Orban 412A (c. 1984)
Documentation on the Orban 412A is thin. What survives is mostly the company's own launch advertising in the pro-audio trade press from 1984. No service manual, no independent test report, and no confirmed production timeline has made it into the archive. The ad campaign introduced the 412A as Orban's entry into the general-purpose level control market: a mono compressor/limiter priced at $425, with a stereo sibling, the 414A.
Orban's ad in Recording Engineer (June 1984, p.69) listed a front-panel output attenuator with an output clip LED and an illuminated, true peak-reading gain reduction meter. The company claimed the meter was more accurate and readable than LED displays. A nearly identical ad appeared in Modern Recording (March 1984, p.7), and the campaign's theme was that the unit had to prove itself by ear. These are manufacturer advertisements, not independent reviews, so the claims are Orban's own.
- Mono compressor/limiter; stereo companion model: 414A
- Advertised price: $425 (1984)
- Front-panel output attenuator with output clip LED
- Illuminated true peak-reading gain reduction meter
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.