The action of a good compressor can be compared to a hand firmly holding something in the right space! The volume control (Gain reduction) of a compressor has to be transparent and clean, especially when we talk vocals, guitar, bass and keys.
Muddiness and distortion will not sound very pleasant. This task is taken perfectly care of by the CL 1B. You can hear and feel that the compressor holds the source from breaking out of your mix, but you don’t loose any sound quality. At the same time the CL1B gain reduction works extremely musical, reinforcing the musicality that’s already in the performance.
This is the reason so many artists love the CL1B and wont perform without it! CL1B has truly become an industry standard.