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Legendary FET compression with tone and attitude — true to the original.

Upon its release in 1967, the 1176 Limiting Amplifier became an instant classic because of its unique lightning-fast attack and release times, musical Class A output stage, and its wide range of sounds, ranging from subtle, near-transparent compression, to all-out drive and distortion.

Universal Audio’s 1176LN Classic Limiting Amplifier is a handbuilt, faithful reproduction of Bill Putnam Sr.’s original visionary design — an iconic piece of audio history that had a hand behind classic recordings from Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and more.

Track and mix with the legendary FET-Style Compressor with custom-made class A output transformers

Record your tracks through vintage UA, "handmade in the USA," circuits

Harness ultra-fast attack time on bass, guitars, vocals and more

Add color, character, and vibe to signals without using compression

A Toneful, Colorful Compressor

A Toneful, Colorful Compressor

Billed as a “true peak limiter with all transistor circuitry and superior performance on all types of program material," the 1176’s major selling point was its ultra-fast attack time — a mere 20 µS (.00002 seconds) at its fastest setting. But engineers soon found out that the 1176 also injected character, attitude, and vibe to anything run through its circuitry. Some even used the 1176 with the compression turned off, just for the distinctive tone it imparts. The unit’s amplifiers and transformers all by themselves give a desirable “hot” quality to anything passing through them.

Rebirth of a Legend

Rebirth of a Legend

In 1999, when Bill Putnam, Jr. relaunched Universal Audio, a reproduction of the Blackface 1176LN was the company’s first product. Reissued in 2000, it was based on the circuit designs of the C, D, and E revs of the classic 1176. One of the most critical aspects of recreating the sound of the original hardware, was faithfully reproducing the original output transformer, complete with the additional windings that provided the feedback signal to the final line output amplifier circuit. Bill Putnam Jr. found extensive design notes that enabled him to recreate and improve his father’s original design.

Push-Button Magic

Push-Button Magic

One of the 1176’s famous features are its push-button selectable ratios of 4:1 and 8:1 for compression, and 12:1 and 20:1 for limiting. 1176 at 4:1, to its most notable setting, the “All Buttons In” mode, where all the ratio buttons are depressed simultaneously. This allows the 1176 to make a sound unlike any other processor ever heard before. Distortion increases, along with a plateaued slope and a lag time in response to initial transients, creating an explosive sound on drum room mics, fuzzing-out bass or electric guitar sound, or squeezing a vocal to bring it front and center of your mix.

Accept No Substitutes

Accept No Substitutes

Carefully trained Universal Audio staff hand build and test each unit at the UA Custom Shop in Santa Cruz, California until it meets our uncompromising standards. This Universal Audio Classic version of the 1176LN captures all the nuance of the original through obsessive attention to detail and delivers that trademark sound. Demand the original.

Key Features

True to the original in design, manufacturing and performance
Modeled after 1176LN, blackface, D and E revisions
Ultra fast attack time -20 microseconds to 800 microseconds
Class A line level output amplifier
Custom built Putnam-designed output transformer
Stereo interconnect operation
Hand-built in USA; backed by 1-year limited warranty

Specifications

Input Impedance
600 ohms, bridges-T control (floating)

Output Load Impedance
600 ohms, floating, damping factor 20

External Connections
Jones Barrier terminals and XLR connectors

Frequency Response
± 1 dB 20 Hz to 20kHz

Gain
50 dB

Distortion
Less than 0.5% total harmonic distortion from 50 Hz to 15 kHz with limiting

Signal to Noise Ratio
Greater than 70 dB at +10 dBm

Attack Time
20 microseconds to 800 microseconds

Release Time
50 milliseconds to 1.1 seconds

Stereo Interconnection
via 1176 SA Network accessory

Meter
dB gain reduction and dB output

Power Requirements
120/240 V

Environmental
Maximum operating temperature 160°F

Dimensions
19" Rackmount chassis, 2U

Weight (unboxed)
11 lbs.
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Customer Reviews

1176LN

Overall Rating

4.8/5
(27)

J. Smalls

November 23, 2023

In my Top 5 for compressions

The 1176 Is one of the best compressions I've ever used and stumbled upon. It's my go-to for mixing vocals and with this compressions aggressive nature in tone, pairing with with the LA-2A give it such a unique sound. This compression stands TALL on it's own and I highly recommend this Plug-In. BUY IT!

