
Most orders are delivered within 3 to 5 working days if sent on a courier service. Royal Mail services can take a lot longer and are often less secure.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
