LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip
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Analog heaven in a plug-in.
Experience Universal Audio’s 70+ year analog heritage with a supercharged plug-in version of our flagship tube channel strip, the 6176. The LA‑6176 Signature Channel Strip plug-in gives you three iconic UA products in one: the 610 mic preamp, the 1176 Limiting Amplifier, and the LA‑2A Leveling Amplifier.
Released in 2004, the hand-built 6176 has been the channel strip to stars including Coldplay, Adele, and Pharrell. Now you can get an entirely new UAD channel strip that puts decades of classic and modern vocal, guitar, drum, and bass sounds at the flip of a switch.Included Versions
UAD Native
Runs on your Mac or PC without UA hardware.Apollo Realtime & UAD‑2
Runs accelerated on Apollo interfaces and UAD‑2 hardware.UAD Native plug-ins run on both macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer and Windows 10 and 11. Go to our UA Support page for system requirements.
- Record and mix with three of the most historically-significant pieces of analog gear ever made, in one elegant channel strip
- Get the smooth harmonics and rich overdrive of a vintage UA 610 tube preamp on vocals and instruments
- Instantly get the famous punch of the 1176, or the smooth warmth of an LA-2A, at the flip of a switch
- Record in realtime with Apollo interfaces, putting three legendary processors in a single Unison slot
LA-6176: Watch & Learn
Bill Putnam Jr. discusses UA’s long legacy of innovating legendary hardware like the 1176, LA-2A, and 610 preamp — and what inspired him to combine them into modern tools that help musicians around the world make records.
Plug in to a World-Famous Tube Preamp
Bill Putnam’s 610 Modular Amplifier preamp was a milestone in audio history, introduced in the 1960’s and used to record everyone from the Beach Boys, Ray Charles, and Johnny Cash to Coldplay and Adele. The LA-6176 plug-in features the modern 610-B circuit, giving you even deeper EQ controls for adding rich tube sound that works on everything.
Get Legendary 1176 Punch
The 6176 hardware is the first channel strip to pair our iconic 610 tube preamp with classic 1176 Limiting Amplifier. The 1176 is the compressor that defined decades of popular rock and pop music, from Led Zeppelin to Bob Marley to Beyonce. Its FET-based circuit delivers ultra fast response to guitar, bass, and drum transients making your tracks pop through the speakers.
Add Smooth LA-2A Tube Compression
Borrowing from our LA-610 MkII hardware channel strip, the LA-6176 plug-in packs iconic optical compression at the flip of a switch. In LA-2A mode, you’ll get the same silky compression heard on classic vocal and instrument recordings for over 60 years. Plus, you can easily toggle between the LA-2A and 1176 modes to find your perfect sound.
Unison-Enabled for Realtime Recording on Apollo Interfaces
With an Apollo interface and Unison technology, the LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip makes you forget you’re recording through a plug-in. You'll get all the unique impedance, gain stage sweet spots, and circuit behaviors of an original 610 tube preamp. And when you add in two legendary compressors — it puts three of our most famous analog circuits on a single Unison channel.
Get Heavenly Analog Sound
Learn the settings on LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip that unlock dreamy analog sounds for vocals, drums, and bass.
“The LA-6176 plug-in adds excitement and color to anything you put through it. You can do so much with this one plugin alone!”
– Romesh Dodangoda (Bring Me The Horizon, Motorhead, Nova Twins)
“The LA-6176 plug-in has quickly become my go-to channel strip for setting the foundation of a mix.”
– Ivan Barias (Musiq Soulchild, Rick Ross, Estelle)
“The LA-6176, in parallel, INTO the vocal chain... gamechanger. I don't do vocals without it.”
– F. Reid Shippen (Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Keith Urban)Customer Reviews
D. Betances
January 14, 2025
AWESOME!!!
This is the BEST sounding channel strip plugin I currently own (and I own quite a few, many of which are considered to be TOP NOTCH). Also, you’re getting two plugins for the price of...
Read MoreW. Bene
January 7, 2025
Wow - Who knew
Before buying this plugin, someone stated they liked this better on their Unison insert than the other channel strips. I actually agree. It's right up there with the other top Unison...
Read MoreH. Nagayoshi
December 26, 2024
Very awesome channel strip
It's one of the greatest channel strip plugins I owned!!
Read MoreT. Konstantinidis
December 18, 2024
Excellent channel strip and very versatile!
I have used this in 4 songs now, very versatile plugin. You can experiment and bring everything upwards in your mix, even liked...
Read MoreS. Jachelli
December 11, 2024
Great sound.
I have the the hardware, I was very surprised by the plugin, very similar.
Read More -
Customer Reviews
LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip
D. Betances
AWESOME!!!
This is the BEST sounding channel strip plugin I currently own (and I own quite a few, many of which are considered to be TOP NOTCH). Also, you’re getting two plugins for the price of one. It’s an absolute no brainer.
W. Bene
Wow - Who knew
Before buying this plugin, someone stated they liked this better on their Unison insert than the other channel strips. I actually agree. It's right up there with the other top Unison channel strips. I had one of these years ago in my rack and It sounds very close to the original. Great for vocals
H. Nagayoshi
Very awesome channel strip
It's one of the greatest channel strip plugins I owned!!
S. Ruiz
Fantastico!
Lo pondrias en todos los canales
T. Konstantinidis
Excellent channel strip and very versatile!
I have used this in 4 songs now, very versatile plugin. You can experiment and bring everything upwards in your mix, even liked it as a parallel compression. Nice options on ratio, it could be very subtle or harsh. It's one of my go to plugins now.
S. Jachelli
Great sound.
I have the the hardware, I was very surprised by the plugin, very similar.
C. Rodriguez Machicado
Todo lo que uno puede necesitar en 1 solo Plugin.
Excelente Channel Strip. Con un preamp que te da un color analógico. Un Eq para darle el toque que cada uno busca y 2 tipos de compresores que puedes elegir usar según tu necesidad en la mezcla.
R. Silva
Versatile
I worked with Hardware for a few years and loved using it for Voices, Bass, Guitar and now having it as a plugin is simply fantastic!
E. Starzhynskiy
Saturates the vocals and adds even more "FAT" :) Perfect
I have an analog LA-610 MK2 on board, and it is always great for recording vocals and other instruments. But this combination in digital format for PC is a masterpiece from UA. When YA makes its analog devices into emulation "plugins" with a similar interface - it's TOP! Thanks UA!
A. Lee
Best of the UNISON Pre's
I was surprised that I preferred this over all the other UNISON preamps & channelstrips I have - it was a very nice surprise indeed. Thanks UA, another winner.
k. gallos
For hiphop is excellent
another level
V. Ruzicic
Good!!!
I have original hardware and it is very very close!!!
l. taeho
good sound
sound is very good. easy use.
K. Haritatos
Like my own hardware
Its so excite to have in a plugin my lovely LA-610. The sound is so similar and familiar to my ears. Thanks UA!!
h. Shin
Simple
simple!
A. Botaro
O melhor som está aqui
Versátil vai em qualquer coisa instrumento ou masterização
A. Botaro
O melhor som está aqui
Som incrível e único e versátil !! Obrigado universal áudio por tornar o meu som melhor!!
R. Robertson
LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip
LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip by design is convenient when switching between compressors to test which one you like better for your application.
"I like this one the best kind of situation."
So have fun dialing the sweet spot in after trying the presets to help familiarize yourself with what this plugin can do.L. Brown
A+
A+
D. Bordin
Versatile and great value
Mellow and acoustical sonic quality. Good price and works well with other plugins. Realistic repro.
