The Standard Audio Level-Or Mk2 is a 500 Series JFET limiter inspired by the infamous Leveloc PA-limiter, providing aggressive compression and distortion.
The Standard Audio Level-Or Mk2 boasts several improvements over the original Level-Or Mk1, released in 2007. The main improvement is a 12 to 15dB lower noise-floor without sacrificing the sonics of the original. We have also added a true bypass, instrument DI, and more.
The core of the Level-Or is its two operating modes, Level and Crunch. The Level mode provides heavy compression thanks to its extreme, high-ratio JFET limiter. The Crunch mode utilizes a series of Class-A distortion stages to provide anything from subtle harmonic enhancement to complete destruction of the audio signal.
The Speed switch has also been improved; its function depends on operating mode. While in Level Mode, it offers a choice of three release times (SLOW/MEDIUM/FAST) instead of two in the original Mk1 (SLOW/FAST). In Crunch mode, it adds the ability to introduce a low pass filter into the audio path. This is useful to control harshness from high frequency harmonics that can be a side effect of distortion. The speed switch offers a choice of two low pass frequency points:15kHz in the MEDIUM position and 8kHz in the SLOW position. The low pass filter is bypassed when the Speed switch is set to FAST.
We have replaced the Mk1’s front panel ¼” Line-Input jack with one that can accept both passive instrument and line levels. Any instrument with Hi-Z pickups (like electric guitar or bass) can be plugged directly into the front panel jack. When a ¼” cable is plugged in, the unit automatically switches to DI Mode.