Universal Audio UAD Plug-Ins ver.7.4.2 - Manual (Page 482)

UAD Powered Plug-Ins Manual - 482 - Chapter 50: UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection
CHAPTER 50
UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection
History
The Definitive Collection of the World’s Most Famous Compressors
The original Universal Audio 1176, designed by audio Renaissance man and
UA founder M.T. “Bill” Putnam, represented a major breakthrough in limiter
technology. The first true peak limiter to feature all-transistor circuitry and FET
gain reduction, the original 1176 offered superior performance and a signa-
ture sound — including a lightning-fast 20 microseconds attack time. Ever
since its announcement in 1967, the 1176 has lent its character and punch
to some of the greatest recordings in history — creating a solid framework for
any mix, in any genre.
Evolved from the popular Universal Audio 175 and 176 tube limiters, the
1176 retained proven qualities of these industry leaders, and set the standard
for all limiters to follow. Entries found in Putnam’s design notebook point to his
extensive experimentation with the newly developed FET (Field Effect Transis-
tor) in various configurations. Eventually, he found a way of using the FET as
the gain-controlling element of a compressor/limiter. While the 1176 has
seen a huge number of revisions in its history, the most significant revision
was by UREI engineer, Brad Plunkett, in an effort to reduce noise — hence the
birth of the 1176LN at Rev C. Numerous design changes have followed
since, resulting in at least 13 revisions and variations of the 1176.
Universal Audio released its first 1176 plug-in emulation, the UAD 1176LN,
in 2001. This plug-in launched the UAD platform, and inspired a decade of
analog emulation software.
Today, with the Universal Audio 1176 Limiter Plug-Ins Collection, we’ve cir-
cled back to the 1176 and modeled its entire electronic path from stem to
stern — including its transformers, FET and bipolar transistor amplifiers, with
improvements in its gain reduction nonlinearities and Attack/Release fits. The
resulting 1176 Classic Limiter Plug-In Collection provides unrivaled emula-
tions of three distinct 1176 units, and is indispensable for any serious engi-
neer or producer.