Official Gainlab Audio B-Stock unit, inspected by the manufacturer.
May show slight cosmetic marks, with no impact whatsoever on operation or performance.
This is not a second-hand item: the unit is complete, in its original packaging.
25% off the usual retail price.
The price shown includes 20% VAT, as for a brand-new product.
Offer valid from 15 to 30 August 2026, while stocks last.
Our take
"Possibly the most affordable vari-mu compressor on the market. It is still very well built, with genuinely good valves and quality components. Great for tracking, mixing and mastering. Very sensitive to gain-staging, it can be subtle or turn into a full-on saturation unit." - Victor Malvolti
Vari-Mu stereo valve compressor
The Dictator is a valve dynamics compressor that revisits the design of famous vari-mu units. It works on the same principle as the legendary Fairchild 670 and Gates STA-Level, as well as more contemporary takes on the "variable-mu" design. The custom-designed bypass circuitry is a proprietary solution called "mu-follower". Both compressor channels can operate in sync across the entire range of the transition curve, delivering very smooth gain reduction. The timing parameters and saturation character recall the great classics of the genre.
Differences between versions (stereo and dual-mono)
Gainlab offers 3 versions of the Dictator:
Dictator: linked stereo operation only
Dictator Graphite: limited edition of the Dictator - only the finish changes (black for the "graphite" version)
Dictator DM: linked and unlinked stereo operation (this version is therefore slightly more expensive)