M. Zinga

October 7, 2022

I need this

Please

.

December 2, 2021

NO WORDS TO SAY:)

One of the best compression ever..I am using it during recording, or mixing. 1176 is everywhere in music..Best..

c. tak

June 13, 2021

Incredibly!

Incredibly wonderful working with these devices. you don't need eq anymore because these give the same color to your sound. I have always found my desired sound very quickly. so it works really fast too. sounds excellent and definitely 5 stars!

J. V P

May 23, 2021

This reissue is solid!!!

I owned 2 UREI REV E 1176’s for a bit over 13 years before I sold them last year for too much money (vintage prices are out of control!!). I thought I could live without an 1176. I was wrong. I decided to look for a clone or the UA reissue. Despite internet claims of the reissue sounding dark and “2D”, I can verify that it sounds every bit as good as my well maintained UREI units. I am more than happy with my purchase. It’s “that” sound!!

G. PINE

November 8, 2019

LEGEND

THIS 1176 IS A LEGEND ALL ABOVE ALL ELSE BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS USED IT I HAD TO GET IT IT IS THE VERY TOP TOP BEST FOR MY REGGAE MUSIC I ACTUALLY HAVE THE HARDWARE ITS IN MY RACK NEXT MY 5052, NOT EVER GONNA SELL IT NEVER....

M. Casa Rara

November 16, 2018

Punchy vocals for anyone!

1176 is my all time favorite UAD product. Punchy vocals is sugar! another great UAD emulation!

r. avni

October 6, 2018

GIVE ME

TANK YOU

R. O'Donnell

July 25, 2017

The sound you've always wanted !!!!

such a great sound!! i can't believe i didn't get one of these first thing when starting to buy studio equiptment! my go to for everything, i use to chase my tail trying to get my vocals, Bass you name it, to sound the way i wanted them to. not to mention now my time is cut in half!!! Buzz Records Music www.buzzrecordsmusic.com

S. Musteata

May 16, 2017

My frend 1176LN analog

The best !!!

S. Musteata

May 16, 2017

My frend 1176l

Best of the best

S. Musteata

May 16, 2017

My frend 1176

Best of the best

T. Hinterholzinger

November 29, 2016

a ture classic

The 1176LN is indeed a true classic. The special "british" settings where you'd push more than one ratio button at a time are definitely the highlight of this device, since I have the strong feeling that no software solution comes cloes to this particular sound. It's not that standard drum destroyer thing - that can be done with a Valley People Dynamite much more efficiently. But if you want to get more depth out of crunch guitars, more consistency from drum room mics or simply more level and punch from lead vocals, nothing comes close to a real 1176! Only drawback on my unit: it seems to have an electrical issue - sometimes audio simply stops passing through I had it at a repair shop two times already, they couldn't find the culprit yet... Sad, since UA is known for good build quality otherwise... Hoping for a solution in the near future... One last word: 1176 are not everybodys darling. Eighter you love it or you can't get a good sound from them. I love it!

.

August 18, 2016

super duper fet-comp

Easy Of Use!!! But Perfect Sound Quality!!!

L. Malaguti

August 13, 2016

1176, what else??

UA write me for a review of this unit...
LOL
Ehi guy, this is a 1176....One of the Compressor with the "C".
Is a wonderful unit.......what else?

A. Santana

April 6, 2016

1176!!

This unit makes anything sound great!!

Z. Valentin

March 25, 2016

The best?

Do I have to say anything about 1176 ?
Amazing!

m. nebinger

March 17, 2016

I use it as Mastering Comp

Very punchy, sounds warm for rhythm sections with basses

l. manosalvas

February 24, 2016

Radio ready for vocals

The ua plugins of this version are really nice and very useful, but once you hear the real deal trust me you'll see why the hype of this specific and legendary piece of gear. Buy one if you have a pro studio set up dont waste your money if you only have a computer and two monitors!

W. Stalling

February 12, 2016

wow !!!

Out of this world,I wonder what the newer ones sound like