1176 Classic Limiter Plug-In Collection

The Definitive Collection of the World’s Most Famous Compressors.

The original Universal Audio 1176, designed by audio Renaissance man and UA founder M.T. “Bill” Putnam, represented a major breakthrough in limiter technology. The first true peak limiter to feature all-transistor circuitry and FET gain reduction, the original 1176 offered superior performance and a signature sound — including a lightning-fast 20 microseconds attack time. Ever since its announcement in 1967, the 1176 has lent its character and punch to some of the greatest recordings in history, creating a solid framework for any mix, in any genre.

Universal Audio released its first 1176 plug-in emulation in 2001. This plug-in single-handedly launched the UAD platform, and inspired a decade of analog emulation software. Today, we’ve circled back to the 1176, and modeled its entire electronic path from stem to stern — including its transformers, FET and bipolar transistor amplifiers, for colorful input/output distortion. The resulting 1176 Classic Limiter Plug-In Collection provides unrivaled emulations of three distinct 1176 units, and is indispensable for any serious engineer or producer.

A Triple Threat
The 1176 Limiter Plug-Ins Collection provides three distinct 1176 revisions, representing over 40 years of design iterations to the original 1176 — the world's most recognized compressor. The Rev A “Bluestripe” represents the original Putnam FET limiter design, complete with its higher distortion and unique FET gain amplifier characteristics. The Rev E “Blackface” covers the early 70’s / Brad Plunkett “LN” (Low Noise) era of the 1176 circuit lineage, with variations including a more linear compression response, transistor gain amplification, and a change to the program dependence. The 1176AE provides UA’s rare 1176 40th Anniversary Edition, complete with exclusive “hot-rod” mods — including its lower 2:1 compression ratio, a fixed “super slow” 10ms attack mode, and the program dependence of Rev A.

Tuned By The Pros
Adding to the authenticity, UA sought out some of the world's most famous 1176 users — responsible for millions of albums sold worldwide over more than four decades. They brought their considerable expertise to crafting a collection of presets to instantly dial-in a wide range of tones. Pick from dozens of included Artist Presets from Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones), Andrew Scheps (Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Carl Glanville (U2, Jason Mraz),  David Isaac (Marcus Miller, Luther Vandross), Ed Cherney (Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt), Hugo Nicolson (Radiohead, Bjork), Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones), Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, The Killers), and Vance Powell (The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs).

History
Evolved from the popular Universal Audio 175 and 176 tube limiters, the 1176 retained proven qualities of these industry leaders, and set the standard for all limiters to follow. Entries found in Putnam’s design notebook point to his extensive experimentation with the newly developed FET (Field Effect Transistor) in various configurations. Eventually, he found a way of using the FET as the gain-controlling element of a compressor/limiter. While the 1176 has seen a huge number of revisions in its history, the most significant revision was by UREI engineer, Brad Plunkett, in an effort to reduce noise — hence the birth of the 1176LN at Rev C. Numerous design changes have followed since, resulting in at least 13 revisions and variations of the 1176.

Plug-In Parameters
Using an 1176 is a study in simplicity. Input simultaneously sets compression threshold and the level of the signal entering the 1176; Output sets the final signal level. Attack sets the time it takes the 1176 to respond to incoming signal, while Release sets the time it takes the 1176 to return to its initial level. The VU meter displays the amount of gain reduction (GR) or output level (+4/+8).

The four Ratio buttons determine the degree of compression; lower ratios for compression, higher ratios for limiting. Disengaging all the Ratio buttons (Shift+Click the currently selected ratio) disables compression altogether, but signal continues to pass through the 1176 circuitry. This is commonly used to add the “color” of the 1176LN without any gain reduction. At the request of users, the wide range of “Multi-Button” combinations possible with the hardware is now possible — including the famous “All Button” sound.

In Use
The primary use for the 1176 plug-ins are as individual inserts for sources that require compression, such as an individual snare, vocal, or guitar track, or for multi-instrument sources such as a stereo drum buss. But 1176s can also be used for adding the “color” of the 1176 Input and Output amplifiers to individual instrument tracks by disengaging the compression.

