Universal Audio 1176LN Classic Limiting Amplifier Reviews
The Stones, Zeppelin, Michael Jackson — you've heard it on countless classic recordings. It's the legendary 1176LN. In 1967, Bill Putnam released the solid-state redesign of his venerable 176 tube compressor, ushering in the modern era of dynamics processing. The Universal Audio 1176LN Limiting Amplifier was an instant classic. It featured ultra-fast attack and release times and a broad palette of sonic malleability ranging from inconspicuous compression to flamboyant distortion. Its Class A output stage, which incorporated a custom overwound transformer, always delivered sweetly musical results that quickly earned the 1176 a home in pro studios worldwide. Today, the Universal Audio 1176LN is crafted to original specifications in Scotts Valley, California, handwired point to point, with every component carefully selected for authenticity. It's a toneful beast that works wonders on every signal you pass through it. Basses sound gargantuan. It imparts a definitive thwack to lackluster snare drums. It has no equal for grabbing a vocal and pushing it to the front of your mix. Your studio simply isn't complete without it.
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Highest Rated Reviews
FET Compressor Perfection
The title says it all. This is the creme of the crop. All other options are less than perfect. This one: perfection. I've tried many of the other FET option out there and nothing compares. It is incredible how hard you can slam this thing and it never even sweats. If you want the absolute best, this is it, the one and only.
Beautiful Pristine Compressor
Must have for any studio. You will not be disappointed and you will be smitten with one of the best tools any engineer or studio could hope to have in its arsenal. The UA 1176N sits on EVERY guitar track that I lay down because it makes the instrument shine and sit in that sweet spot of a mix.
It's useful in so many other ways as well and can make any recording stand out from the rest. Worth every penny and I am getting a second one!
Pop guitar sound
I run a chandler tg-2 into this. I spent probably the last 8 months wondering how to get that mainstream sweet sounding guitar sound. This is the missing link. Ever since I got into guitar in high school I was obsessed with getting a pop guitar sound. Kinda like John mayers continuum or every dr luke song. I bought tons of pedals, replaced my pickups, tried plugins on my computer. Nothing got me close enough. This is the answer. Didn’t even bother trying the purple version or the knockoffs. Very happy with this guy
The best of the best!
We've used these units in our main studio for many years. We have some of the older Urei units along side these newer reissued units. They all sound great. Maybe a little different in some ways but none of them sound bad. Personally I prefer the reissue units.
Nothing that goes into these units ever comes out sounding bad. They are a studio standard for a reason. They kick major butt and add a weight to any signal in a way that is very unique to them. At our main studio and in my home studio we've tried many different versions of the 1176.
Most sound pretty good. No two units sound exactly alike (especially true with vintage gear) but most of them will give you the classic 1176(ish) vibe. However none of the clones sound as much like a true 1176 as the Universal Audio units do. If you want the sound of the real deal, buy the real deal. Sure it's more money but is it worth the extra money?
I think so. it's best to demo one for your self and test it along side the clones and judge for yourself. It's been said by some that the reissue UA1176LN units are a bit " Vanilla" or bland sounding when compared to the original Ueri units.
My take on it is I don't agree with that observation. However I will say the Ueri units do sound a bit different but not necessarily better. Both sound great but as another professional says all the time, "Horses for courses." In other words match the tool to the task.
Not every preamp sounds great on every source. The same for microphones, compressors, ect. I'm yet to be unhappy with ANY UA 1176 reissue. I use then one I purchased in my home studio since I do a lot of session work from home these days. it saves me time from having to go our main facility and use our UA's or the older Ueri's.
Currently I'm using mine mainly for bass and vocals and let me tell you. There are many great sounding compressors/limiting amplifiers on the market but there is a very special mojo that this box imparts on the signal and nothing else can touch it. Do you ever wonder how the big time guys get that "Finished and polished" sound?
Well it's not just with a 1176 but many times it's one of their secret and main weapons to get there. It works very well. As for the details of the unit itself:
1. It's very well built just as you would expect from Universal Audio.
2. It' weighs a ton thanks to the massive transformers inside.
3. All the knobs and switches feel great and won't fail any time soon.
4. It sounds as massive as you would expect something of this caliber to.
5. It's darn expensive but well worth it.
6. Did I mention that it kicks major butt on bass, and everything for that matter?
All in all I would urge anyone looking at 1176 style dynamics to look no further than this unit. Try one for yourself and if your not impressed with it then I don't think any other unit on the market will do anything for you. If you can spare the cash grab one of these. You won't be sorry. Buy once and cry once.
I'm glad I have mine and would love to have the cash right now to get another one!
I highly recommend this! Anybody that is somebody has one of these and for good reason.
THEY JUST WORK!
Studio Staple
I have had two of these bad boys for quite some time now. I've recorded a lot in the past with them and when it was time to buy my own, I knew exactly what to purchase. The fact that every pro studio on Earth has at least one 1176 would be enough to let you know that it's the real deal but the tonal expression you can get out of these things are simply amazing. They provide the right amount of "glue" and the "all buttons in mode" gives you the perfect amount of distortion and color. They aren't cheap but they are worth saving for.
Pro Quality Audio
If you struggling to make your vocals, guitar, bass, ect in a mix this will get you where you need to be. No plug in can actually do what this does and its simply amazing I set the settings and everything just sits in the mix how I want it to. I have a home recording studio and my clients are blown away by the quality it's like I'm making record label quality in a bedroom studio! The one thing I really dislike about this compressor is that it's not build like a tank like an LA-2A with a hard metal chassis if your going to pay 2 grand for something it should be but other than that I love what it does for my audio!
Pro status
I've been trying for years to get my client's vocals to sound competitive with big budget studios. Well this compressor was definitely the tipping point. Now I run every single vocal I track through the 1176 on the way in. It's not even worth working without it.
great item, that is if you care about great audio.
excellent
Excellent Reissue Piece
After using 1176 in other studios over the years, I finally picked one up. This is a must-have for any true audio professional. If someone sees an 1176 in your rack, they will know their compression needs are covered. The 1176 can do whatever you need it to, squash, definitely. Smoother, of course. Make you breakfast, yup.
You need this piece!!!
The best 2k I have ever spend!
If you want the big bugged sound, buy this Comp! It's punchy, clean, true and in your face! This is my go limiter for bass and certain guitars. The "All Button Mode" is simply astonishing!
Best Compressor/Limiter I have ever used
There is absolutely nothing that this thing cannot handle. this thing and the dbx 160a are my all-time favorite compressors. the knobs are big and i like buttons for the ratio. and the famous all-buttons-in mode sounds great. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON BASS, its sounds so amazing. I don't have one personally but i use it at a studio i go to and whenever i have a bass track i always try to get it on this thing because it always sounds great. the only downer is the price but hell, its PRO gear. GET IT NOW
Bad Meters
Bought one, hooked it up and it sounded amazing! However, the meter was very inconsistent. I'd have to calibrate it every time I used it. Sweetwater was nice enough to send me a replacement but it did the exact same thing. Every time I'd turn it on the needle would be at a different position. That was the only issue. Sound wise it was wonderful! I'm hoping that UA will take notice of this and start using a different meter or look into the circuit that controls the meter and fix it.
