Insider’s Secrets
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15
The 1176LN compression or limiting is, to some degree, program-dependent. That’s an important
feature which allows it to be used in a musical, percussive way. Let’s say you have a medium tempo,
4/4 rock beat—an excellent scenario for using “All-Button” mode. In this application, you’d probably
have a lot of input level, a slowish attack (so that the transients sneak through), and a quick release.
The sonic result is extraordinary. First, the kick drum causes a great concussion, which is enhanced by
the unique “All-Button” distortion. As it does so, the other frequencies “suck in,” followed by an
exaggerated release and recovery, and then the rest of the drum kit sound returns... all in rather
dramatic fashion.
Electric Guitar and Bass
In his review for
The Mix
, Trevor Curwin used an
1176LN extensively on electric guitar, both in the
recording and mixing stages, and reported excellent
results: “Used on a 4:1 ratio when recording some
electric guitars through a miked amp, it didn’t take
much to get a great sounding result... Just using
around 3 dB of gain reduction added a very useful
character to the sound. There is something about an
original 1176 that adds a certain presence and bite
that can be especially pleasing on electric guitar, and this new unit had that very same character
about it.”
“Treating some electric guitar sounds that had been previously recorded,” Curwin added, “allowed the
opportunity of experimenting with the different ratios and the attack and release controls, and with
careful positioning it was possible to give the guitar a lot of punch and an apparent sense of urgency
in the mix.”
The 1176LN can serve as a perfect complement for acoustic and electric bass as well. In his
Sound on
Sound
magazine review in June, 2001 Hugh Robjohns observed that “the original [1176] was often...
celebrated as a compressor for bass, and I certainly found the re-issue’s compression to cope
wonderfully with the wildest excesses of electric or acoustic string basses, without changing the
inherent sound or losing the essence of the player’s dynamics.”
Stephen Murphy said much the same thing when he reviewed the unit for
Pro Audio Review
in March,
2001: “
My favorite use for the 1176LN is for vocals, electric and upright basses, and other ‘single line’
[monophonic] instruments. I usually stick to the 4:1 ratio, with medium attack and reasonably quick
release—one of my pet peeve sounds is that of a compressor coming back up with a sluggish release.
This was never an issue with the 1176LN.”
You’ll find that you can make almost any bass sound fatter and warmer, yet still retain its definition,
by running its signal through a 1176LN set to a ratio of 4:1, with fairly fast attack and release times
(set both knobs to approximately 3 o’clock) and input and output at roughly unity gain (both knobs at
around “24”). To add more compression and a slight amount of distortion, select a ratio of 8:1 and
slightly increase the Input knob. Even with the noticeable distortion this will add, each bass note will
still be clearly heard and will cut through even the densest backing track.
“
Used on a 4:1 ratio when recording
some electric guitars through a
miked amp, it didn’t take much to
get a great sounding result
”
—
Trevor Curwin,
The Mix