How different are the UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection plug-ins from the original UAD 1176LN/SE plug-ins that came before?
The plug-ins in the UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection benefit from the additional processing power afforded by the UAD-2, plus more than 10 years of UA’s evolving sophistication designing plug-ins. While our original 1176 plug-ins’ compression behaviors remain an excellent rendition of the hardware, the new UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection plug-ins add input and output amplifier stage modeling, improvements to the gain reduction nonlinearities, and superior attack and release behaviors. Hands down, these are the most musical and authentic 1176 plug-in emulations ever created.

How are the 3 units you've modeled different from each other, sonically?
The 1176 has seen over 13 revisions and permutations in its 40+ year history. The evolution of the circuit meant an evolution in the sound with each iteration. As with the hardware, the 1176 Rev A, 1176LN Rev E, and 1176AE models offered in the UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection offer distinct variations in headroom, distortion onset, distortion structure, program dependence, compression knee, and more. This provides an expanded palette within the 1176 sound, just like a professional studio might have with various 1176 hardware units on hand. The 1176AE plug-in, in particular, provides features never before available on any 1176, such as a low 2:1 ratio and a “SLO” attack mode of 10ms.

Does the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection replace the "old" 1176LN and SE plug-ins?
No, the original 1176 plug-ins (1176LN, 1176SE) will continue to be included in the “Analog Classics” bundle, which is provided with the purchase of any UAD DSP Accelerator product. The 1176LN and 1176SE remain useful tools, in that they consume less DSP, and are less sonically “colored” — which may be desirable in some instances.

How does multi-ratio work, and why would I want to use it?
Multi-ratio emulates the “secret weapon” technique of many professional 1176 users — pushing in multple ratio buttons simultaneously to achieve addtional distortion and unusual attack and release behaviors. The most famous use of multi-ratio is “All-Button” (pushing in all four ratio buttons simultaneously to smash your sound), but the UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection allows the user to select other available multi-ratio combinations, which yield sonic variations on this behavior. Simply Shift+Click on secondary ratio buttons to experiment.

Can I still purchase the “old” 1176LN plug-in?
For the few UAD customers who do not already own the legacy 1176LN plug-in, they will get it as a fourth plug-in title with the purchase of the new UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection.

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Features

• Painstaking new emulations of legendary M.T. “Bill” Putnam-designed 1176, the most popular compressor ever made
• Includes three famous versions: Rev A, Rev E, and AE — each with their own sonic attributes
• Models entire electronic path, including transformers, FET and bipolar transistor amplifiers, for colorful input / output distortion
• Accurately models ultra-fast hardware attack time: 20 microseconds to 800 microseconds
• New “No Ratio” or Attack “Off” provides popular amplifier-only mode, adding 1176 distortion without compression
• All multi-button ratio combinations now available — including “All-Buttons”
• Includes Artist Presets from Andy Johns, Andrew Scheps, Carl Glanville, David Isaac, Ed Cherney, Hugo Nicolson, Jacquire King, Joe Chiccarelli, and Vance Powell
• Requires a UAD-2 DSP Accelerator Card or Apollo Interface available from authorized dealers worldwide

See the UAD Instance Chart here

Parameter Specifications

1176 Rev A and E

• Input Threshold: -40 to 0 dB
• Output Level: ∞ to 0 dB
• Ratio Select: 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, 20:1 or any ratio combo via Shift+Click, or “None” (provides amplifier-only signal path, no gain reduction)
• Attack Time: continuous 1-7 (20 to 800 microseconds) or “Off” (provides amplifier-only signal path, no gain reduction)
• Release Time: continuous 1-7 (50 to 1100 milliseconds)
• Meter: GR (Gain Reduction), +4 or +8 Output Metering or Off provides true plug-in bypass

1176AE

• Input Gain/Threshold: -40 to 0 dB
• Output Level: ∞ to 0 dB
• Ratio Select: 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 20:1 or any ratio combo via Shift+Click, or “None” (provides amplifier-only signal path, no gain reduction)
• Attack Time: continuous 1-7 (20 to 800 microseconds) or fixed “Slo” 10 milliseconds
• Release Time: continuous 1-7 (50 to 1100 milliseconds)
• Meter: GR (Gain Reduction), +4 or +8 Output Metering or Off provides true plug-in bypass

UAD System Manual

UAD Plug-Ins Manual

UA 2012 Product Catalog.pdf