

So it's no surprise that many companies have sought to remake and add to the 1176 since it was first released in 1967. The Urei/Universal Audio 1176 is an icon in the recording studio and has had a profound influence on modern gear makers.

An in-depth analysis of the 1176LN's "personality" allowed Universal Audio to methodically reproduce those results within a plug-in architecture, and now offer that same character to computer-based audio workstations. Hardware Compressor Types And Characteristics Tube (valve) compressors are more typically know as Vari-Mu. Unlike some designs, which simply have a valve in the circuit, a Vari-Mu compressor uses the valve for gain control. As pointed out by Case (2007) a circuit is sent to a valve by the level detection unit to alter its gain, which results in compression of the audio signal. Vari-Mu compressors do not have a ratio control and increasing amounts of gain reduction are achieved with louder levels (Izhaki 2008). Due to the use of a valve for gain reduction, Vari-Mu compressors are not as fast as the transistor-based units. This can make them a suitable choice for drum busses and full mixes when preservation of transients is desirable. The classic Fairchild 660/670, Altec 436 and modern Manley Variable Mu are all examples of compressors that use valves for gain reduction. Optical compressors (more commonly known as Opto) use a light and a light sensitive resistor to alter gain (Case 2007). A bulb, illuminated by the level detection circuit, shines on a photo-resistant material to control the amount of gain change. As noted by Izhaki (2008) despite the fact that light is used, Opto compressors are slow to respond to rapidly changing musical dynamics making them a poor choice if quick clamping on transients is required. The classic UA LA-2A and modern Tube Tech CL-1B are examples of popular Opto compressors. VCA Compressors are arguably the most common design. These compressors use a transistor based voltage-controlled amplifier. When using a VCA in a compressors circuit the control voltage is derived from the input signal and any gain reduction is related to this level. In simple terms, more level, more voltage more gain reduction. VCA compressors are considered to be the most transparent of the hardware-based designs.
