www.kvraudio.com/news/relab-development-releases-relab-176-tube-compressor-limiter-plugin-64574
16th August 2025
Relab Development has announced the release of the Relab 176 Tube Compressor/Limiter plugin for macOS and Windows.
This project has been in development for over a year, with one goal: to capture the full behavior of a classic 176 tube compressor in software, without shortcuts.
That meant circuit-level modeling of tubes, transformers, and even the power supply - ensuring the plugin responds the way the hardware does, in real time, on a modern workstation.
The Relab 176 is resource-intensive by design, because accuracy came first. If you're interested in hardware-accurate tube compression in plugin form, this is worth your evaluation.
Accurately modeled from the entire audio circuit of a vintage 1960s 176-style compressor: every tube, transformer, timing network, and power supply interaction is re-created using a real time circuit solver. This preserves the tone, timing, and dynamic behavior of the original hardware:
Relab 176 Tube Compressor/Limiter is available now for the introductory price of $149 (reg. $199), or you can pay over time for $14.99 × 12 months at relabdevelopment.com/relab-176
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KVR Audio, Inc.
www.kvraudio.com