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So it comes as no surprise that it carries a premium price tag of around USD 2,400.
The company says that the modern 1176LN is hand-built to Bill Putnam’s exact specifications. The fact that it’s made by Universal Audio (which was reestablished by Bill Putnam’s sons in 1999) means that the reissued 1176LN is the only one that can lay claim to being ‘the original’. But you pay the same price as you would have anyway. Buying via an affiliate puts a small commission our way and helps to keep the lights on.
A word from the editor: this post contains affiliate links. Others present a fresh look at 1176-style FET compression by modifying the circuitry or adding features that the original doesn’t offer. Some are straight clones, which seek to recreate the famous compressor down to each individual component. So you’ve decided to invest in hardware, but can’t cough up the cash for a vintage 1176? Here’s a list of some modern hardware alternatives. And let’s face it: a rack full of shiny outboard gear is still the easiest way to give your studio a professional appearance and make yourself look like you know what you’re doing, a reason that – let’s be honest – probably plays a bigger role than most of us would like to admit. Others prefer the hands-on feeling that only real knobs and buttons can provide.
Some say that it still sounds better and more organic. 1176 compressor clones, reissues and alternativesĪlthough software emulations have come a long way and we now have a choice of numerous great-sounding 1176 plug-ins, hardware is still very much alive.