UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection
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Get the rich tube compression that changed recording.
Often cited among the crowning achievements of audio pioneer and UA founder Bill Putnam Sr., the 175B and 176 compressors are prized for their rich tube gain reduction character and sonic flexibility. Now you can get the same legendary sounds as the rare hardware with the only authentic plug‑in emulation of the original UA 175B and 176 compressors.
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.
- Add vintage compression and detail to vocals, drums, guitars, and more with one of Bill Putnam Sr.'s most coveted designs
- Spice up synths with harmonically rich tube amplifier and transformer saturation
- Creatively enhance the dynamics of your most important sources with 2:1, 4:1, 8:1 and 12:1 ratio controls
- Get perfect drum and vocal sounds easily with Dry/Wet Mix parallel processing and Headroom controls
TAKE A LISTEN
Add a Legendary Limiter to your Studio
Introduced in the early 1960s — and used on thousands of seminal records — the UA 175B and 176 were the first compressors purpose-built for studio recording and mixing music, giving engineers groundbreaking fast attack time and independently variable Attack and Release controls.
Experience Deep Tube Sonics
Based on a pair of UA's 1960s golden units, the UA 175B and 176 Tube Compressor Collection gives you all the ultra-musical harmonics and colorful saturation of these original units — down to their magical feedback compression circuit — giving you softer compression at lower input levels and harder, nearly brickwall limiting at higher levels.
Get the Rich Sound of an All‑Around Champ
Perfect for vocals, drums, guitars, and more, the UA 175B and 176 plug‑ins give you all the character and juice of the originals — indistinguishable from the target hardware in blind listening tests. Easily add depth to room mics or a drum bus, give your guitars definition, park a bass in a mix, and inject vocals with energy. You can even turn off the compression and use the 175B/176 plug-ins as a "tone box," lending rich tube textures galore.
UAD Quick Tips
Learn how to add texture and color to vocals, drums, and more using the UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection.
“You can count on the UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection to shine the right light on almost any source. It puts motion in a track that I want to dance with the pulse of the mix.”
– Joel Hamilton (Pretty Lights, Sparklehorse, Rival Schools)
“The 175B and 176 compressors sit in a magical place in between the LA-2A and 1176, creating something unique while revealing new layers of sonic opportunity.”
– Carl Glanville (U2, Billy Joel, Counting Crows)
“I’m into gear that was used to create music in the ‘60s and ’70s, and the UA 175B and 176 were a big part of it. Now with the UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection, I'm able to have both pieces with as many instances as I can handle!”
– David Isaac (Marcus Miller, Luther Vandross, Eric Clapton)
“Once you load a preset in the UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection, you're instantly rewarded with a smooth sonic richness — the signature sound of these rare hardware units.”
– Steve Levine (Culture Club, Beach Boys, Ziggy Marley)
“The UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection will thicken and warm up harsh vocals, and just like the hardware, the plug-in versions overdrive in a very pleasing way.”
– Peter Mokran (Christina Aguilera, The Flaming Lips)Customer Reviews
n. rich
September 28, 2023
Unmatched depth and clarity
I couldn’t believe the sonic differences I heard from my synthesizers after these compressors were applied. Absolutely...
Read MoreJ. JENKINS
September 20, 2023
Received the native versions for free!!!!!
Someone in the comments mentioned that it’s similar to having the 1176 & LA-2A combo!!!! I must say that I definitely agree...
Read MoreJ. JENKINS
September 20, 2023
Received the native versions for free!!!!!
Someone in the comments mentioned that it’s similar to having the 1176 & LA-2A combo!!!! I must say that I definitely agree...
Read MoreB. Carrigan
August 8, 2023
1176 / LA2A combo
It’s a little like having an 1176 / LA2A combo!
Read Moreg. parenti
August 5, 2023
Los mejores
Excelente su tono y saturación, el color que aporta es excelente en voces y baterías
Read More -
Key Features
Add vintage compression and detail to vocals, drums, guitars, and more with one of Bill Putnam Sr.'s most coveted designs
Spice up synths with harmonically rich tube amplifier and transformer saturation
Creatively enhance the dynamics of your most important sources with 2:1, 4:1, 8:1 and 12:1 ratio controls
Harness plug-in-only features like Dry/Wet Mix parallel processing and Headroom for user‑customizable operating level
Use with any audio interface, no UA hardware required
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Customer Reviews
UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection
n. rich
Unmatched depth and clarity
I couldn’t believe the sonic differences I heard from my synthesizers after these compressors were applied. Absolutely incredible hands down incredible
J. JENKINS
Received the native versions for free!!!!!
Someone in the comments mentioned that it’s similar to having the 1176 & LA-2A combo!!!! I must say that I definitely agree with him whole heartedly! I received them free in the UA connect app & now I don’t mix without them!
J. JENKINS
Received the native versions for free!!!!!
Someone in the comments mentioned that it’s similar to having the 1176 & LA-2A combo!!!! I must say that I definitely agree with him whole heartedly! I received them free in the UA connect app & now I don’t mix without them!
f. Galvez
U 175B
$89 I bought in the promotion five minutes before midnight and the other day when I got up, they charged me $150
There is no respect for customers, that’s not fairB. Carrigan
1176 / LA2A combo
It’s a little like having an 1176 / LA2A combo!
g. parenti
Los mejores
Excelente su tono y saturación, el color que aporta es excelente en voces y baterías
L. Carlos
Cool
No long comments
A. Dahlback
Very nice sounding!
This is a real gem, smooth, silky, analog - and it can sound really thick and nasty, too. A good as it can be.
T. Hamill
UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection
Having bought the 1176 collection, I was a bit sceptical of these, but the 176 is now a permanent fixture in my vocal chain. it's quite different to the 1176 and SO FAT! I'm trying my best not to use it on everything - because it sounds great ON everything. The 175B is my 'go to' Hammond compressor and it's great on guitars too, love it!
Two total winners for meA. Sanchez
Great vocal compressor
Great on vocals
F. Hasan
best compressor for vocal!!
didn't regret to pay it! and also they have native for it now. it's really great for me how's own apollo solo!
A. Lee
The compressor I didn't know I needed
I will find a way to get this into a mix - fantastic on individual instruments and music busses
A. Lee
The compressor I didn't know I needed
I will find a way to get this into a mix - fantastic on individual instruments and music busses
A. Neto
A must have comp
The 176 is one of my favourite compression plugin. I feel like it works for everything.
R. Reid
Warm, Full Tone
This is a great collection. The 175B has become a go-to on my vocal chain. It creates such a warm, fat tone and makes the vocal stand out.
M. Hunt
Great sounding comp
I mainly bought this comp for tracking vocals. It has so much characther but can be gentle. My main comp for vocal tracking. in the mix I will hit vocals a bit harder with an 1176 maybe a la2a. This comp has instant vibe for sure.
p. mitchem
Exactly what I expected
I wanted honest tube compression and these plugs give exactly that, absolutely no disappointment
R. Dann
Sounds good
Overall pretty good, I wish it could be pushed more, but ok as is for traditional coloration.
O. Cruz-Olivencia
Great Compressor
Sounds amazing. Solid harmonic sounds and color!! A must have!!
C. Domenico
UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection
We had to wait a long time for these two beauties, they're finally here (UAD original) and THANK YOU for the DRY/WET control for parallel compression and for the little HEADROOM screw :-)
