each hardware can sound different, but 1176 really???

[Songwriter101]

The Waves one still works best for me.

[kraster]

Have you ever compared different 1176 comp emus? I did today and I know that each hardware unit can sound different or give slightly different results.
Today I compared some 1176 plugins:
Waves CLA 76 black
IKM Black 76
Arturia FET 76
Analog Obsession Fetish (with att and rel, though)

I tried it on drums to smash them.

With equal settings , completely different results, you couldn't even achieve similar results by trying with different settings.
I can't imagine real 1176 hardware can be so different, what is wrong with the emus?

Btw I liked Waves best, but not sure whether it would be my 1st choice on a different track, too.

The JFET in the 1176 is biased really hot which places it really really close to nonlinear behaviour.

Enough that the tolerances within the JFET (2N5457, 2N5458) can have a big impact on the sound.

Even slight variations in component tolerances can yield wildly different gain reduction onset, distortion characterisitcs and different overall behaviour in the envelope.

That and a lot of the old 1176s around today are not properly calibrated.

The 1176 is essentially controlled chaos. It's very much part of its character.

[AGIGA]

Some peoples think 1176 is a good compressor. They are the worst. It is all had back then that was faster. if you like nonsense meter moving with no relation and strange compressor then maybe you enjoy 1176. Now this is old time and 1000 times better comp existence.

put all to trash.

There might be "better" compressors out there but if you want to give a vocal some vibe and get it "right in your face" you use a 1176 or a distressor.

[HenkDeWegWeg]

pass good luck.

[jamcat]

Some peoples think 1176 is a good compressor. They are the worst. It is all had back then that was faster. if you like nonsense meter moving with no relation and strange compressor then maybe you enjoy 1176. Now this is old time and 1000 times better comp existence.

put all to trash.

[vitocorleone123]

Some peoples think 1176 is a good compressor. They are the worst. It is all had back then that was faster. if you like nonsense meter moving with no relation and strange compressor then maybe you enjoy 1176. Now this is old time and 1000 times better comp existence.

put all to trash.

I’ve yet to use an 1176 plugin I like and actually want to use in music. I’ve not used the hardware. I’ve deleted or sold every 1176 I have.

[billinder33]

Some peoples think 1176 is a good compressor. They are the worst. It is all had back then that was faster. if you like nonsense meter moving with no relation and strange compressor then maybe you enjoy 1176. Now this is old time and 1000 times better comp existence.

put all to trash.

I’ve yet to use an 1176 plugin I like and actually want to use in music. I’ve not used the hardware. I’ve deleted or sold every 1176 I have.

In the analog world, it's the hardware version of a clipper and the probably closest, most usable thing available prior to the emergence of digital clipping.

For tracking, I use hardware 1176's into a LA2A's quite often. For mixing, there are better options for sure.

[zerocrossing]

Some peoples think 1176 is a good compressor. They are the worst. It is all had back then that was faster. if you like nonsense meter moving with no relation and strange compressor then maybe you enjoy 1176. Now this is old time and 1000 times better comp existence.

put all to trash.

I’ve yet to use an 1176 plugin I like and actually want to use in music. I’ve not used the hardware. I’ve deleted or sold every 1176 I have.

It’s not a great compressor, but it is a great color box.

[imrae]

In the analog world, it's the hardware version of a clipper and the probably closest, most usable thing available prior to the emergence of digital clipping.

They did have diodes in the 1960s when 1176 was created, if there was demand for a studio-grade hard-clipper it could have been built. I think in practice people used tape to eat peaks with soft clipping instead?

By the end of 1970s and through 1980s opamp-based hard-clipping guitar pedals were in use.

I don't think digital clipping was seriously desired outside lofi gimmickry until at least the 90s? Would be interesting to hear stories otherwise.

[Uncle E]

They did have diodes in the 1960s when 1176 was created, if there was demand for a studio-grade hard-clipper it could have been built.

Yes, that's the Neve 2254, released in the 1960s.

[billinder33]

Clipping's been around since the earliest days of electronics. I'm specifically referring to it as a studio tool to de-peak transients.

[jamcat]

HenkDeWegWeg of KVR says it's not a good compressor, but over 50 years of hit records says it is.

Who to believe?

[concealed identity]

Yes, but We Built This City would have sounded just as good without a 1176

[El°HYM]

Nobody will be able to spot an 1176 in a busy mix anyway. Especially not on their air pods or shitty home speakers.

[AGIGA]

HenkDeWegWeg of KVR says it's not a good compressor, but over 50 years of hit records says it is.

Who to believe?

What does good actually mean in this context? The different compressor types are just different tools. We need all of them to achieve certain results. Like a carpenter needs a dovetail saw and a circular saw.