The name Balcony Left comes from the unit’s earliest days, when it lived in a church balcony, used to record or monitor a choir through a PA system. Back then, it likely saw very little gain reduction. Since finding its way into Greg Wells’ studio in the mid-1990s, it has been used far more creatively, shaping countless mixes over decades of work.

When Greg moved to Los Angeles to study piano, he began working with engineers whose names he had seen in liner notes for years. Through long sessions and generous mentorship, he became fascinated with the art of capturing sound. Time and again, when he asked how a particular moment on a favorite record was achieved, the answer was often the same, a classic FET-style compressor.

What set Greg’s unit apart was not just its circuitry, but how it made music feel. Rather than flattening or shrinking a sound, it revealed its character. It enhanced what was already there, adding presence and emotion while allowing the speakers to disappear and the music to take over.

Capturing that experience in software took over a year of careful work. The result is a faithful recreation of the sound and feel Greg has relied on for decades, to the point where even he could no longer reliably tell the difference.

Balcony Left is not about recreating a piece of hardware. It is about preserving a creative relationship and making it available to anyone who values musicality over mechanics.