Apollo
Native
sale
1176 Classic Limiter Collection
Get the definitive collection of the world’s most famous compressors.
- Track and mix with the world's only authentic emulations of the legendary 1176
- Choose from three famous versions: Rev A, Rev E, and AE — each with their own sonic attributes
- Harness colorful 1176 sound, right down to the transformers and FET amplifiers
- Access classic “All-Button” or “No Ratio” modes for overdriven textures
- Go beyond the original hardware with Headroom, Mix, and custom Sidechain Filter
- Mix with presets from legendary 1176 users such as Andrew Scheps (Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Ed Cherney (Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt), and Joe Chiccarelli (The Strokes, Morrissey)
Get the Definitive Collection of World-Famous Compressors
What They Say
Andy Johns
Led Zepplin, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones
Andrew Scheps
Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Duke Spirit
Spike Stent
Beyoncé
Frequently Asked Questions
For $49, you get three distinct plug-in versions of the most recorded compressor in history — the Rev A, Rev E, and 40th Anniversary Edition — each modeled down to the transformers and FET amplifier circuits that give the original its character. That's a lot of tonal range for the price of one studio session.
UA designed and first built the 1176 in 1967, so the collection is developed from direct access to original circuit documentation and measurements. Rather than using static impulse responses, it uses circuit-level component modeling — the output transformer, input and output stages, and FET gain reduction element. It also adds three features the original hardware doesn't have: a Headroom control, a Mix knob for parallel compression, and a custom Sidechain Filter.
The 1176 Classic Limiter Collection includes the Rev A "Bluestripe," the Rev E (also known as the 1176LN), and the 1176AE 40th Anniversary Edition. The Rev A captures the original 1967 design with a slightly more aggressive, harmonically colored character. The Rev E is the low-noise version from the early 1970s, generally considered the most versatile of the three and the default choice for many engineers. The 1176AE is based on UA's limited anniversary hardware reissue and adds a unique 2:1 ratio option not found on the other models, making it especially useful for subtle, transparent leveling. There’s also a fixed 10 millisecond, super “Slo” attack time — great for adding “punch” to source material by letting more transients through before shaping the instrument’s remaining signal.
No, the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection runs natively on Mac or Windows and requires no UA hardware. If you have an Apollo interface or UAD-2 Accelerator, purchasing the plug-in gives you a license for both the native version and the DSP-accelerated version, so you can use whichever fits your setup.
"All-Button" mode — also known as "Brit mode" — engages all four ratio buttons simultaneously, a technique originally discovered on the hardware that produces an overdriven, aggressive compression texture. It works especially well on drums, room mics, and parallel bus sends. "No Ratio" mode disengages compression entirely while still passing signal through the 1176's transformers and amplifier stages, giving you the tonal coloration of the hardware without any gain reduction. Both modes are present in all three versions in the collection.
The Headroom control on the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection adjusts the plug-in's internal operating level — increasing input while decreasing output, or vice versa. It’s an easy way to get more or less processing without having to touch any other controls. Lower Headroom settings drive the circuit harder for a more saturated character; higher settings back it off for a cleaner response.
The 1176 Classic Limiter Collection is one of the most commonly used tools for vocal compression, and for good reason. The Rev E version is particularly well-suited to vocals — its fast FET attack grabs transients cleanly while the release can be tuned to breathe naturally with the performance. The Rev A adds a bit more harmonic color for a more "vintage" sound, and the Mix knob makes it easy to blend compressed and uncompressed signal for a more natural result without a separate parallel chain.
The 1176 Classic Limiter Collection runs on macOS and Windows and works with all major DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, Studio One, and LUNA. It supports both Apple Silicon (M-series Macs) and Intel-based Macs. An iLok account is required for license management; an iLok USB key is supported for portability but not required.
Yes. UA offers 14-day free demos of UAD native plug-ins, no credit card required. Start a demo from the product page and use the full plug-in in any compatible DAW for the trial period. If you have UAD hardware, you can also demo the UAD-2 version directly in the UAD Meter & Control Panel app.
Each license includes three activations, so you can run the plug-in on up to three computers. Activations are managed through your iLok account, which also lets you move a license to an iLok USB key if you work across multiple systems.
The 1176 Classic Limiter Collection is useful at almost every point in a session. During tracking, it catches peaks and adds character to vocals, guitar, bass, and drum room mics. In mixing, the Rev E is a go-to for lead vocals and snare, while the All-Button mode gives drums an aggressive, squashed texture on parallel bus sends. The Sidechain Filter helps control low-frequency pumping on bass and kick drum channels, and the Mix knob handles parallel compression inside the plug-in so you don't need to set up a separate send-return chain.
Yes. The 1176 Classic Limiter Collection is included in UAD Spark, UA's subscription plan that gives you access to 60+ UAD native plug-ins for a monthly or annual fee. A Spark subscription or the 14-day demo are both good ways to spend time with it before committing to a purchase.
Modern transparent dynamics tools do certain jobs better than the 1176. But the 1176 isn't a general-purpose compressor — it's a specific circuit, and engineers reach for it because of what that circuit does to a signal. The modeling here captures the transformer saturation, FET gain reduction, and output stage behavior that give the hardware its character, not just its controls. That's why it's still on records more than 50 years after the original was designed.
Running natively on your computer's CPU works well for most mixing and tracking situations. When using an Apollo interface with onboard DSP, you can track with the plug-in running at near-zero latency in UAD Console. Processing also offloads from your CPU entirely, which is useful for large sessions. When using an Apollo with onboard DSP, you can track with the plug-in at near-zero latency in UAD Console.
Yes, particularly the Rev E and 1176AE. The 1176AE's 2:1 ratio is gentle enough for subtle bus limiting, and the Headroom control lets you dial in a small amount of transformer saturation without hard compression. The Sidechain Filter prevents low frequencies from over-triggering the gain reduction on full mixes, which is useful when the kick or bass would otherwise cause the whole master to pump.