1176 LN Upgrade?

[Ben Logan]

Project Pak owner here. I tried the 1176 LN demo about a year ago and remember it sounding quite a bit fatter / less brash on high freq material. Now that I've actually saved up enough bread for a possible upgrade from the cut down 1176 SE version, I'm wondering, should I go through with it? When I stop to think about it 150 bones for the addition of the output amp stage seems like quite a bundle to spend.

Anyone upgraded to the LN version only to be met with buyer's remorse? Help me decide here...

 

[billybk1]

I've had the 1176LN, from the get go. It was included, along with the LA-2A, when I bought my first UAD-1 card (the \"ol Mackie), years ago. To me, the 1176LN & LA-2A are the golden algos and any self-respecting UAD-1 owner should, at least, have these babies, in their sonic arsenal. If I did not already have it, I would purchase it, in a heartbeat. It is one of my most used plugins, I never use the the SE version. If I was just starting out, for the first time, with the Project Pak, the first (2) plugins I would buy would be the 1176LN & LA-2A and soon followed, by the EMT Plate 140.

 

[electro77]

LA-2A 1176N Fairchild EQ1-PA and Plate 140 is really what the UAD is for. The Roland stomp boxes make a nice addition. I've never even used the SE version.

 

[mjau]

I waffled on the idea of getting the LN for a while, but once I did I was happy. The SE is fine for what it is, but the LN, to me, is in a different league. If I'm gonna use an 76 emulation, I'm damn well gonna smash things through it, and the SE just doesn't have the mojo the LN has for this purpose.

 

[Ben Logan]

Yeah, you guys are confirming my suspicions. Sounds like I need to take the plunge and pony up for this bad-boy.

Hey, anyone know if this trick works with the plugin (versus the hardware version that this quote talks about)?

\"I'm assuming you know (I say this because I've met lots of people who didn't) that if you turn the attack knob all the way counter-clockwise, past the click stop, it turns off the compression but leaves the gain stages active.\"

Anyone know if this works? I.E., can you use the plugin as a \"tonebox\" and turn the compression off?

 

[brian]

No the plugin does not have this feature. I've tried this out on real 1176s and honestly I couldn't see myself using it much. If I want some crunchy flavor I may as well compress a bit too so I get the full sound of the 76. If you want to use the plugin as a distortion box you can try all buttons mode with a very fast release and driving the input. Even taking just 3dB off adds some nice crunch.

 

[Ben Logan]

Thanks Brian. Didn't think so, but I was curious...

 

[neil wilkes]

Yeah, you guys are confirming my suspicions. Sounds like I need to take the plunge and pony up for this bad-boy.

Hey, anyone know if this trick works with the plugin (versus the hardware version that this quote talks about)?

"I'm assuming you know (I say this because I've met lots of people who didn't) that if you turn the attack knob all the way counter-clockwise, past the click stop, it turns off the compression but leaves the gain stages active."

Anyone know if this works? I.E., can you use the plugin as a "tonebox" and turn the compression off?

You do indeed - it's well worth it.
As far as the trick goes, it's not been implemented 100% in the plugin, but it comes very close to it.
A nice trick is to use 2 in series. Set the first one as far towards "off" as possible and use it as a line amplifier.
Then use the second one to actually do the compressing.
Yum.